Chef Elizabeth Wiley, CEO of Meadowlark Restaurant and co-owner of Wheat Penny Oven and Bar in Dayton, first started cooking for her younger siblings growing up in Kansas. When she took a job as a teenager working in her Aunt and Uncle’s restaurant that cemented her love for the culinary arts that sent her on a journey across the country to pursue her passion.
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Elizabeth Wiley, known as Wiley, and Liz Valenti met 40 years ago and before they were business partners, they were best friends.
In this edition of Bouncing Back – Dayton Small Businesses Survive the Pandemic, we hear from Elizabeth Wiley, known as Wiley, and Liz Valenti, two of three chef-owners from Meadowlark Restaurant and Wheatpenny Oven and Bar.
Before they were business partners, they were best friends. They met 40 years ago and know each other well enough to finish each other’s sentences. And, they say, the past year has brought them even closer. Wiley remembers March 2020 when restaurants were shutting down, and the coronavirus had them both on edge.