Episode 6: Jill Wilcox

Jill Wilcox is the founder of Jill’s Table, a specialty food and kitchenware shop in London, Ontario. She opened her business in 1999 with the vision of creating a central destination for food lovers built on her passion for gathering around a table with family and friends to enjoy a well-prepared meal. This richness of experience stems from her customers’ appreciation for the joy of cooking and eating with family and friends.

In the spirit of giving back to the community, Jill has chosen to establish the Jill Wilcox Foundation. Her hope is that the work of the Foundation will nurture the lives of women and children who in turn will discover the richness and joy that comes from sharing a well-prepared meal with family.

Jill Wilcox Episode 6 Audio Jill Wilcox Episode 6 Transcript

Andrew Young: My name is Andrew Young. You may recognise me from the Internet. I love my life, my cats, my job, and my community. I'm taking up your time today because on this journey of life, I've met wonderful people who make our city better, and I want you to meet them, too. This is Andrew Young's Fantastic Talks with Remarkable People.

AY: Changemaker. Culinary Contessa. Community Queen. Entrepreneur, employer, mentor. Community advocate. Philanthropic patron. When you're in the presence of our next guest, you're in the presence of greatness. She is the very definition of a leader, whether it's sharp knives or her sharper wit, Jill's Table will win you over after your first visit. I am honoured to spend time with the Queen of King Street, Jill Wilcox.

Jill Wilcox: Thank you, Andrew. Wow, that was quite the introduction.

AY: You deserve every single word of it.

JW: Thank you.

AY: Thank you for joining me today.

JW: It's my pleasure.

AY: I know you're used to being on stage teaching people how to cook.

JW: Yes.

AY: Now you get to sit back and spend some time with me. So that's-

JW: I'm looking forward to it.

AY: -That's kind of nice. As am I. My kitchen is filled with the products from Jill's Table. I made a stew yesterday, and I was laughing because everything I put in there has your name on it. So I will- I'll guess I'll bring you some stew and you can see how I-.

JW: I would like to try it, yeah.

AY: Okay. You've, you've done such an amazing job filling your shop with amazing products and even better people.

JW: Yes.

AY: I've been shopping at your store for 20, 20 years. As long as I can remember. You've had a lot of, a lot of the same people.

JW: We have. We're very grateful. We have a fabulous team. We're now up to twelve people, and yes, many have been with me a long time, just like our customers.

AY: Absolutely. So, you know, that being said- I wanted to make the what's the recipe for success joke, but that's not fair. You know, what's your secret for making and keeping your staff happy?

JW: Well, I think we have to always understand their value. You can't do it alone. You have to have a good team, and you need to surround yourself with people with the same core values, and once you do that, it's very easy to stay together, work together as a team, and we make sure that we do things like trade shows together. I have a chance to share with them places I g...