“The four of us started out as family, and family is why Risers Kitchen exists. Just like our grandparents and parents did, put our roots down in Auburn to give our kids and the generations after them another reason to stay here and invest in this community.
Not that long ago, we used to have Pat and Jerry’s down the road and it was very popular for its breakfasts and as a place where a lot of people gathered, but there’s been a void since they left. We saw a need in the community we could fill: a place for breakfast and lunch, people to gather, and a good cup of coffee.
All our food is from-scratch: there aren’t any freezers here. We have all the great breakfast basics like omelets, waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon sausage, etc. We're also planning on doing pies, cinnamon rolls, specialty baked goods—and we're pulling in Cops & Doughnuts! This town wants doughnuts! We don't have the ability to do them ourselves right now, so if you can't do it the best yourself, then we bring in the best. Our lunch menu targets mostly sandwiches: think BLTs, Philly Cheese Steak and some different types of hotdogs while trying to bring in something special or an interesting twist.
Some people have been skeptical about four people running Risers, but being a team that is also a family is a big reason we wanted to do this in the first place. Every person here has their specialty they bring to Risers. The aesthetic is all Emily. The baking and the coffee, that's Andrew. Ryan is great at executing things perfectly all of the time, and Ashley is a go-getter and a financial professional. We hold a high respect for each other. When we talk about the business, we all have the maturity to swallow any bit of ego and say, ‘You're right. This is where you shine, and I’ll step back.’
Risers Kitchen began as an idea seven years ago, but all the work has been worth it because we love our families, love this building, and love this town. This is where we grew up. We know all the streets and the people by name, and our family has lived here for generations.
We're making something that's hopefully going to be long-lasting and that gives the next generation a reason to stay here in Auburn, to respect it, and to add to it’s legacy, too.”
“In 1987, our grandparents opened La Pizza here in Auburn. We grew up there, literally with our toddler seats strapped to the counter as they worked. In this building, where Risers Kitchen is located, our parents ran a health food store for several years. It’s the first or second oldest building in Auburn, and they bought the building from the City of Auburn. They ran the shop out of the side where our lounge area is, and the main area stayed untouched. As kids, we would come over onto this side while our parents worked and play street hockey.
The health food store didn't quite work out because it was a bit ahead of its time—it was the late 1990s when people weren’t as enthusiastic about health food as they are now. After it closed, our parents still owned the building and were waiting for the right opportunity to sell. This building was too important to let sit empty, so we approached them with the idea for Risers Kitchen.
That was seven years ago and the building didn't look like much: there was no electricity, plaster covered everything and there was no floor. It was a mess, and the main cafe area part of the building hadn’t been open to the public for probably 30 years. When we started working on the building, contractors would tell us, ‘The easiest way to do it would be…’ But we wanted to do it the best way. We took all the plaster off the original brick and to restore it. There was a whole archway in the back that had collapsed and we rebuilt it. That wall was the original back wall of the building. It had windows, and everyone was like, ‘Just make them doors’. But we wanted to be able to point to them and say, ‘These used to be the windows.’
Neither of us set out with the goal of opening a breakfast and lunch place, we just wanted to fill a need in the community. Not that long ago, we used to have Pat and Jerry’s down the road and it was very popular for its breakfasts and as a place where a lot of people gathered. They did all the bakery stuff and that void hasn’t been filled yet since they left. We saw that as the gap that we could fill in and slide into that role for offering breakfast and a good cup of coffee.
Now that we’re open, those seven years and all the work have been worth it. We just love this building and this town. This is where we grew up. We know all the streets and the people here, and our family has lived here for generations. When we were kids, mom would point out where our grandmother grew up and her one-room schoolhouse, telling us that on her way to school, she would walk the cows down to the pasture and then walk them back after school.
Little memories like that are important because they make us who are. When people ask us why we’re staying in Auburn and building a business here, that’s part of the reason why—those memories mean something and we don't want to leave that.”
– Emily Rivard and Ryan Reed, co-owners of Risers Kitchen
“I was dating Emily and knew that her parents owned this building, one of the oldest in Auburn. I had to come see it, and when I walked through the door and saw this room, my jaw dropped. Then, when they told me all of its history, I said, ‘We have to do something here.’
We started talking about ideas, but then got married and startec our family. I got a job managing a grocery store and then one day said, ‘Let's just do it.’
We didn’t know exactly ‘what’, and had no idea how, so we started talking to her brother, Ryan, about it. I suggested the idea of a bakery, and Ryan said, ‘I really like the idea of breakfast.’ We combined those two and that formed the idea for Risers Kitchen.
But before fixing the food, we had to fix the building. It needed a lot of work and we had to figure it out as we went. We have pictures of us chipping 100-year-old plaster off the walls to restore the original brick. Then there are the conversations of, ‘I'm telling you a kitchen can go here!’ or arguing over whether or not we needed a back door. Every tax refund came here, everything we had saved we used to answer, ‘What can we do to make this place better?’
My son is nine years old and he's been a part of the project since he's been two. I think that’s beautiful because this place really comes down to family. My dad was a Navy man, so we moved every two or three years. When we finally settled, we settled here in Auburn and I fell in love.
I got my job at the grocery store, and then at some point I started thinking about how I wanted something I could give to my son, my daughter, and my community. I used to work with my wife at the grocery, and I want to see her every day at work again, make a little money, and just be happy and with my family. I don't know how many times I missed moments with my son when he was a baby because I was at work. You have to be away at work to support your family and I understand that. But if you have a chance not have to do that, why would you not take it? Why would you want to miss the greatest moments of life? When you look back on your life, you won't think about your work, the times you worked on Christmas. You think about your family.
I feel like if you put roots down into your community—real, healthy, and strong roots—you can grow and succeed. But if everyone takes their good ideas and runs off with them, nothing can grow in the community where that idea began. Why not stay where it started and better your community, too?”
– Andrew Rivard, Co-owner, Risers Kitchen
“Emily and Andrew first talked to me about their idea for Risers Kitchen about two years ago. I have a daughter about the same age as their son, and Andrew said, ‘Listen, I just want to build a business where I can be with my family and pay my bills.’
I loved that, so I started coming around to help when I could with any extra time or money I had because I wanted to support what they were trying to do. Then Andrew came to me one day and said, ‘Hey, you're putting in all this time and energy here. Do you want to officially come onboard and do this with us?’
And I was like ‘Heck yes, I do!’
Risers Kitchen is a chance for us to provide Auburn with something it needs while providing for our families. Not just our own, either: when we hire a waitress, we are taking responsibility for her family, too. We want to grow this business to the point where we can pay our staff well enough, we can have a no-tip policy because they have a stable income. Getting to that point would also allow us to build the business around our employees’ families, too. If their child is sick, they should be able to stay home without worrying about not being able to afford to take a day off. If we can ease burdens like those for some of the members in our community, then that's what we're here for.”
– Ashley Nickel, Risers Kitchen
“I worked at La Pizza for over a decade alongside my grandfather, who opened the business. During that time, I found that I really enjoyed the restaurant industry and enjoyed working with people in Auburn. Because it was family owned and operated, we always saw all of our family there, like our aunts and uncles, and I loved the feeling that the restaurant was a hub for our family. It's just down the road from where I live, and I still run down there, just to see grandma.
I graduated from college with a degree in computer science, and I took on a role as a system administrator for a local company. But early in the start of my career, my sister Emily and I started looking at this building our parents owned, kicking around ideas of what it could become. Then she and her husband, Andrew, stopped by to take a look. The building didn’t look like much back then—there was no electricity, plaster covered everything and there was no floor. It was a mess!
But Emily's got an eye for the potential in everything. So after they looked around, Emily and Andrew said, ‘We want to do something special.’ I've always wanted to get into the restaurant industry, so we got started shooting ideas back and forth.
It's awesome to get a chance to restore a building like this. Back in the day it used to be Mike's City Dairy, which was loved by the community and we've got pictures dating back where there were horses and buggies out in front of this place. It used to be a big part of the community, and it feels like we can fill a similar need in Auburn and pick up where they left off.”
—Ryan Reed, Risers Kitchen
“Opening Risers Kitchen is emotional for us. Our grandparents opened La Pizza, our parents owned this building, and now we own this business. My brother Ryan and I talk about the legacy we’re carrying on, of what we're building, and what we're leaving. My husband, Andrew, and I have a nine-year-old son and we're adopting a daughter—and they're both here watching it. My son was two when we started this project, and he feels it and loves this space. I show him the pictures about what we're doing and why. He sees what we've been building and knows good things don't just happen or appear—they take years of work. I love that we're building something not just for us and not just for the community, but also for our little ones.
We're making something that's hopefully going to be long-lasting and that gives the next generation a reason to stay here in Auburn, to respect it, and to add to that legacy, too.”
– Emily Rivard, Risers Kitchen
