DAVENPORT, Iowa-- Flood waters hit ROAM in Downtown Davenport completely engulfing the new restaurant.
"It wasn't easy I was worried about everybody that was there in the building working to get furniture, equipment and things elevated at the time," said Rhea Varna. It was Rhea's first shot as an executive chef and it only lasted 130 days.
After all of the damage, she was out of a job.
"I just assumed I was going to go back to bartending and kind of set the chef life down for a second," said Rhea. Luckily for her, no one was going to let that happen.
"We've had a lot of people reaching out whether it be bartending, serving positions, cook positions, every place downtown even the ones who are affected are like, 'hey when we re-open if it's before you come on down we'll help'," said Rhea.
"She's one of the top chefs in the Quad Cities, everything I can learn from her like how to structure a lunch rush, what she's putting in a soup, different sandwich ideas I am like dying for that knowledge," said Tiphanie Cannon, owner of Oh So Sweet by Tiphanie. The decision to take in Rhea was an easy one.
An equal partnership that won't end once the water recedes.
"She's a great baker and it's a different world then what I am used to so it's nice to kinda see it from the other side," said Rhea.
"As a business owner if this were to happen to me you just feel a natural responsibility to your employees and if this were to happen to me I would want someone to help my employees because let's face it they are not going to get paid for months," said Cannon.
Now Rhea is earning her keep by chopping, cutting and bringing her own signature style to the Oh So Sweet menu. While learning something new to take back to ROAM.
"We`d like to get in there as soon as possible once everything is secure and safe and it`s not as dangerous as it has been initially we were told about four months," said Rhea.
It may not be permanent but Rhea is ready to learn and make the best of her temporary home and she isn't alone. Her sous chef from ROAM is joining her as a guest in the Oh So Sweet kitchen.
