Prior to purchasing Jules' Bistro in 2017, Donella Westphal owned a boutique creative strategy company. “I worked out of my home and met all my clients at Jules'. So I was a regular here three or four days a week. I would often talk to the previous owner, Julie, about hiring me to help with her branding. One day, she approached me, said she wanted to sell the business quietly, and asked if I could help. I had no idea how to sell a business (that's not what I did), but I told her I would be back in a few days with some ideas. Then I headed home, walked up the stairs, and announced to my husband that Julie was selling the Bistro, and I was going to buy it. It was a 30-second intuitive decision for me. It didn't make logical sense. I'd never worked in hospitality. I'd never dreamed of owning a coffee shop or a restaurant. But I knew in my gut that it was the next thing I was supposed to do,” shared Donella.
“It’s funny; most people assume I love to cook — that's actually not true. My husband does the cooking in our family. My passion is for inspiring creativity and growth in others (our team) and fostering and supporting community.” And that’s just what Jules’ Bistro continues to do.
“Delightfully different is our tagline, and it lives at the core of our mission. Many other businesses do pieces of what we do (e.g., coffee shops, restaurants, bars, caterers, retail food, etc.), but I can't think of any other business quite like ours. Everything we do — and we do a lot — is from scratch. We also incorporate as many locally sourced ingredients as we can. The pandemic prompted us to seriously consider how we could grow our activity beyond the walls of our physical space. We now provide liquor service at River's Edge Convention Center and retail food/beverage services at the St. Cloud Regional Airport.”
Community and collaboration are the foundation of what makes Jules’ a delightful, delicious, and determined part of Greater St. Cloud.
“Community is one of our core values (along with creativity and kindness),” explained Donella. “We fiercely support local artists and musicians by inviting them into our spaces and activities. We also partner with so many other local businesses. We get our bread from Backwards Bread Co., our tea from Spice of Life, our naan from the Artisan Naan Bakery, and our dairy from Stony Creek Dairy. Our honey comes from Bolton Bees Honey, our coffee from Dogwood Coffee Co., our maple syrup from Sapsucker Farms, and our kombucha from Deane's Kombucha. These businesses are within an hour or two from St. Cloud, which we consider local. We get produce from local growers like The Ballantine Co., Prime Avenue Farm, the SCSU Community Garden, and more.”
“Community campaigns and collaborations allow me to marry my passion for good marketing and storytelling with my desire to use my business as a vehicle for good in the world. We have partnered and contributed with non-profit organizations in so many ways over the past seven years. Still, one of my favorite campaigns is our Kindness Cake.”
“We began the Kindness Cake campaign during the pandemic at a time when our resources were limited, and our future as a business was untenable. Like small businesses, non-profits were also struggling. People were asking how they could best support us. The Kindness Cake campaign invited people to support our business and a local non-profit simultaneously. We launched our first campaign in September 2020 in partnership with Anna Marie's Alliance. Below is the language of that 2020 post because it summarizes how the campaign works better than I could...
"IT’S GOOD ANYWAY YOU SLICE IT...Everything feels a little (or a lot) crummy right now, doesn’t it? In that space, it’s sometimes hard to see THE GOOD — but there’s still so darn much of it. In the authentic conversations we’re having with guests. In the actions of those who keep showing up for our business and team. And in the really incredible ways nonprofit organizations continue to serve our community. We’re focusing on those GOOD THINGS with a new initiative called C.A.K.E. (Culinary Acts of Kindness Encouraged). Now through October at Jules’, enjoy a new, extra-special cake inspired by our friends at Anna Marie's Alliance — strawberry, cardamom, rose with vanilla rose buttercream, and edible rose petals. When you purchase a $20 slice of this delightfully-decadent cake, $13 (an adult meal) will be set aside to directly support the Anna Marie’s Alliance food service program. Help us help them when you eat C.A.K.E. Yes, you can buy the WHOLE CAKE. A whole Kindness Cake is $136, including tax, and provides $83 in support to Anna Marie's Alliance."
“One change to the program we've made since the beginning is that we run the campaigns for two months and partner with six non-profits per year. The current campaign — which once again benefits Anna Marie’s Alliance — features fig cake, brushed with honey milk, layered with orange diplomat cream filling, covered in honey thyme buttercream, and topped with dried oranges, real honeycomb, and fresh fig,” shared Donella. “These are very special cakes with very special ingredients, and our loyal guests watch and wait for the start of every campaign.
“The very best way to support our small business is by investing in us. Include us in your regular rotation of places where you dine out. Talk to us in meaningful ways. Some of the very best ideas at Jules' have been inspired by customer suggestions and feedback. Give us grace. We provide a consistently excellent product and service. But our team is human, and as humans, we sometimes make mistakes. Let us know when we make a mistake. Give us the chance to grow and develop our team members while making things right with you. I'm so often dismayed when someone says they visited a restaurant once and will never return. That's such an unrealistic approach to life and certainly doesn't help a small business pursue continuous improvement and excellence.”
If you’ve been around Central MN over the last few years, you likely know Donella’s name or face or have heard of Jules’ contributions. “I love St. Cloud. There are so many amazing humans in this community — humans that will help if you make the ask and provide them with a clear and easy way to make a difference. That's the beauty behind Kindness Cake. People can do good just by eating cake. We make these asks of our community in other ways, too. Every year in March, we host Lift Up the Ladies — an annual drive to collect brand-new bras for women who are clients of Anna Marie's Alliance. This community has donated thousands of brand new bras for women in need since 2019 when we began that initiative.”
So, treat yourself and spread some good while doing it. Head downtown, and let’s eat cake!
#StCloudShines
