6 minute read
The Gift of Gab
By Angie Johnson-Schmit
Good Times | Good Food | Good Friends
Jim Cabral’s love of cooking and community has spanned decades. Generations of local residents have made some of their best memories over a dish served at one of his four restaurants in Central Arizona. In addition to his restaurants, Cabral also owns all of the food and beverage concessions inside the Findley Toyota Center. From Chino Valley, to Prescott and Prescott Valley, Cabral and his restaurants are at the heart of these communities, and that is exactly how he likes it.
Cabral takes pride in the relationships he and his staff have forged with their customers. He pointed out that there are several long-time customers at Prescott Junction that visit the restaurant every day. These patrons love the familiarity of the place and staff along with the food and the convenience of not having to worry about food shopping or washing the dishes. “That’s where their fellowship is,” said Cabral. “A lot of people, they’ve adopted the server. That’s their new kid.”
The notion of community fellowship is one of the core tenets of all of Cabral’s endeavors.
He is aware of how important it is for people to come together over food. “That’s what it’s all about,” said Cabral. “No matter what belief you have, we all still have to eat dinner, and we all still get together over a meal. It doesn’t matter – color, creed, sex, religion – none of that matters. All people come together over a meal.”
While feeding hungry patrons and providing a place for people to gather and gab is important, Cabral also feels a responsibility to support the communities he works in. He’s been a big community supporter from the beginning and especially enjoys helping local youth sports groups. “I cater to them and often donate lots of food,” he said.
Cabral loves it when the youth he supported come back to see him years later and ask if he remembers them. He gets a kick out of watching generations of customers walk through his restaurant doors and listening as they share their memories with him. “They’re married with kids and still coming into the restaurant,” said Cabral.
Cabral has deep roots in the community. He moved to Prescott in 1983 and graduated from Prescott High School. After graduation, Cabral jumped right into the food and beverage industry as a traveling executive chef. He came back to Arizona in the early 90s to start a family. His wife and business partner Kelley grew up in the area and comes from a long line of local community leaders.
After working at several local restaurants, Cabral “decided to just do it for myself.” He bought Gabby’s Kitchen in Chino Valley, Arizona, marking the start of his career as a restaurateur.
When he purchased the restaurant, he asked how the name was chosen and was told “Gabby’s is a place to come and gab.” That suited him just fine and he stuck with the name when he later opened Gabby’s Grill in Prescott Valley.
- Jim Cabral
Family is near and dear to his heart, and his business reflects that. “It’s very much a mom-and-pop organization, even though we’re quite large,” said Cabral. His wife Kelley handles “anything that has to do with the paperwork,” while Cabral focuses on the day-to-day operations.
All five of his children grew up working in the restaurants, with most of them turning those experiences into careers.
His eldest son recently left his job at the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce and came aboard the family business as a food and beverage manager at Findlay Toyota. One of his daughters worked in the family business before deciding to stay home and take care of her three children, although her husband still works in the restaurants.
His youngest son “pretty much works in any restaurant doing anything, any time of the day,” said Cabral. “He’s learning the industry and learning to do what Mom and Dad do.” Meanwhile, his other daughter recently graduated with a master’s degree from Arizona State University and is the only one of the five who has left the industry. While Cabral would like her to come back to the family business, he is supportive. “You’ve just got to let them fly,” he said.
His son Cody is the head chef at Gabriella’s. “He runs Gabriella’s and has done great things,” said Cabral. Gabriella’s is one of Prescott Valley’s top-rated restaurants, earning rave reviews for the restaurant’s Italian food. Cabral places a lot of the credit for the restaurant’s success with Cody.
Gabriella’s has another family connection. One of Cabral’s nieces, who spent time working on other Gabby’s restaurant projects, had a daughter. She named her daughter Gabriella after the Gabby’s restaurants. “And so we named the restaurant after her,” said Cabral. “It was also a sister name to Gabby’s Kitchen, or Gabby’s in general.”
Cabral also has a deep appreciation for his staff, especially those who have been with him for years and have been there during difficult times.
He went on to note that he has one employee at the Prescott Junction who has been there over 22 years, as well as “two employees in Chino, they’ve been with me 17 years.”
One thing Cabral does want his customers to know is that the restaurant business is personal, both for Cabral and his staff. “The cook takes it personal,” said Cabral. “He doesn’t choose to take a less paying job in an incredibly hot kitchen to create a dish for you and not take it personally.” The goal of everyone working in his restaurants is “to take care of people…that’s how they’re built and they’ll do it in their own house,” he said. “It’s hospitality and it’s a certain breed of people.”
With decades of restaurant work behind him, Cabral still loves the business. “It’s in my blood, it’s my love,” said Cabral. “I think that’s the only way you can do this industry.” It was the creativity of cooking that inspired him to get into the restaurant business and, in a pinch, you can still find him in the kitchen, cooking up great food for his patrons.
When asked if he has his eye on any new projects for the future, he laughed. “I’m told by my wife that I’m done,” he said. She would like them to be able to spend more time together and Cabral agrees. “The kids are growing in the industry, so I have to focus on getting their education so I can…not work seven days a week, not work eight months at a time,” he said.
His legacy looks set to move forward with the next generation of Cabrals already deeply involved in the business. Meanwhile, fans of his restaurants can rest easy knowing their favorite places to gather and gab will continue to be just as delicious and welcoming as ever.
