Episode Details

Hailing from Nelson County, VA Loren Mendosa got his start at the Mark Addy inn, working under the mentorship of Gail Page-Hopps (405). His next transformative role was Mas Tapas. In 2013 at Tavola Restaurant, he met future business partners, Mitchell Beerens, Ian Redshaw, and Andrew Cole, Shelly Robb and the vision for their own restaurant came into focus. In 2014 LAMPO Pizza opened. 3 years later they in the final stages of opening their second location, Prime 109.

"It's all about community."

• Loren grew up in an intentional community, he grew up in an off grid house- which greatly influenced his life.
  • He attributes his life and success to this upbringing
  • His ability to resolve conflict and negotiate, as well as make sure everyone is truly heard in an environment.
• Mendosa met his first mentor chef, Peter at Marquette Restaurant at the ripe age of 15. Peter saw something in him, that he was interested in more in the restaurant industry. Loren was able to learn knife skills, sauces and most importantly inventory tracking and planning.
  • Cross pollination: when you can efficiently use all ingredients across the board that is well thought out and well planned.
• Mendosa's experience with Gail.
  • Gail really drove home the fact that your relationship with local farmers is THE most important.
  • Gail introduced Loren to many local chefs in Charlottesville, including Tomas from Mas Tapas.
    • Loren's experience at Mas Tapas- open kitchen, being intrigued by that experience of culture, life and environment.
• Mendosa's experience at Mas Tapas & Tabla
  • Got right to work, regardless of having his trainer not show up for his first day.
  • Level of intimacy that goes into creating Tomas' menu items.
  • Worked there for 4 years.
  • Left Mas Tapas to partner with someone to open up a new restaurant, which he ended up discontinuing after realizing it wasn't a good fit.
• The delicate balance of having fun with coworkers outside of work and maintaining professionalism.
• The development of a new team of partners- met those partners at Tabla where he had full support and enthusiasm from owners when they decided to go out on their own and start up their own joint.
  • Andrew Kole
  • Mitchell Beeran
  • Ian Redshaw
  • Shelly Robb
• The building of Lampo Pizza & Prime 109
  • The formation of the team
  • Researching locations, other pizza locations that were needed in Charlottesville.
  • The timeline from concept to opening.
  • Recognizing the need for a new location with Prime 109, being able to progress in their fields as chefs and business partners.
  • Always have an operating agreement to be able to handle conflict resolutions, difficult situations and tricky situations so it's smooth sailing.

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1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? <