If being half-good at slicing potatoes and folding napkins was what it took to be a wildly successful restaurateur, I’d have a British accent and be a world-renowned culinary virtuoso, with my own hit reality show centered around screaming obscenities and calling other chefs “----ing disgraces” until they cried.
But, obviously, there’s a lot more that goes into making it in the food industry. That goes without saying. And after knocking over a tray of silverware, slicing my finger, breaking a drain pipe and flooding the floor in the first hour of my shift at one of Norwich’s lunchtime hot-spots, “The Bohemian Moon,” it’s clear I couldn’t even make it out of the kitchen. Thankfully Brenda Gibbon, and not Chef Gordon Ramsay, was my boss this day.
“You can’t complain about free help,” she said, looking on the bright side of my not-so-sunny performance as a prep staffer.
It’s not surprising that Gibbon has such a positive outlook. Starting her third year in business earlier this month, the restaurant has cleared its freshman and sophomore hurdles and then some at a time and in a place where it’s not easy to hit the ground running. With a joint that would make Ramsay proud, the question now is: What’s next?

A Mexican wedding, honeymoon and business trip
Gibbon and fiancee/co-owner Robert Haltner are headed to Bucerias, Mexico for three months after the Christmas holiday, planning to get married and honeymoon there until late March. The Bohemian Moon isn’t going anywhere, though.
“We’re here to stay,” Gibbon said.
Aside from their wedding, the owners see the trip as a scouting mission to get more ideas for the restaurant and as a vacation from the cold weather.
Both made it abundantly clear: “The Bohemian Moon is not for sale.”
While gone, Gibbon says her experienced staff will run the day-to-day operations.

In the meantime ...
As of Dec. 6, the restaurant has expanded its hours to include a Thursday night dinner from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Regular hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, as well as 5:30 to 9 p.m. Fridays and 5 to 9 p.m. Saturdays.
If all goes well, the hours could expand further.
“This is trial period,” she said. “If it works, we may do it more frequently.”
Upon her return, Gibbon also plans to grow the catering end of the business and incorporate more local products into her menu.

Why the confidence to grow?
The Bohemian has seen success keeping mainly lunch hours during the week, adding dinners Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And while the menu isn’t as big as that of a large chain restaurant, there’s a constant change in items, with influences that are often a twist of Mexican, American and otherwise original. So why take steps outside of the comfort zone?
“We’ve seen a great outpouring from the local community these past two years,” she said. “We have a great staff, the quality of our food is consistent and people seem to enjoy themselves while they’re here. I think that has a lot to do with it.”

My future in the food industry?
There isn’t one. As far as Gibbon and Haltner, from what I could see during my afternoon at The Bohemian Moon, they are proof that a combination of clear vision, hard work and a little risk can go a long way, and will. I’m proof that a combination of fat fingers, short arms and very little patience can’t tie a dishwasher’s apron.