I spent the weekend making my way through a couple of quarts of spicy chili I bought from Fran Chapman at the Dallas Farmers Market. This morning I planned to replenish my freezer and pulled up the website for Chapman Chile Kitchen. The hours of operation have been crossed out and the following notice appears on the home page. I left a message and will wait for details. Sad news for chili lovers.
Hiatus. We have come to the realization that Fran needs to delegate more of the day-to-day kitchen operations. She has spent the last year chopping onions, stuffing jalapenos and grinding toasted peppers while attempting to hold together a house with four young children. The problem is that even with our loyal customer base, the space we currently occupy just cannot generate the kind of income needed to employ extra help. Our much-ballyhooed expansion seems to be on infinite hold as the owner of the building cannot decide if he should stay or go. We thought the return of the beer and wine license to the ghetto convenience store would herald an acceleration of the renovation but this has not been the case.
It is with light-hearted irreverence that we announce our hiatus from Chapman Chile. That’s right; we’re taking a break. The simple truth is the Kitchen never made much money and frankly we are tired of subsidizing the endeavor. We know the problem – no seating and short hours. Without money we can not rectify those shortcomings.
Fran and I would like to sincerely thank everyone – even the person who told us buffalo were extinct. This has been an amazing experience. Lessons learned and contacts made will occupy the coming months as we formulate the next step; we are not done. Hopefully we will be back soon with a new space, the money and menu to give this a real go (if you have money let’s talk!).
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep what business plans may come?
Call 214-887-8872 to get your chile and chili fix while you still can.
