Ken Miller ( left ) and Greg O'Neill. Photo by Ross Forman_____
By Ross Forman
Greg O'Neill and his partner, Ken Miller, were trying to pull together gourmet goodies for a last-minute picnic at Ravinia one night in August, 2003. But they struggled. Their choices were, 'pretty pathetic,' O'Neill said.
'We had gotten used to having gourmet retail shops in the places we've lived: Europe, Boston and New York,' O'Neill said. 'Chicago, meanwhile, had an underdeveloped gourmet retail scene; it was mostly wine super-stores with a gourmet counter, or Whole Foods.'
So, in the fall of 2003, at their own expense, the two did market research along Broadway Street in Lakeview to see if their gourmet-store concept would fly. Over 70 percent of those in the market research identified themselves as potential customers.
O'Neill and Miller were set, determined to make their dream a reality. In August, 2004, the two opened Pastoral: Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine at 2945 N. Broadway.
'It's been terrific ever since,' said O'Neill. 'We expected that it would do robust business, but didn't expect the national exposure. We didn't realize that the concept would be so notable in our industry. We just thought we would be successful as a neighborhood business.'
Well, six months after opening, Pastoral was named one of the Top 20 places in America to buy cheese by Saveur Magazine, a top culinary publication. 'That blew us away, especially since we were one of two in Chicago' to be recognized, O'Neill said.
'That's when we first started realizing that there's something here to what we're doing.'
Shortly thereafter, The Food Network came to Chicago to profile Pastoral as one of the top three cheese shops in the nation, the others being long-established, much bigger places in San Francisco and New York. Pastoral has only 382 square feet of retail space and has yet to celebrate its third full year in business.
Moreover, Entrepreneur Magazine profiled O'Neill and Miller as career-switchers, going from corporate America into more lifestyle-oriented businesses.
Fast-forward to 2007. In late May, Pastoral was one of six businesses to be named outstanding specialty food retailer of 2007 by Specialty Food Magazine and the National Association for Specialty Food Trade ( NASFT ) , Inc. Pastoral was the smallest and shortest-tenure of all the 2007 winners.
'It is an incredible honor,' O'Neill said. 'We were shocked when we found out. Heck, we were shocked to even be named a finalist; that came out of the blue.'
O'Neill and Miller were on vacation in Belgium when they learned of the award. They celebrated with a fine Belgium ale, he said.
Organizers of the award said, 'Despite diverse formats and different clientele, these retailers share a philosophy of making eating a pleasurable and educational experience. From an established Manhattan institution to a three-year-old European-style cheese shop in Chicago, from an eight-store specialty supermarket chain to a nearly century-old family farm turned retailer, each of this year's winners are dedicated to providing shoppers with an array of high-quality, innovative, artisan specialty foods and beverages in attractive settings with the highest level of service.'
Pastoral offers cheeses from around the world, including the popular Ossau Iraty. The store also offers wine, breads, olives and even gift baskets, among other goodies. Pastoral also does catering.
'By no means do we feel like we're done; we haven't reached all of our goals,' O'Neill said. 'One thing that really differentiates us from our larger competitors is, we're very service- and education-driven. Our [ employees ] are knowledgeable and they go out of their way to create solutions for customers. Even if someone knows nothing when they walk in the door, we want people to walk out delighted. And we also want to please the expert-foody, too.'
O'Neill and Miller will be in New York City July 9 to receive their NASFT 2007 award.
'What makes a small business like ours do well, and what could ultimately make it fail, is the employees,' O'Neill said. 'We have been very, very blessed to have a loyal employee-base that is really passionate about what they do. And it really comes through.'
O'Neill will celebrate their 15th anniversary as life partners in October, which means much more than their professional accomplishments.
'We're very excited, happy to represent the [ LGBT ] community,' O'Neill said. 'We don't shy away from the fact that we're life-partners. In fact, we celebrate that fact. It's more important that we have successful [ personal ] relationship that a successful business. And, if it ever came down to deciding on one or the other, we'd choose the relationship.'
Pastoral will open a second store near Millennium Park in September; it will be about twice as big as the Lakeview location. The new location will feature indoor tables and serve wine by the glass, among other things.
As if the prior accomplishments weren't enough, Pastoral will be included in the Williams Sonoma holiday catalog later this year—a publicationthat reaches about 20 million potential customers.
See www.pastoralartisan.com or call 773-472-4781.
