Congratulations to Rachel Sillcocks of One MICHELIN Star Hilda and Jesse, the 2024 MICHELIN Guide California Outstanding Service Award Winner!
Named after Chef Kristina Liedags Compton’s grandmother and Sillcock’s grandfather, Hilda and Jesse delivers “modern fun luxury” with food and an environment they describe as quirky, fun, and whimsical. Sillcocks and her team fill this sunny restaurant with a welcoming, sincere spirit, while upbeat music allows diners to dance and sing along. Rather than operate with starchy formality, servers show a level of charm and graciousness that is as infectious as the cooking itself.
What is a typical night at the restaurant?
There is nothing “typical” about an experience at Hilda and Jesse. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. While our service is engaging but with multiple steps that, when executed well, go unseen, we want our staff and our guests to have fun and enjoy themselves. Our sense of whimsy allows for an environment that is fun but intentional, casual but disciplined, and familiar but surprising all at the same time.
What's your favorite part of the guest experience?
Education. I love teaching, whether it be about the restaurant, an ingredient that we're excited about, how Hilda and Jesse came to be, why we do what we do, or where our incredible staff comes from. I like answering questions.
We have a lot of people who feel very comfortable in our restaurant, who potentially might not feel that way in other environments. We love earning people's trust. We love people being slightly tentative at the outset, and then all of a sudden, taking their first bite and watching their eyes light up. We embrace solo diners. We have people that come in for brunch who just want to sit down, read their newspaper, eat pancakes, and drink a cup of coffee, and they are equally as important to us as those people who come in and want to do a five-course tasting menu at brunch with wine pairings. We understand that people's time and their choice to spend their money with us is a gift, and we do our best to honor every single diner that walks through that door. At the end of every meal, I do my best to tell everyone how grateful we are for their being there, and for their patronage.
How are you able to keep the team calm?
We understand that they are not only staff members, but they're human beings too. So we have a very open door policy that if they walk through the door and they need to talk about something, we're there for them. We listen, because it's important to be able to be a human. Everybody needs to be heard, and everybody needs a little bit of space to be who they are, and for us to give room for feelings and emotions.
We are really lucky. Our staff is really, really special, and they are deeply invested in what we do. A lot of them have been there for quite a long time. They are at the heart of every experience that people have at Hilda and Jesse. We have a policy that everybody respects one another at the restaurant. It's really important to us that everybody is kind at the core of their person.
What is the biggest misconception about your role?
Perhaps that I've been doing this for longer than I actually have. For most of my career, I've been in the back of the house, and when we opened Hilda and Jesse, I moved to the front of the house. My success is because of the people that work with me. We've done it as a team.
What should new diners expect?
They should expect to be surprised. Playfulness. Whimsy. A fun soundtrack. An engaged staff. It's a welcoming, warm environment and a team of people that are really excited to take you on this adventure that we call Hilda and Jesse.
What does "really good service" mean to you?
Service at Hilda and Jesse is rooted in care and consistency. It means listening to the guest. It means empowering our servers to be who they are and show up as their fullest self. We don't have uniforms. We don't have set verbiage for staff to speak to guests with. We trust them to make the best decisions for each specific guest. We have a very collaborative communicative environment, and I think that in the end, it allows the guests to have the best possible experience.
For dinner, we serve a five-course surprise experience, so right off the bat, we earn their trust. We check for dietary restrictions; we assuage their fears before we get started. For us, it's all about the guests and the experience they're looking to have, because we're there for them. For some people, that's a very hands-off experience. For other people, that means walking them through all the ingredients, all the pairings, making sure to introduce them to the farms or to the producers. So, it really runs the gamut from a quiet, introverted experience, to one that is very collaborative and educational.
We’ve had guests remark to us that Hilda and Jesse is their happy place. That’s the greatest compliment we can receive.
Hero image: Iryna Gorb / Rachel Sillcocks
