05/22/2026
Here’s to Year One 🥂
One year ago today, we unlocked the doors and welcomed our first guests into Maker Café. Looking back now, it’s hard to put into words what this year has truly been.
It has been the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Tears, laughter, stress, fights, happiness, exhaustion, and every emotion in between. Countless sleepless nights, health scares, moments of wondering how much more we could give, and days where we felt completely drained. It has been an emotional rollercoaster in every sense of the word.
There were struggles before we even opened our doors. Delays, hurdles, waiting endlessly for our liquor license not knowing if we could keep the doors open much longer without it, having to change our name, equipment failures and so many moments where it felt like every step forward came with ten steps backwards.
Then came learning how to survive. Getting creative, constantly pivoting, hoping and praying we could make it through the winter financially. Sacrificing time with family and friends. Missing birthdays, holidays, and moments we can never get back. Sacrificing time for ourselves because when you own a restaurant, there’s always one more thing to do.
But somewhere in all of that stress and chaos, there was also so much love. So much passion. So much creativity. So much gratitude. So many moments of standing in a packed dining room and realizing this dream was becoming something bigger than us.
None of this would have been possible without our family and friends, who carried us through the hardest moments where we wanted to quit, and without this incredible community that has shown us support beyond anything we could have imagined.
To every person who has dined with us, shared our posts, told a friend, ordered takeout, trusted us with your celebrations, let us cry on your shoulder, supported us during the slow months, and believed in us: thank you. From the deepest bottoms of our hearts, because restaurant ownership is hard and you remind us everyday why we chose this.
We survived year one. Now onto year two. ❤️
Love, Chef Carlos & Sheenagh
Carlos Montoya
Sheenagh Caridi
