He Waited Until His Last Day to Ask How He Got Into Cornell: David Eldredge

David Eldredge sat on one question through his whole time at Cornell and finally asked it on his last day: how did I get into this school?

His advisor told him the truth. Every person on the hotel school admissions committee gets one wild card, one applicant who is in with no questions asked. He was hers. The kid from a Chatham graduating class of 52 who started doing odd jobs at 11, got hired at the Chatham Beach and Tennis Club at the end of the summer of 1978, and stayed five summers, got into the top hotel school in the world on somebody's gut feeling about him.

Barb Garside is a Broker Associate with Coastal Chatham at eXp Realty Luxury and sells luxury coastal real estate on Cape Cod, and her own kids worked for David at that same beach club. He came back to run it and stayed 23 years, then left at 59 to open Elwood's Raw Bars with his sister Tanya. He put it in North Chatham, off the beaten track, and let word of mouth carry it. His line on downtown is short: he does not want to be on Main Street, and out where he is, you always get a parking spot.

Hosted by: Barb Garside

Guest: David Eldredge

David Eldredge is a 12th-generation Chatham native and a seasoned hospitality operator. With over four decades of experience managing premier local venues, including 23 years at the Chatham Beach and Tennis Club, he co-founded Elwood’s Raw Bars, expanding the popular catering business into a dedicated brick-and-mortar raw bar in North Chatham.

What You'll Learn

• Seeing the Chatham that exists after Labor Day, when the town used to shut down completely

• Turning a teenage summer job into a 23-year career in the same building

• Asking the question you have been afraid to ask, even if you leave it until the last day

• Building a Cape Cod business away from the main drag and letting word of mouth do the work

• Walking away from a secure job at 59 because the timing will never be better than now

• Running a business with a sibling by staying out of what the other one is better at

• Giving local teenagers a first paycheck and the habits that come with it

• Finding the corner of the Chatham lifestyle where you go in February to hear nothing at all

Pull up a chair for the Chatham Coffee Tour and hear where a 12th generation local goes to disappear.

Connect with David Eldredge

Website: https://www.elwoodsrawbars.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elwoodsrawbars

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elwoodsrawbars

Connect with Barb Garside

Website: https://barbaragarside.exprealty.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coastalchatham

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-garside-a78a554

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BarbGarside

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