Running a family business is difficult work. At Newfangled Kitchen, the Dennison family has figured out how to make working with family a successful enterprise.
Newfangled Kitchen co-owner Laura Dennison said she has built the business with her husband Eric and son Ethan since it opened in 2018.
“Newfangled Kitchen was a dream for us to express our love of food and passion for service,” Laura said. “It was in the works for many years and finally became a reality in 2018.”
Co-owner Eric said the family had a clear vision when opening the restaurant.
“Newfangled Kitchen is a fast-casual concept that combines the love for nostalgic food with deli-inspired elements,” he said.
The family’s goal was to create food that felt comforting but unique to their style, Laura said. However, she added, COVID-19 drastically changed the restau-rant early on.
“We had a dining room with 24 seats, which quick-ly went away during that time,” she explained.
Laura said while the pandemic could have hurt their business, the demand for their food increased.
“Our business grew, however, during that time,” she said. “We had to expand our kitchen, which permanently removed our dining room.”
More recently, the family opened a separate facility for food preparation and catering on North Cassady Avenue, Laura said.
“This allows us to prep for more locations from a central spot,” she explained. “We would like to open more locations in the future.”
When starting the restaurant, Eric said they were always focused on the customers.
“Our vision has always been centered around building relationships and serving the community to establish a strong foundation to execute our plans,” he said.
Eric said working as a family is very rewarding.
“Being able to partner with my wife, Laura, and son, Ethan, has been one of the greatest joys of my life,” he said. “Sure, there are times when disagreements occur, but we have so much fun creating, brainstorming and problem-solving. They are truly my two best friends.”
Laura said working as a family sets Newfangled Kitchen apart from other businesses.
“We are very fortunate in this department,” she said. “We get along very well and collaborate on specials and ideas for growth, which makes for a wonderful working team.”
Still, working with family is not always easy, Laura explained. She said one of the biggest challenges is maintaining balance in their lives.
“I wish I could say [separating work and home life] is an easy one, but it is not,” Laura said.
“When you’re passionate about what you’re doing,it’s hard to turn that off,” she added. “We are around each other all the time, so when ideas pop into our heads, we don’t have much of a choice but to discuss them in the moment.”
Laura said she still enjoys working with her family.
“We have a lot of love and respect for each other and we encourage each other to be the best we can be each day,” she said.
Eric said working with his family adds a greater sense of purpose.
“Working alongside family means a greater responsibility to the well-being of those closest to me,” he said. “It also means that there is an inherent trust that exists at all times. Finally, it means a lot of fun and laughter.”
Ethan said working in the family business felt like a natural decision. He said joining the restaurant was entirely his choice and something he truly wanted to do.
“We have always wanted to work together to create something we are passionate about,” he said.
Ethan said he plans to continue working at Newfangled Kitchen and possibly take on a larger role in the future.
Laura said she believes working together as a family has benefits beyond just business success.
“It’s a wonderful way to learn how to grow individually and also be part of a team,” she explained.
Published and digitized April 2026.
