Phoenix Food and Drink Pros Connect and Share Support Through Let's Talk Womxn

Succeeding in the food and beverage industry is always tough, but the pandemic was particularly difficult for restaurant and bar owners simply trying to stay open.

Business was down due to mandatory closures and then social distancing. Expenses for new necessities like hand sanitizer and masks piled up. And finding supplies of basic items like toilet paper and takeout containers took a disproportionate amount of time and energy.

During all of this turmoil, Chicago restaurant owner Rohini Dey launched Let’s Talk Womxn, a grassroots support group for women entrepreneurs in the restaurant business. It began with 15 women and has grown to more than 700 in 14 cities nationwide.

Lori Hassler, who owns The Farish House, is a cohost of the Phoenix chapter of Let’s Talk Womxn along with Charleen Badman of FnB and Tracy Dempsey of TDOriginals/ODV Wines.


The local group now has about 25 regulars and several more who “jump in from time to time,” Hassler says. There are no dues, management staff, office workers, or anything bureaucratic. The only goal of the all-volunteer group is to help each other’s independent businesses — whether by sharing ideas and resources, cross-promoting, or even raising funds for each other in harrowing times.

The cohosts organize monthly Zoom meetings for local members and sometimes sit in on calls with women from around the country for other perspectives. Now that the panic of the pandemic is over, the meetings have evolved to focus on sharing information on practical matters such as buying health care for employees, getting help with repairs, and finding good vendors and last-minute staff.

On a national Zoom, Hassler learned about an owner who was converting her business to a co-op and transferring ownership to her employees. Hassler, who’s been undergoing treatment for cancer for over two years, says even though she’s “doing really well,” the idea could be a good contingency plan for her.

“What if I get sick again or something happens?” Hassler asks. “What would I do with this business? Because I love what I built. Other than selling it, I could keep it in the hands of people who love it.”

The group has also been there when members are out of options. Valentina Huerta of Nomada Provisions and the former Nonna Urban Eatery says the members of Let’s Talk Womxn have been “little angels” helping her and her husband cope with a litany of personal and financial issues.

In 2022, when they had to close for reasons outside of their control,  women in the network, or “the sisters,” as Huerta calls them, raised money to help pay for business expenses, loan payments, and other obligations.

Huerta notes, “We’re there for each other on an emotional level,” but also for concrete help.

“I’ve been part of many networking groups,” she says, “and sometimes there’s a lot of ‘blah, blah,' and I don’t think that’s the case with this group of women.”

One way the group raises money for its “rainy day fund” to help members, like they did for Huerta, is through collaborative events. A few times a year, various proprietors team up to offer a multi-course meal using the name AZ Women in Food.

During the pandemic, several owners worked together to offer multi-course meals for pickup only from various Valley locations. In January 2022, Jennifer Caraway of The Joy Bus Diner and Jennifer Russo of The Market by Jennifer each created two courses. Dempsey made dessert and they hosted a dinner at The Market.

The next event, titled "Gold. Glamour. Gourmet." invites the public to "celebrate Women’s History Month with AZ Women in Food.” More than a dozen cities will have similar parties.

In Phoenix, the event will take place at The Farish House and be much bigger than the collaborative dinners held in the past. It will feature at least 20 coffee, cocktail, wine, and food stations along with a DJ and burlesque performers. The chefs hope to sell out all 150 tickets. The cost is $95, but AZ Women in Food’s Instagram account will also have ticket giveaways.

“We want people to dress up and have a good time, dance a little, talk with everybody,” Hassler says. “It’s to celebrate and expose people to all the great businesses we have,” she notes, describing what she hopes will be “like a big cocktail hour.”

Hassler says Let’s Talk Womxn gives entrepreneurs the ability to meet other women and learn from them. She hopes the event will continue those conversations.

“We love what we do, but there are challenges,” she says. “It helps so much to meet other people who are in the same boat and doing the same thing.”