Inspiring Conversations with Alexandra Pellot of The Alchemists Garden

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Pellot

Hi Alexandra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
What a wild ride. Well my story starts when I was just about to turn 18. I just started college early since I got ahead of high school by having great grades and being in the advanced classes. When I started college I jumped one year and got straight to take classes on my concentration ‘Natural Science” I wanted to be a Doctor.

At the same time I started working in a restaurant for the first time as a hostess/server to be able to pay for school and all my expenses. I was not worried about this since I had been working for several years prior in high school so I was used to it.My family was very proud and happy they were going to have a doctor in the family.

After the first six months of working in the restaurant I just fell in love with the industry. So much fun, so many things to learn and ever changing. After this time I changed my whole concentration and I changed college too and got into a hospitality college where I completed my masters and got to travel a lot doing some of my internships in Italy and Switzerland. During all this time 4 years I worked in several High end restaurants and hotels. I got an amazing opportunity to open some and I also became a pretty good bartender. Competing in a lot of prestigious competitions like World Class/Prestige Spirits and others.

I got hired in the Condado Vanderbilt hotel in Puerto Rico to open their bar program and their hotel. I stayed there for 4 more years and opened 1 more hotel and 3 more bars along with them as their Bar Manager. At the same time I was competing and working along World Class bartenders making it to the top 3 bartenders on the island and the only female.

In 2015 the GM of Vanderbilt sent my resume to a college in California. They were looking for help to open the first high resort in Paso Robles, California. I got a phone call from them and over the phone a month later I was flying to California with all my life in one backpack and one suitcase to my newer adventure not knowing what all this meant. I open the bar and restaurant at The Allegretto resort as their bar manager and hire and train all the bar staff. It was here where I met my better half and now husband and business partner.

In 2020 my husband Andrew Brune and I got the opportunity to open our own spot in downtown Paso Robles. Whe new that it was going to be a monster and that we needed to make the best of the best this is when I called 2 of our good friends Quin and Tony to jump into this crazy adventure. We all quit our jobs as servers/bartenders/managers/wine attendants to make our dream come true. A few months later in 2020 the pandemic started so we saw an opportunity to save some money and we rip apart the space and DIY it. We finally opened The Alchemists’ Garden in July 2020. We found amazing business partners Norin and Nona Grancell and we made it happen.

In 2023 I became a James Beard advisor and we have been joining forces with other platforms to bring the industry together and the best of the best to Paso Robles. It is now 2024 and we stand proud by providing an amazing environment with great quality food and the most innovative cocktails. At 34 years old I can say that dreams do come true. Passion leads to success.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely been an adventure from getting to work with a whole new team and working through the pandemic was unreal.

The most difficult thing that has happened to us was the pandemic. Opening a new business under this pressure and circumstances its been very hard. Almost impossible to find staff. The government with the permits took way longer than expected. The constant changes of the health department guidelines. How scared of all.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What is the Alchemists Garden

The Alchemists Garden is a space where amazing cocktails and food get together and create a fun and welcoming atmosphere for all. We take pride in being the different kids in Paso Robles where sometimes everything is very traditional and classic. We live in wine country but we also drink cocktails and we know what we are doing. One of our aspects that bring the community,tourists and others to our space is our variety of drinks and our take in cocktails.

Everyone that comes to us should know that we are a full service high end restaurant with amazing cocktails,wine and non alcoholic options too. We are very creative and we know how to have fun.

To all of our readers we offer a mystical fun environment and our food is just as creative and different like our cocktail from everything else around us. If you are looking to eat and drink differently you need to visit us.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
An important part of our success has been sticking with what we love, our obsession with good food and creative cocktails has definitely put us on the map. With our strong brand and our many different options that we offer in our restaurant we have created the perfect area for guest to be themself have fun and even eat and drink healthy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alchemistsgarden.com
• Instagram: alchemistsgarden.com
• Facebook: alchemistsgarden.com
• Twitter: alchemistsgarden.com
• Yelp: alchemistsgarden.com