A Quest for Truth

By Anissa Gabbara

Discovering one’s innate gift is often a life-long journey. But Erika Cadieux, self-taught artist and owner of Hooligan’s Grill, tapped into her purpose early on in her remarkable journey, which would set the tone for her life’s mission of paying it forward and seeking truth.

Since opening Hooligan’s Grill back in 2013, Cadieux says she feels that the longevity of the restaurant’s success is a tribute to the community’s support. Interestingly enough, it was her interior design background that made it all happen. She opened SQ Design in 1996, doing residential work for a couple years before diving into her fi rst commercial and restaurant projects.

“I woke up one day and said ‘I really would love to design a restaurant,’” says Cadieux. “Within 45 days, I had a great restaurant I was designing, and it started from there.”

Twenty-fi ve years later, Cadieux has designed well over a dozen restaurants, and would eventually consider ownership after developing an interest in the customer experience. “In our society, we celebrate everything in restaurants, from anniversaries and birthdays, to even sad things, including divorce,” she says. “We congregate in restaurants to socialize. It’s part of American culture, and I really wanted to be part of that.”

Cadieux currently resides in Onsted with her husband, Kent. In addition to her design and hospitality careers, Cadieux owns AEM Holdings, a real estate development company. She is even involved in the technology industry as the inventor of GoDotz, a wearable technology designed to facilitate the use of smaller touchscreen devices for people who struggle performing certain activities, such as typing. The newest hat she wears is Midwest Energy & Communications director, with a desire to serve the community she represents, and experience working in a corporate environment — one of few things she’s never done. Her unconventional-yetimpressive journey serves as inspiration for many, but it would be a stretch to say that success came easy.

She recalls starting to paint before she could even read. “In my family, we have a learning disability that’s kind of genetic; it’s called auditory processing defi ciency,” says Cadieux. “I couldn’t read or even begin to start to learn how to read until I was probably 8 years old, but

I’ve been painting as early as I can remember.”

As a result, Cadieux made it a point to excel at everything through education, and would become the selfdriven entrepreneur she is today. “I’ve always known that I work better for myself than somebody else.”

Painting was her fi rst love, and served as an escape from a tough childhood. “I did not have the best childhood, so I lacked any personal value,” she says. “I had to learn that God truly did value me, and I realized that God has always been with me in ways I am made aware of and in ways I will never know.”

It’s because of her past that she feels compelled to spread the message of self-worth and realization. “I guess that’s why I want to pay it forward so much, because we can defi ne who we want to be in life. It’s recognizing what our contributions can be, and that we’re all here for a purpose.”

Cadieux notes that her artwork is a refl ection of her religious beliefs and journey — hence many of its divine themes. It’s hard to imagine that she refrained from painting for 20 years, which she attributes to personal trauma.

“During that time, I lost my sister in a car accident, days before her 21st birthday,” she said. “Then I got a divorce from an abusive situation, which although he was abusive, I have to acknowledge that my reactions to tolerate and excuse were not right either. I can only hope my story helps someone else to claim their own truth.”

Her journey to healing didn’t begin overnight, but her artistic talents would make a comeback just two years prior to opening the doors of Hooligan’s Grill. There is a painting in particular, one that is quite personal, that hangs in the dining room of Cadieux’s home — the very fi rst painting she completed after the 20-year hiatus from picking up a paint brush. “It’s kind of a tribute to my daughter and me, and that means a lot.”

But tragedy struck once again when she was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer within less than three months of opening the restaurant. “That near-death experience really does change a person, but it took time for that to happen,” she recalls. “Mine was not a cathartic experience instantly; it was more over a period of time, and it made me understand who I truly was and my art expressed that.”

Traces of Cadieux’s origins adorn the walls of Hooligan’s Grill — one is a tribute to her grandfather who ran away from home at age 13 during the Great Depression. He would go on to teach himself how to read and become a skilled stonemason. Furthermore, many of Cadieux’s paintings display the vision she always had for her life. “I did a painting of a boat; it was a dream of mine to have a lake house, which I have now,” she says. Another dream of hers was to have the freedom of bringing her dog to

work every day, which she proudly does today. This vision, too, has made its way to the canvas.

The banquet room of Hooligan’s Grill is embellished with ethereal-looking paintings of fi gures fl oating in water, all done in mixed media, including acrylic and oils. “Fall From Grace” is a work of art that shows a woman descending from a cloud-like form symbolic of God, reaching for what appears to be his hand. “The message is that we never fall so far from God. He is always there with us, and there is nothing that can separate us from him, but we have to choose that,” explains Cadieux.

Then there’s “Baptism by Fire,” a quaint image of a woman wrapped around in red fabric, which Cadieux says is symbolic of fi re, and a depiction of our past experiences wrapping around us to help create who we are.

“Fire consumes and burns all parts of us, and the traumas we su er can consume us the way fi re does as we struggle to overcome,” she explains. “You can see the woman twisting and turning with tension trying to get away from the hurt.”

Much of the restaurant’s charm is derived from Cadieux’s signature style, which incorporates the use of existing or repurposed materials within the design, deviating from the “cookiecutter” look. “I wanted to carry that warm, family-friendly, communityoriented environment, and not just a refl ection of myself, but also an independence and individuality that we as Americans all have.” Fast-forwarding to the present, Cadieux says that it’s been hard to grapple with the pains of the pandemic and been hard to grapple with the pains of the pandemic and its impact on local businesses, but is looking forward to getting back to some normalcy. “It’s been very di cult, and needless to say I’m very happy that it seems like in our community, most everybody has survived, which is absolutely fantastic.”

As a businesswoman juggling multiple careers, Cadieux says that fi nding time to paint is more challenging nowadays. “I actually have to force time for that, but I do have one that’s kind of in the works,” she says. Over Christmas, Cadieux surprised her stepdaughter with a special painting: “It was a tribute to her — she had lost her special painting: “It was a tribute to her — she had lost her horse.”

If Cadieux is an advocate for anything in life, it’s seeking If Cadieux is an advocate for anything in life, it’s seeking truth; the truth about ourselves. “Try to identify who you truth; the truth about ourselves. “Try to identify who you really are and welcome that,” she advises. “If you don’t like what you’re seeing, seek out to change that, and while like what you’re seeing, seek out to change that, and while everybody’s message is di erent, we all have a purpose — everybody’s message is di erent, we all have a purpose — every single one of us.”

For Cadieux, drawing from her faith is what keeps her going. Moreover, it serves as a reminder to never drift too far away from what brings us joy. “Go back to what was right and what you knew worked,” she says. “Even though it may be hard, you have to take the time to do it though it may be hard, you have to take the time to do it because it keeps you in a positive realm where you can keep contributing, paying it forward, and fi nding that joy keep contributing, paying it forward, and fi nding that joy and happiness that everybody is everybody is seeking.” seeking.”