A STORY ABOUT PHIL
I was 12 years old and my parents, Phil and Hadele were hosting one of their many parties. Our big, but never big enough formal dining room table was full of adults sitting knee to knee. I was sitting in between my dad, and a foreign exchange student who had been brought to the party by one of my parents’ friends. She was maybe 21, the only other “kid” at the table besides me, and barely spoke a word of English. She was very quiet and kept looking down at her plate the whole time; it seemed like she was trying to disappear.
Midway through the meal, as she was reaching for a bread roll, she accidentally knocked over her glass of red wine onto the white tablecloth. The stain quickly spread across the fabric. Everyone froze, except my father. Barely pausing between bites, my dad casually backhanded his own glass of wine onto the table. Laughter filled the room and I could tell that the exchange student was relieved.
I’ve named this business after my father to honor the example he set for his family. My father cares about people, and cares about his family. He parented by example, and set a very high standard for kindness, and above all, integrity.