Meet Megan Wilson | Coffeeshop Owner, Educator and Culinarian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks is necessary for growth. If you want to be better at anything you have to give up something in return, whether it be your time, energy or resources. It’s an inevitable part of growing. For anyone with big ambitions and dreams, this is something you will need to learn quickly. Risks can be scary, but if you change the narrative and tell yourself that it is necessary, it can seem a lot easier to overcome the fear of it. We often psych ourselves out and make our fears a lot bigger than they actually are. I find that accepting the change and taking responsibility for what comes after the risk is taken, makes it a lot easier to face them head on. Practicing taking risks has taught me to act in wisdom, think things through, know my best case sinario but have my plan if all fails. Most importantly, taking risks has taught me that I will mess up sometimes, but that’s also a part of the process – learn my lesson and continue moving. Risk taking in my career plays the role of keeping me on my toes. I am a visionary and creative, in order to keep my ideas flowing, I have to keep moving and trying new things. If the fear of risks stops me from acting, everything else stops and I cannot go anywhere. My goal is to go as far as my body will take me, and that means stepping out of my comfort zone and taking risks. We are all much greater than we can even imagine.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Spud’s Coffee is a specialty coffeeshop and brunch restaurant opening in Fort Lauderdale in June 2021. While our restaurant is not open yet, we are able to offer a taste of what is to come through our online store and exposure through social media. We began constructing our restaurant in the middle of the pandemic in 2020, and while it has been a major set back for building out our shop, it has taught us already how important it is to adapt to any issue that is thrown our way as a business. During the pandemic, we began offering catered dessert boxes in our online store for delivery throughout South Florida. The feedback from our customers has been amazing, and we have even built a partnership with another pandemic pop-up BBQ spot in Miami, Drinking Pig BBQ, which now carries our pies as their dessert offering. It has not in the slightest bit been easy to build a restaurant during the pandemic, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a buzz of excitement about how far we have come, and our supporters are ready for that Grand Opening Day. Keeping motivated and focused on why we decided to start this project in the first place is how we have been able to overcome our challenges. We love food, coffee and quality time and when we make something amazing, we can’t help but want to share it. We will do whatever it takes to be able to share these moments with everyone.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Only one week? Spend the days on the beach or checking out the local art in Fort Lauderdale and Wynwood. Then most importantly, go out to eat every day! Monday go to KYU Miami in Wynwood for dinner. Tuesday head over to Boia De in Little Haiti – get everything on the menu! Wednesday night head to The Wilder in Fort Lauderdale for live music, great bar food and amazing drinks. Thursday go to Lucali in South Beach for pizza, chicken wings and the best meatball you’ll ever eat. Friday head to Drinking Pig BBQ in North Miami for lunch – everything is great but my favorites are the brisket, chicken, pulled pork, cornbread, creamed corn and Mac and cheese. Make sure to get a slice a pie when you’re done and don’t sleep on the sauces for your BBQ. Saturday go to Hillstone in Coral Gables for dinner. Finish off the trip with Sunday Brunch at Zuma in Downtown Miami. There are so many more places we could go, but you only have a week, so now you’re just going to have to come back.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to several key people who have been my support, mentors and inspiration throughout my career. First of all, my mom, she is my cornerstone. She has always supported me in every project I’ve done, and she inspires me to be the best version of myself in all things. My Fiancé, Alex, is my sounding board. Most of my best decisions have come from bouncing ideas off of him. His honesty and eye for details helps me to transition good ideas into great ones. Two of my biggest culinary mentors that have encouraged me to do amazing things in food are Chef Michael Lewis, owner of KYU Mexico, who gave me my very first job as a line cook in Miami and Chef Mark Wint, owner of Drinking Pig BBQ, who has taught me everything I know about working in an industry kitchen. Chef Mike has taught me to surround myself with people who are smarter than me so that I am constantly learning and growing. Chef Mark showed me what it truly means to take pride in the things that I do and create – never giving less than my best – and what it really means to believe in myself. I can honestly say that I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for these people pushing me forward.

Website: spudscoffee.com

Instagram: @spudscoffee

Facebook: Facebook.com/spudscoffeeshop