Winning Ideas from Winning Women
with Jill Marcus
"Something Classic"

Making a living thinking and talking about food all day long seems like the perfect job, and for Jill Marcus her dream job is her reality. Something Classic, which started out as a small catering shop, has grown into a food services company with seven retail locations in Charlotte. Something Classic caterers to a prestigious list of customers, both corporate and private, and for the first time in its sixteen years of operation, the revenues from Jill’s retail sales exceeded her catering business. With recognition from the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Top Women in Business” list under her belt, and a list of Best Catering and food awards over the years, Jill has proven that a little hard work will make for a successful small business.

The business started out as a hobby; Jill had always been attracted to food and making the dinner table look festive for special occasions. She never imagined that after graduating from Davidson and traveling overseas, she would make a career out of her passion for food.

Jill Marcus

Jill and her partner, Karen Teed, began catering out of Jill’s home, and their clientele grew from friends and family to some of Charlotte’s most prestigious clients. During the early years of building Something Classic, Jill learned all she could through food magazines and on-site catering jobs. “I found myself in the middle of a business that was working and decided to invest all my time into this venture. It was really too late to go back to culinary school at that point.”

With a growing business, there is plenty of room for mistakes, as well as great accomplishments. Jill’s best decision, however, has been to expand Something Classic’s retail locations, especially distributing their products in four Charlotte Harris Teeter stores. “This advertising and exposure throughout Charlotte has been very effective. Not only did we gain a new customer base, but the everyday sales of seven retail locations have taken the dent out of seasonal catering cash flow crunches.” In addition to the company’s expansion, another aspect of Jill’s company that she is extremely proud of is the relationships she has built with her customers as well as her employees. Jill notes that the key to maintaining these healthy relationships is respect. “I respect myself, my employees, my vendors, and my customers and expect the same in return. We have actually chosen not to continue relationships with customers who were disrespectful to employees or crossed the line.”

Maintaining good relations with the people you work with and work for are all part of running a successful business. However, no matter how strong your relationships, sometimes events occur that are out of your control, events such as 9/11. After listening to the news on the radio at work with the sales and kitchen staff, Jill thought that her business would slow down for a few days, but she had no idea of the business challenges she was about to experience. The next day, the phone rang nonstop with cancellations, right before her busiest season. Something Classic had to make the choice of holding customers to their contracts or going out of business. “Everyone had very valid reasons not to hold their parties, meetings and galas… I dreaded coming to work during those few months.”

Young Jill in the kitchen.

Even during Something Classic’s downtimes Jill’s family has been extremely supportive. Jill loves that her children can watch their mom run a successful business. During the day, her husband Gary, a full-time jazz pianist, artist and writer, watches their two children. Besides her supporting husband, Jill’s mom and her grandmother, “Nana,” have been two major influences in her life. She credits these women for her love of food and knowledge of the kitchen. Jill’s Nana owned a restaurant in Colorado Springs with her grandfather, and at the same time raised five children. Jill always loved hearing stories of her Nana’s everyday life, of getting up at four in the morning to make fresh pies for the day. And Jill’s mom, though not as great a cook as Nana, has handed down a few signature dishes that Jill uses in her business.

Growing up in a family that has owned restaurants and businesses, Jill may have inherited an entrepreneurial gene, but she has also been able to see firsthand how to run a successful business. Jill encourages other women who are deciding whether or not to start their own business to start early. “I was twenty-three when Something Classic was born. This was before the husband, before the two kids and before I knew what it was like to get a good night’s sleep.”

Jill also knows that being yourself and
doing what you love will set you up for success.

“Something Classic is what it is today because of my quirkiness, passion for food, tenacity and silly menu writing style. I wake up in the morning and can’t wait to go to work and get to the business of following my dreams. What more could you ask for?”