Most things in life – the truly special things, anyway – depend on timing, and there probably isn’t anyone who understands this better than Aaron and Marie Clark.
From their first meeting at Bennigan’s in the early 1990s to years spent working together and separately at iconic Charleston restaurants like the Chop House, Tidewater Grill, and Bridge Road Bistro to eventually fulfilling a decades old dream by opening 1010 Bridge Restaurant & Catering, timing has always played a key role in their lives…even when they couldn’t see it in the moment.
In the early 1990s, Bennigan’s restaurant in the Charleston Town Center Mall was THE place to work if you wanted to succeed in the local hospitality scene. The restaurant was busy, the money was good, and the stack of applications on the Manager’s desk was high.
Back in Charleston after some time spent attending West Virginia University, Aaron Clark walked in for an interview at Bennigan’s dressed to impress: dress slacks, freshly pressed shirt, London Fog jacket, polished shoes.
“I walked in full of confidence and was ready to make an impression,” remembers Aaron. “They hired me as a bus boy. I had to be the best dressed bus boy of all time.”
The smile on Aaron’s face and the depth of his laugh hint at a lesson that would have been lost on the young man in his early twenties. His wardrobe was right…it just wasn’t the right time — yet.
The timing was right, though, for making lifelong friends – people like Derek Palmer, Jennie Hines, and, most importantly, Marie.
Marie was working as a bartender when Aaron first came to Bennigan’s, and the two became friends. This friendship would grow over the course of several years, but the timing was never right for anything beyond that.
Until, eventually, it was.
“When he first asked me out, I said ‘no’,” says Marie. “We were such good friends that I didn’t want to take a chance on ruining that if things didn’t work out. I finally agreed to go on a date with him, though, and things went QUICKLY after that.”
Funny thing — timing. It always seems to know.
It wasn’t long before Aaron and Marie were married and had bought a house in Clendenin. After their days at Bennigan’s, the couple began working as managers – still within the familiar confines of the Town Center. Marie managed at Tidewater Grill, while Aaron worked on the opposite end of the mall at Chop House – each of them learning the ins and outs of managing a more upscale restaurant.
The hours were long and their schedules rarely matched, so for a time, they were like two passing ships in the night. Tired ships.
They also were learning, maybe subconsciously, the difference between an independent restaurant focused on hospitality first versus a corporate environment more focused on being able to run the numbers.
“Even with employees…managing a corporate restaurant, there isn’t that same connection,” explains Marie. “People are more just an employee number. That’s just not how we think.”
Eventually, Aaron wanted a change of environment and pace from managing and took a server position at another of Charleston’s fining dining establishments – one outside of the center city mall in a neighborhood that someday would take on an even bigger meaning for him and Marie.
But, first, timing.
Aaron began working as a server at Bridge Road Bistro, and it was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after transitioning away from managing at the Chop House. The hours were great, the money was as well, and the friendly South Hills neighborhood environment was cheerful.
Marie, who was still managing at Tidewater, noticed the change – and began to think more and more about what she wanted from her career in hospitality.
“I would come home from Tidewater just exhausted, and Aaron would be there all happy…,” the longing in her voice still evident from a long-ago memory. “I remember thinking ‘I want that, too’.”
When a position came open at the Bistro – and the timing was then right – Marie also departed from the mall and came to the quaint little restaurant in the charming little corner of Charleston high above the river.
Aaron and Marie were now able to work together and have schedules more closely aligned with each other. They also were reunited with Derek and Jennie from their Bennigan’s days, who were also working at Bridge Road Bistro. Aaron and Marie became a part of the South Hills community, with many of their guests at the restaurant becoming friends and, well, almost family to the pair.
In this environment, their true gifts were finally able to fully bloom, being able to focus more on hospitality and service than just running the numbers in a corporate environment. They also had the opportunity to begin learning the catering side of the restaurant business, which they would both apply in other areas someday…when the timing was right.
Like so many of us, Aaron and Marie had a dream that would pull at their heartstrings for years. They would talk and plan and dip their toes in the water and talk themselves into and out of believing their dream could ever come true.
“For years, we talked about what it would be like to have our own restaurant,” says Aaron. “What it might look like…things we would do…things we WOULDN’T do.”
Marie continues for her partner in the slight, silent pause, “We would get so excited and say to ourselves we are going to do this. But then, we would let doubts creep in or something would come up, and we wouldn’t go through with it.”
And, so, for years it was just a vague dream that would always nag at their subconscious…until, one day, the timing was right.
It was shortly after Valentine’s Day in 2020 when Aaron received a call from Chef Paul Smith.
“There’s a space that I think we should look at,” said Paul.
Aaron and Marie had previously explored another potential location to possibly act on their long put off dreams with Paul. While that situation hadn’t worked out, they still were open to the idea of finding the right opportunity.
Walking into the vacant, dimly lit space at 1010 Bridge Road, almost directly across the street from the Bridge Road Bistro where they had spent so many years, Aaron’s visions of what the space could look like crystallized, while Marie’s attention to detail focused on their surroundings. While they knew it would take a tremendous amount of work to make the former South Hills Market location what they envisioned, the three partners took a leap of faith and made the decision to finally act on their dreams.
The timing was finally right. Well, except for one minor detail…
A global pandemic.
Sometimes, though, fulfilling our biggest dreams takes a little more than just waiting for the perfect timing. Sometimes, it takes a heavy dose of courage.
Despite the uncertainty of when – or even IF – they would be able to open the doors, Aaron and Marie, along with Paul, moved forward with opening the restaurant they would call 1010 Bridge Restaurant & Catering. It was a leap of faith that would change their lives, along with the neighborhood they had come to know so well.
Now, a year and a half after opening the doors to 1010 Bridge in late July of 2020, Aaron and Marie lead a team of gifted culinary and service professionals – including Derek and Jennie from the seemingly long-ago days at Bennigan’s and Bridge Road Bistro.
1010 Bridge has gained a reputation of providing world class hospitality and thoughtful cuisine to this central West Virginia community, with guests often saying they feel like they’ve been welcomed into someone’s home for an intimate and heartwarming dinner. It’s this reputation that led to the restaurant being voted Best Appalachian Cuisine in the Best of West Virginia 2021 poll by WV Living Magazine.
And it’s all thanks to dreams, hard work, courage, and, of course…
Timing.
