A new year brought the realization of a personal professional goal for former Western Nevada College student Evelyn Espinoza.
Evelyn, who studied business at WNC in 2019, and her husband, Francisco, opened Eves Eatery in downtown Carson City earlier this month.
My dream was to one day open my own business and be my own boss, the American Dream, she said. Studying business really gave me the confidence to open a restaurant. I believe everyone that works for what they want can accomplish anything. Opening our own restaurant is a dream come true for our family.
Evelyn said her American Dream became more likely because of specific training she received at WNC. She enrolled in bookkeeping and computer classes during the 2019 spring semester after moving from Las Vegas to Carson City.
I remember searching online and Western Nevada College was the first college that caught my eye, Evelyn recalled. I chose it because it has a great business program and many class schedule options. I needed flexibility because Im a mom, an employee and a student, so time is important to me.
The classes she took that semester are helping the Espinozas address some of the needs of opening a new business.
The bookkeeping class taught me how to be profitable, how to be successful with retail, and then I applied it to the restaurant, Evelyn said. Budgeting has been so important at the beginning stages of our business. Opening a restaurant is expensive and making sure you budget everything can be stressful.
Eves Eatery, which specializes in American cuisine, has a great historic location at 402 N. Carson St.
The location is probably our favorite part of the restaurant, Evelyn said. We noticed it had an availability sign in the window and that prompted us to call. We were able to secure it within two weeks. We fell in love with the building and location at first sight.
While Evelyn brings business knowledge to the restaurant and loves to cook, Francisco is an experienced chef and has worked for celebrity chefs such as Brian Malarkey, Costas Spiliadis, Scott Conant, Chris Santos and Robert Irvine. Hes also served as the Chef de Cuisine for the Bistro at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline.
My husband and I decided to open a restaurant because we love cooking for people. We are big foodies, she said. I am the cook at home while my husband is a chef at work. He started cooking at 18 years old and has moved up the ladder throughout the years. Having 15 years experience in the industry gave us more confidence in being successful.
Eves Eatery is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. They offer breakfast, lunch and brunch, and provide food for special events.
Now that the goal of opening her own business has been accomplished, Evelyn is appreciative of the professional training she received at WNC.
Im grateful that WNC gave me so much help from the get-go, she said. I hadnt gone to college previously and they showed me what I had to do. I met a lot of good people people who were willing to help me.
To learn more about WNCs business program, go to wnc.edu/areas/business-finance-marketing/ or to learn more about other workforce training options at WNC, go to wnc.edu/pat/. Individuals can register now for spring semester courses, which begin Jan. 24. For a list of classes, go to wnc.edu/class-schedule/.
For more information about programs and classes or becoming a student at WNC, phone 775-445-3277 or 775-445-3267.