Meet Linde Hotchkiss

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linde Hotchkiss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linde, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been in awe of my younger brother my whole adult life. He had a non-traditional start getting his GED and then following his passion and excelling at the Culinary Academy. He has always had the most incredible way of ensuring that his dishes have the perfect combination of flavors, textures and colors and hearing him describe each element and how everything fits together was next level. In the late 90’s, I told him that when he was ready to have his own restaurant, I would do everything in my power to help him. Fast forward 20 years and he finally felt that he knew enough about not only the food, but all elements of restaurant operations and asked if we could collectively purchase the restaurant that he had spent the previous three years putting on the map. In May of 2019, we realized our childhood dream of having our own restaurant as we purchased Encontro North Park.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Encontro North Park is all about the Chef, Jason Hotchkiss. He has carefully created every dish, picked every beer and wine, and works his tail off, pretty much 7 days a week. The menu is exceptional, the flavors and combinations are amazing. Jason has made sure that there is consistency with the food and ticket times, ensuring that those returning to the restaurant have the expected wonderful experience. As we were in one of the most challenging times of the pandemic, we were given the gift of being able to provide more than 2,800 meals to those with food insecurity through a Plating Change grant from Marcus Lemonis and recommended by our friends Bill and Laurie Walton. It was incredible the amount of pride our team took to prepare 150 meals every day that were picked up by the YMCA, Feeding San Diego and Dreams for Change. During the pandemic, Encontro delivered food orders to Hess Brewing and True North, allowing them to “serve food” and remain open for business. Encontro has been a big supporter of Junior Achievement, Freedom Dogs, TranscenDANCE and many other local non-profits. We know that giving back is as important as serving great food in a cool atmosphere. If you come by the restaurant between 8-10 during the week, you will see a young man with autism who takes all of the furniture outside and arranges everything perfectly. If you say Hi to him, he will proudly say “I did this” and point to his work. All in, Encontro is an experience. We care about our customers, we care about our community and we care about our employees. We are currently finding it very hard to stay afloat as every single element has dramatically increased in costs, from produce to proteins, from payroll to cleaning supplies and repairs and maintenance. Hoping this shout out brings more people in experience Encontro!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Of course I would need to start with Encontro North Park, where the food is fantastic, desserts amazing and the selection of beer and wine perfect. From there, some of my favorite places in San Diego are the Gliderport, the San Diego Zoo, a drive over the Coronado bridge, Cabrillo point. The history of Old Town and the Presideo are not to be missed. Fidel’s for some delicious mexican food. Take the dogs to the dog beach in Del Mar. Sunset dinner at Jakes or the Marine Room. Long walk through Balboa Park and take in some museums and the Japanese Friendship Garden. Padres game at Petco which is the best park in MLB. Boat ride around the harbor, talking about the presence that the navy has in this city, the impact on our economy and the people who serve. Take in a concert at Humphreys and a performance at the Rady’s Shell. San Diego has so much to offer!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The focus of everything here is my brother Jason. We have said that if we were not siblings, we would still be very close friends. Jason leads by example, working tirelessly, treating people with dignity and respect, and always doing the right thing. Through my challenges in life, he has been the voice of reason, patiently listening and always supportive, always kind. He has held the mirror up for me to learn from my mistakes and been the first one to celebrate my successes. I was supposed to be on the 98th floor of tower 1 on 9/11 and from that day forward, I knew I needed to be closer to my brother. I finally made my way from NYC to LA in 2004 and we celebrated each other’s successes, me in the insurance business and Jason as he opened several restaurants for P.F. Changs and then in putting Bottega Louie on the map (#1 yelped restaurant in the world!) as their Executive Chef. In 2011, I moved to San Diego to become the 2nd woman in North America to ever lead an office for the global insurance broker Willis and Jason followed a couple of years later. In 2019, I refinanced my house and we purchased Encontro North Park. Unfortunately, this was just in time for the pandemic. Every single challenge, we banded together and worked through solutions. Jason would call on his way home from the restaurant most nights and we would talk about everything from menu prices, to personnel issues to something really cool someone said in a Yelp review about the restaurant. Today, we are still operating the restaurant but facing a new challenge. With all of the rising costs of literally everything, we are not making any money and hanging on to continue to provide employment for 33 people and keep the dream alive.

Website: https://encontronorthpark.com

Instagram: @encontronorthpark

Twitter: @encontronorthpark

Facebook: @encontronorthpark

Yelp: Encontro North Park