Help fund the opening of Little Gems!

 

Hi everyone! My name is Rowan Schnalzer, and I'll be opening my restaurant, Little Gems, in Park Square Market in early 2025!

 

Little Gems is a fast-casual, heath-forward restaurant, serving inspired salads and bowls. Our mission is to create healthy food that's fun, fast, approachable, craveable, and nourishing; our motto is healthy food isn't boring, and neither are we!

 

Little Gems was born from a longtime love of restaurants, a passion for delicious, healthy food, and a need to help bring more quick and healthy food options to Albuquerque! I've spent the last decade dreaming up a concept that served delicious salads and bowls, writing down menu ideas whenever they would pop into my brain on notes around my house, computer, and phone, and putting together a Pinterest board for what the place might look like one day.

 

In 2023, I stumbled across an opportunity to pitch for a vendor spot in Park Square Market, which will be the sister property to Sawmill Market when it's completed. I spent months putting the menu together, panel taste-testing all the items, and after a successful pitch meeting, I got the vendor spot!

 

 

 

I can't tell you how grateful and happy I am to be able to open this concept, and I'm so excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Albuquerque something delicious and healthy that they can feel good about ordering!

 

All this said, as someone with over 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry, I've seen firsthand how challenging it can be to get restaurants open and fully funded. I have two children and a family to consider, so I'm trying my best to prevent undertaking an enormous amount of debt. I'm humbly asking for the help of friends and family, community members, or anyone who feels compelled to help donate to this campaign.

 

I'm aiming to raise $50,000 to help cover the rest of my opening expenses. As a token of my gratitude, I'm giving out some fun rewards. Check the side panel for more details on those. 

 

Thank you so much for your support in funding Little Gems, and helping Albuquerque get a much-needed, quick, healthy food option! I can't wait to see you when we open! =)

 

 

 

Rowan is a Southern California native from Redondo Beach. She became a vegetarian in her teens, which prompted her to experiment with new foods and recipes. Her love for healthy food continued into college, where she became a certified health and wellness coach through AFPA. She continued to experiment with healthy dishes and share her love of food with others, even after leaving vegetarianism behind. At one point, Rowan sought to become a registered dietitian, but her love of restaurants, food, and cooking led her to instead pursue a career in the restaurant industry, where she hoped to one day have a concept of her own that would be health-focused. 

 

Rowan has a degree in Hospitality Management from California State University, Long Beach, and has over 15 years of experience in the restaurant business. She's worked in various concepts serving and bartending, but transitioned into management with the Simms Restaurants group in Southern California, before working for Plan Check Kitchen + Bar, where she was involved in operations, training, and human resources, and assisted in the opening of two new locations.

 

With her previous experience managing day-to-day restaurant operations, as well as her extensive behind-the-scenes understanding of restaurant workings, Rowan is ready to funnel that knowledge into her dream concept, which fuses her love of restaurants with her love of healthy food.