Brittany Copeland | Lionfish San Diego Employee Spotlight

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISH AT LIONFISH?

It’s so hard to choose my favorite. Our menu has such a wide variety of options. The passion..

BRITTANY COPELAND | LIONFISH SAN DIEGO EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISH AT LIONFISH?

It’s so hard to choose my favorite. Our menu has such a wide variety of options. The passion that exudes from the kitchen into the creativity of the menu is the sole reason I work at Lionfish. But if I had to choose I’d say the seared diver scallops. This is a perfect dish for the spring and summer months with the English peas green garlic and meyer lemon. It’s bright, refreshing, fulfilling, and a great representation of the beautiful work this team does. Oh, and the wild mushroom and potato gniocchi with humboldt fog, sage, and brown butter. I mean, I could eat a trough of that dish.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT WORKING IN HOSPITALITY?

I love what one bite of a delicious meal, a sip of an incredible cocktail, or even the ambiance of a room can do for someone’s entire day. It brings back memories, opens doors, and can simply get rid of that funk someone can’t seem to get out of. There’s no better feeling than having the ability to provide that for someone.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT WORK?

Being outside and trying new restaurants (because there are so many new spots in SD constantly). I do a lot of yoga and spend time with my boyfriend and 3 year old maltipoo, Henry. I also have a major online shopping problem.

WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE YOUR PROFESSION?

I guess you could say this profession chose me from the moment I was born in the parking lot of the family owned restaurant, Nepenthe in Big Sur, CA. We actually lived in a small window filled apartment above the restaurant in the staff parking lot. My father was the supervisor at the time and my mother a server. I spent my toddler years “running away” down the handicapped ramp right onto the terrace where you would find me in just a diaper wanting to play server or asking guests for some of their complimentary brown bread or grapes. The restaurant was my playground, my comfort zone, and my oasis. Once I was actually old enough to retain a work permit I worked as a hostess at Nepenthe every summer and on the weekends until I went to college. Yeah, growing up in Big Sur, CA may seem like a dream come true but by the time I was 17 it was the furthest place from anything for me. The moment I had the chance to leave I took it. I actually was the first one to get into college in my senior class accepting a scholarship to FIDM for fashion design. I could not have gotten out of Big Sur fast enough.

After living in LA for a year and a half as a naive, small-town dimwit, and experimenting with every profession, I did the retail thing and personal assistant. I even worked at Abercrombie and Fitch at the Grove Mall. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was not as passionate as the future Tommy Hilfiger sitting next to me in my fashion sketching class. Although I was good at sewing, I wasn’t as driven or inspired by the competitiveness of it all. I was lost and lonely. I missed the restaurant world and the sense of family that came along with it.

I would host dinner parties with my roommates or try to make extravagant feasts out of the little money my dorm mates and I had put together. It came to me. The hospitality “common sense’ was not as common as I thought. In fact, it was more of a gift I could not ignore and needed to share. I hit the ground running.

I went by way of Santa Barbara City College to San Francisco State University to obtain my degree in hospitality management: hotel & tourism. San Francisco is a magical city. If you have never been I advise you to go immediately. The inspiration and tastefulness of this city was exactly what I needed to move forward. I gained even more knowledge than I could have hoped for working under incredible chefs like Elizabeth Faulkner at Citizen Cake and learning about the nightlife industry and the importance of hospitality in Japanese culture while being a host supervisor at Tsunami in the NOPA for the Dajani Group. Living in San Francisco I was challenged, beat down, and picked up again. I made so many connections stretching from LA to Tahoe and my network was expanding faster than I could have imagined. But the thing about San Francisco is the culture. It has so much of it, and not just any culture, but it’s filled with the EATING culture. Everyone is either trying to be the next Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, or Anthony Bourdain. While I knew I belonged in this city, I also knew that there were other cities that were just starting to figure it out, and I needed to be part of this movement. I heard that San Diego was on the brink of this movement… and that’s what brought me here.

So, I guess the answer is while I am thankful for my education, it was always just another added bonus on my resume. My experiences proved my purpose that no education could teach me. From where I was born, through my childhood until now, no matter what, hosting is my divine purpose and also happens to be my profession. Hosting isn’t just seating and greeting, the actual definition is to give, to provide, to organize or arrange. It’s hosting a party, it’s organizing one’s life so you doesn’t stress anymore. It’s providing an experience, it’s having the ability to take someone somewhere he has never been before. I’m just lucky I get paid to do so

IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY IF IT IS ON A MENU AT A RESTAURANT?

A: Corn dogs. Gourmet or not. It could be at a fair or at Craft & Commerce. I love them. Also, anything that has wild mushrooms in it. I love mushrooms.

WHAT IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOU THAT NO ONE WOULD GUESS?

I have never had my drivers license.

IF YOU WERE A CHEF IN THE KITCHEN WHAT WOULD BE THE ONE ITEM YOU WOULD DEMAND WAS ON THE MENU?

That’s difficult because I have grown up around some extremely talented chefs so it’s hard to speak without thinking of their influence. But, rather than a meal, I would demand a monthly experience. Like a crab and crawfish boil. I have always wanted to have one night in a fresh formal restaurant where we could charge a cover and hand out bibs to all who participate. We’d put a long table in the middle of the restaurant and invite everyone in the community to come kick off their heels and dig in once a month.

WHAT THINGS MAKE YOU THE HAPPIEST?

My first cup of coffee, fresh flowers, forehead kisses, cooking dinner at home.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO SUCCEED?

A: Others. I’m constantly surrounded by outstanding individuals that inspire me on the daily. Also being a woman motivates me to succeed. I have always been either the only woman, or only other woman, in a group of male leaders. This can be a difficult role for some, but for me it inspires me to be great, to stand out above the rest, and to show I am more than enough.

IF YOU COULD BE ANY MARVEL CHARACTER, WHO WOULD YOU BE? : )

Definitely Storm. Shes Hot & Badass.