Entrepreneur Spotlight Series: Josée Curé

We care about our entrepreneurs and follow them on their journey! Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to a series of successful entrepreneurs from Manitoba. Today, we invite you to discover the inspiring story of Josée Curé from J’em Bistro

Josée Curé

What products do you offer? 

We offer made from scratch items (quality ingredients and locally sourced) such as baked goods, desserts, pickles, preserves, vinaigrettes, beverages, soups. These are used in our menu for dining (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and take out, picnic packages, catering and for sale in our store. We also offer workshops, we rent out our space for private functions, and we host pop up events. And we will be launching an online baking course soon!

What is your market?

My market includes young adults, empty nesters as well as seniors. Our restaurant’s weekday clientele is very different from our weekend one. Workshops are truly for everyone, and events vary. We target customers who see value in quality and artisan products and support local businesses. We aren’t a fast food, so please don’t come to simply inhale your meal and run out! Come sit for a while, enjoy the environment, the company and the flavours.

How did your business idea come about? 

My business idea came about as a way to incorporate all the things I loved. I always enjoyed baking and cooking but it was more of a side interest. Food has always been something that brought my family together, especially on my father’s side. My mom’s side was big into hobby farming and preserving. Changing careers to pursue a passion took me a long time to process. Mainly for financial reasons since it is not a very lucrative career and has a low success rate. But happiness is found in passion, and you can’t put a price on that! So when I decided to sign up for college and my program had a three-year wait, in the meantime I tried out a seasonal business/side hustle to sell my baked goods and preserves and see if this was something I could do full time. I had an acre garden the first year and called it J’em Jardin. Three years flew by, school came and went, and I decided it was time to put my hospitality and management experience and passion into action. That’s how J’em Bistro was born.

How do you make sure you can achieve your goals?

Mindset and manifestation and continuously build my network. And still a lot of winging it!

What tools do you use the most in your work? 

Probably my notes app and calendar on my iPhone. I easily forget so it’s good to find a way to stay on top of things. My laptop and textbooks are also great tools.

Tell us about your team

I love my team. Every team member I’ve had so far has been amazing. I really try to create a teamwork spirit and healthy environment amongst us and I feel we’ve really achieved that. Every single one of my current and past hires, I would rehire and refer.

What is the most important lesson you have learned in your entrepreneurial journey?

It’s never too late to change what you do and pursue what you love. Money comes and goes, and if you keep at it with the right approach, you can manifest anything you want in life.

What is your biggest fear? How do you deal with this fear? 

My biggest fear is that if I fail, I won’t be able to make a difference in the world. I deal with this fear by diving into my work and working towards its success by adapting and trying new things.

If you were not an entrepreneur, you would be… 

Probably an event planner or a life coach.