Cynda Meister left the cold of Colorado for the warmth of Morgan
Hill
What many people don’t know about local businesswoman Cynda Meister is that she once was a “ski bum” and managed a restaurant in Snowmass, Colo., owned by singer John Denver.
“I haven’t been skiing in years, and I miss it,” said Meister, the co-owner of three downtown businesses. “That was a beautiful area and a fun time in my life.”
Her term as a restaurant manager was preceded by years of hands-on experience.
“I practically grew up in the restaurant business,” said Meister, . “At 13, I started out at an ice cream parlor and bakery.”
Not surprisingly, then, she says cooking is her favorite hobby.
“I do like to garden, but cooking is what I love to do,” she said. “I cook just about everything, but I’m a really good baker. I used to make the cheesecakes for Mushrooms (Grille and Bar). People sometimes ask about those cheesecakes, if I still make them.”
With husband Brad Jones, Meister came to Morgan Hill 14 years ago from Arizona to open Mushrooms with partners. They got the restaurant off the ground, then three years later, their partners decided to retire and sell the restaurant.
“We didn’t have enough money at the time to buy them out, so we looked around for what we could do next,” she said.
The couple had come to Morgan Hill for Jones’ sister’s wedding, Meister said, when they met with one of Jones’ childhood friends and decided to open Mushrooms together.
Next was BookSmart, which opened 10 years ago, then Thinker Toys five years ago.
“With Thinker Toys, we took on a partnership again, with John and Ann Horner, then we bought them out later,” she said.
Their third downtown business, Caffee Kaffee Vin, opened approximately one year ago, and is “getting better,” she said.
Meister, who studied social work and psychology in college (“which can be very helpful in the restaurant or retail business”), said owning a business requires a dedication of time and money.
“A lot of time,” she emphasized. “It’s almost as much work to make arrangements to go away on vacation as it is to catch up when you get back from vacation. There really is a serious commitment. But we hire good people, people we trust, so we are able to get away from the businesses occasionally.”
In spite of the time she spends working, cooking or gardening, Cynda finds time to be involved in education. For the first four years in the life of the Charter School of Morgan Hill, she sat on its board.
“I have a deep commitment to education, believe strongly in its importance to everyone in the community,” she said.
Now that she’s not on the board, her main connection is with local principals and teachers, working with them through BookSmart to find titles they need for their classrooms.
She also keeps up with her reading, particularly books for young readers.
“I make time to read,” she said. “I read a lot of children’s books, middle readers and young adults. I pride myself on being able to find a book for everyone, and I know particularly at the middle-reader age, what’s right for one 12-year-old may not be right for another 12-year-old or one family, content-wise.”
She will continue to do what she can for education, she said, and guiding families in finding books to help keep their older children interested in reading. She’ll continue to cook and to garden, but someday, she said, she might just take a little time to see the Rockies again. Whether or not she straps on any skis is a different story.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 Ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
