The Woman Behind Café Crèmerie | Lisa Gasparian | All In good Taste

What does it take to rebuild when it feels like everything is working against you? In this episode of All In Good Taste, Aidan sits down with Lisa Gasparian, founder and owner of Chicago’s Café Crèmerie, for a deeply personal conversation about entrepreneurship, hospitality, motherhood, resilience, and what it really takes to build a business from the ground up. Before creating Café Crèmerie, Lisa spent nearly 12 years in consulting before entering hospitality through Amorino Gelato. What followed was an education in franchising, restaurant operations, leadership, real estate, and eventually the desire to build something entirely her own. Then COVID changed everything. Lisa opens up about losing her business, navigating the devastating 2020 looting that caused approximately $87,000 in damage, facing nearly $1.5 million in legal battles, separating from her franchise, raising her son as a single mother, and making the decision to bet on herself and start over. She shares how she personally helped build Café Crèmerie, even acting as general contractor on the project, and how the European-inspired café became one of Chicago’s most recognizable coffee, gelato, wine, and hospitality destinations. This conversation goes far beyond coffee. Lisa and Aidan talk about the unseen realities of entrepreneurship, burnout, dating as a public-facing business owner, post-COVID restaurant economics, landlords, social media, creating memorable guest experiences, European café culture, and why the smallest details in hospitality matter. And through everything, Lisa shares one powerful lesson: Bet on yourself. Because sometimes starting over isn't the end of the story — it's the beginning of the one you were supposed to build. ☕ Featuring: Lisa Gasparian, Founder of Café Crèmerie 🎙️ Hosted by: Aidan Descourouez 🍽️ Podcast: All In Good Taste 📍 Filmed at Café Crèmerie in Chicago TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Coming Up: Lisa Gasparian’s Story 01:14 – Welcome to Café Crèmerie 02:03 – Inside the State Street Café 03:31 – Growing Up, Family & Becoming an Entrepreneur 04:54 – How Lisa Got Into Gelato & Hospitality 06:29 – Landing the Amorino Franchise in Chicago 07:39 – What It Really Takes to Open a Restaurant 09:36 – Realizing She Wanted a Business of Her Own 11:18 – Creating the Café Crèmerie Experience 12:44 – Dating as a Public-Facing Business Owner 15:26 – Entrepreneurship, Motherhood & Finding Balance 17:48 – Landlords, Pressure & Life Behind the Business 19:17 – The Reality of Running a Café Post-COVID 22:12 – Breaking Away From the Franchise 24:05 – Bilt Hospitality 25:12 – COVID, Looting & $87,000 in Damage 27:18 – Facing Nearly $1.5 Million in Legal Battles 28:46 – The Opportunity to Start Over 29:30 – “Let Those Tears Water Me” 30:42 – Did Lisa Ever Think About Giving Up? 31:42 – Building a New Brand From Ground Zero 32:54 – Who Takes Care of the Person Taking Care of Everyone? 33:36 – What Lisa Wanted Her Son to Learn 34:29 – Why Rebuilding Was Harder Than Starting 35:19 – Burnout & Personally GC’ing Café Crèmerie 36:32 – What Hospitality Means to Lisa Today 37:32 – What Turns a Guest Into a Regular 38:06 – American Coffee vs. European Café Culture 38:43 – Brand Partnerships, Pop-Ups & Café Activations 40:36 – The All In Good Taste Tasting Menu 41:57 – What Guests Never See Behind the Scenes 42:44 – Spontaneity, Travel & Avoiding Burnout 43:30 – What Does “Good Taste” Mean? 45:00 – Lisa’s Biggest Lesson: Bet on Yourself 45:44 – Where to Find Lisa & Café Crèmerie Lisa Gasparian, Cafe Cremerie, Café Crèmerie, Cafe Cremerie Chicago, All In Good Taste, Chicago hospitality, Chicago entrepreneur, restaurant podcast, hospitality podcast, female entrepreneur, women in hospitality, cafe owner, coffee shop owner, restaurant entrepreneur, Chicago restaurants, European cafe, entrepreneurship, business resilience, restaurant business, single mom entrepreneur, hospitality industry, Amorino Gelato #AllInGoodTaste #CafeCremerie #LisaGasparian #ChicagoHospitality #Entrepreneurship #WomenInHospitality #ChicagoRestaurants #HospitalityPodcast