A Chat with... Ebbitt Room Manager Tara Rothberg How did you end up in Cape May? I’m from Philadelphia, but my grandparents had a house in Cape May, and we used to vacation here. My grandparents sold it when I was 19, and ever since, I’ve been trying to end up back here, to begin a life at the beach. One year before I got hired by Cape Resorts, I remember sitting on the rocking chairs at Congress Hall, knowing that I wanted to be a part of this vision and this brand. I told my boyfriend I was going to work here, and now I’m part of a team which has become family. Fondest memory from childhood vacations in Cape May? Because I’m so fair-skinned and can’t stay on the beach very long, my mother used to give me rolls of quarters to play the slot machines and skee ball at the arcade. And when I wasn’t doing that, I was playing mini golf. Why did you choose the hospitality business? Both my mother and father owned restaurants and bars and nightclubs in Philadelphia when I was a kid, so I grew up going to food shows, working in kitchens, sweeping floors. I remember working at my parents’ restaurant, a four-star place with a brew pub attached, on a Mother’s Day for which we were overbooked. My mother came into the
kitchen to tell me we had about 50 more reservations than we could accommodate, and I looked at the pool tables in the brew pub and said, “Can’t we turn those into two extra tables?” and that’s what we did. It was a great day, and an early lesson on the need for being resourceful in the restaurant. How do you spend your days off? The best part about living here is being able to do yoga on the beach. My body doesn’t move like it did in my early 20s, but it’s still the thing that keeps me grounded. I also love horseback riding or taking day trips into Philadelphia and New York City. My boyfriend laughs that he can’t take me anywhere because I’m always observing at other restaurants, getting ideas. You’re also a bit of an etiquette expert, correct? When I was 16, my dad bought me the Emily Post Book of Etiquette and I was hooked. In graduate school, I wrote a business etiquette manual for traveling salespeople. I started a blog and Facebook page, and I’ve been on the radio, too. How is the etiquette of the Ebbitt Room staff? They’re true professionals. To them, this isn’t just a restaurant, and it’s not just a hotel; it’s a place in which they have a vested interest, and they truly are proud. Is it true they call you the “den
Concierge 2013
“Eating locally grown food that’s in season is more than stylish, it’s becoming an important way of life,” says Tara. “Every time I pass a table and I hear a child say, ‘Daddy, can I get the clams?’ I just want to hug him. They’re not eating chicken fingers and fries.”
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mother?” It’s because I’m constantly coming up with inspirational quotes. I have a bulletin board, and one month I listed something special about each person. I want them to know they’re part of a family. We’ve heard about a frequent guest of the Ebbitt Room who’s a bit of a genius. Tell us about him. There’s a couple who comes every year to have dinner. Their son — he’s about nine — taught himself Italian, and he’s an artist. One day I received a box from FedEx with a card written in Italian. Inside was a painting the boy had done of the Ebbitt Room’s front porch. It’s hanging on my wall at home, and it’s probably the nicest gift anyone has given me. How important to you is it to work in a place that serves real food? Our farm-to-table menu highlights produce grown on Beach Plum Farm. Eating locally grown food that’s in season is more than stylish, it’s becoming an important way of life. Every time I pass a table and I hear a child say, “Daddy, can I get the clams?” I just want to hug him. They’re not eating chicken fingers and fries. We’re introducing amazing, beautiful, clean food to the next generation of diners. We’re at the forefront of this movement in Cape May, and that’s really special to be a part of.