From Scrubbing Dishes to Scaling $27M Restaurant Concepts

We've lived on both sides of the pass. Angela started serving tables while Vaughan washed dishes—before their journeys in restaurant creation began.

Vaughan's first venture, Pizza Fusion, scaled from scratch to 50 units across 13 states and three countries. Pioneering organic ingredients when "farm-to-table" was barely a phrase, it led to a successful exit.

Over the past 14 years, we have joined forces to create three distinct restaurant brands across five locations, generating $27M annually. Our 1,500 sq ft Penelope concept crushes $4.5M, while Kapow Noodle Bar grew to $23M across three locations.

How? Angela masters systems that actually stick—training programs that reduce turnover and beverage strategies that boost profits. Vaughan brings the vision—site selection saving thousands, marketing that builds loyalty, and menu engineering that drives higher checks.

In 2024, after 20+ years in operations, we made the strategic decision to sell our restaurant portfolio and relocate to the mountains of North Carolina. We prioritized family life with our son Bassil while leveraging our expertise in a new way. But restaurants aren't just our past—they're our purpose.

That's why we created Craft & Counsel. We've made the expensive mistakes so you don't have to.

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