Meet Claire Calvin of The Porch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Calvin.

Hi Claire, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I grew up in Houston, Texas, where many generations of my family have been born, raised and remained. I always imagined I would end up living in Houston – or in Texas – as an adult, but as they say, life is what happens while you’re making plans! My husband and I have been living in Winston-Salem, raising kids, and running restaurants, for the past 17 years and we are now truly rooted in North Carolina. But, of course, my Texas roots have been an important part of my journey to where I am today. When we moved to North Carolina in 2007, neither of us knew if we would stay. We had moved from Portland, Oregon, where we had been for 4 years during my husband’s medical residency. I had been an attorney before we moved but arriving in our new town with our young kids, I decided to take some time to be a full-time mom and figure out what was next. 

A few years later, we decided that we really loved North Carolina and that we would settle down to raise our family here, but a big part of me was still missing Texas – the people, my family, and most importantly, the food! I grew up on hot salsa and fajitas, BBQ brisket, Cajun cookouts, and a huge variety of ethnic restaurants that Houston’s diverse immigrant population makes possible. Each time I would go visit my family there, I would come back to Winston-Salem feeling glad to be home but missing all of my favorite foods. 

So, in 2010, I started a little side hustle, or so I thought. I began making Tex-Mex meals that I loved and offering them for delivery to friends, and then friends of friends, and then as it grew, strangers. Each week, I would write up my menu on my blog and send it out to everyone on my mailing list, asking for orders by Sunday night. I called it Dinners on the Porch because after I got the orders in, cooked like crazy on Monday, I would then deliver the dinners to the front porch of anyone who had placed an order. With my car (and eventually several other drivers’ cars) loaded up with coolers, bags of chips, and even homemade desserts, we would drive around town dropping meals into coolers that our customers would leave on their front porches filled with ice and with a check taped to the inside. It was very low-tech but lots of fun. I learned so much in the first few hectic years, but as the business grew, I found myself more and more connected to my community. The network of “Porch People” spread throughout many neighborhoods, social groups, old friends, and new ones. It was also a great feeling to be able to help people spend more time together around the dinner table, which I think is so important but so challenging in our busy modern lives. Shopping, cooking & cleaning up after a long day at work, or parenting can be the last thing anyone feels like doing, so we end up missing out on this amazing experience that is so important for families of sitting around the table together, eating, laughing, learning from one another and just being there for another through all of life’s ups and downs. So that really was a big part of my “why” as things got busier and busier because it was so much work (and cooking!), but I heard back from so many people for whom the meals we delivered were truly a way to nourish their families in so many ways. 

So, after three years of growing from the kitchen we were renting, we outgrew that space and started looking for more room to keep growing. We found an awesome, rustic location and built a bigger kitchen, bar & dining room and soon opened The Porch, a Tex-Mex kitchen & cantina. Our handmade margaritas, tacos, and laid-back Texas vibe were just what my homesick self had been missing in Winston-Salem, and it resonated with a lot of other folks, too. The restaurant was a hit, and I spent the next few years learning how to run a restaurant, making every mistake in the book (at least once) along the way. 

After a few years, we opened a second and third restaurant, and by the end of 2019, I felt like I finally had graduated from Restaurant 101. 

And then, of course, Covid came along and threw us & everyone else for a big loop. We closed the two newer restaurants and kept The Porch running throughout, leaning into the core dinner delivery business we had always known was important. We delivered family meals, casseroles, Easter meals, margarita mix for Cinco de Mayo and did a huge amount of take-out business. It was a real season of reconnection with the things that really mattered to me when I started – making food that I knew was going to help and comfort our customers and that would bring a little fun to the dinner table during an otherwise bleak time. 

During 2020, we also began growing our Wholesale business, selling food to local grocery stores and markets. We outgrew the USDA kitchen we had been using, so once again, we looked for a new space to keep growing. In 2021, I purchased two connected old buildings that I had always loved, and I began dreaming of all the possibilities of nearly 20,000 square feet. In the end, we divided the buildings, renting out half to retail business and taking half of the space for a large multi-purpose kitchen where we could grow into new opportunities and using the rest for a new restaurant space. In March 2023, we opened East of Texas, a Tex-Mex BBQ restaurant that really brings to life so many of the things that I love & miss about Texas – smoked brisket, spicy food, a super-fun atmosphere, live music, dancing, tons of outdoor space and a welcoming atmosphere where I know people will have a great time with their friends and family. I know I have years to go before I do all of the things I want to do in the space – it can be the project of a Texas girl’s lifetime! 

We’re not even a year in, but it’s been a great time so far! 

During all of this, my family has been growing up – my kids are now 20, 18, and 15 – college and high school students that are so much fun to be around. They all work in the business during summer breaks and here and there, and being with the diverse workforce and in customer service has been great for them. Of course, we have the same highs and lows as every family, but my husband and I are so proud of them. We’re also both so happy to be able to contribute to this community with things that are important to us – Winston-Salem is truly home now, but I don’t feel homesick for Texas when I am working to bring a little bit of it here to North Carolina! 

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?
Of course not – that would be boring! There have been financial struggles, many, many issues with staff – restaurant drama is for real! Guilt over work-life balance as my kids have been growing up, and just lots of tough days along the way. It’s so hard to show up every day with energy, positivity, and good leadership skills that meet each employee’s needs – lots of days I don’t do a great job or all – or any – of that. Thankfully, I have a great team, so when I’m struggling or have family needs that come before work, the leadership folks have my back. It’s sometimes hard to ask for help and accept it gratefully because it feels like failure when you can’t “do it all,” but it creates such a stronger, better company in the long run that the bumps in the road end up being blessings when you look back. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our company is known for great food, laid-back fun, and community building. We imagine hospitality first, creating third-space environments where really great connections happen. I love great Tex-Mex food, and I’ve been proud to bring that to our community, but I’m equally as proud of the way people feel about the role of our company in the community. We support other local businesses, entrepreneurs, schools, neighborhood, and one another. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I read all the time – novels, short stories, news, blogs, and magazines. I love listening to podcasts when I’m driving – lately, I’ve been loving Smartless. Hearing the stories of creative folks and leaders – their struggles and the ups and downs that they’ve been through, helps me remember that the journey is where the good stuff happens. 

Pricing:

• $12-$20 entrees

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theporchws.com
• Instagram: @theporchws, @eastoftexaswsnc, @almawsnc