Today we’d like to introduce you to Vickie Zambrano.
Hi Vickie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The restaurant business is in Vickie’s Zambrano’s blood. Literally. She grew up in a close-knit Greek extended family where life –and livelihoods– centered around food. Her grandfather, Bill Skenteris, was the longtime owner of Palmetto Fine Foods. Watching her papou at work gave Vickie her first taste of the dedication it takes to run a successful restaurant and ultimately how satisfying one’s hard work can be.
Vickie is a 15+year veteran of the restaurant industry. She worked for two of Greenville’s largest locally owned restaurant groups, a large locally owned event company and also managed a private club. Building on her extensive front and back of house experience, her industry-wide connections, and her passion for fresh, Mediterranean mezze-style food, Vickie’s natural next step was to open her own restaurant.
Curean is Vickie’s labor of love and reflects her high standards and the full extent of her epicurean tastes. Vickie is, by her own account, “particular.” She’s made sure that everything about Curean – the food the drinks, the service and the ambience – is as perfect and delicious as she can make it to create for her guests a memorable one-of-a-kind dining experience.
Vickie is actively involved in the Greenville community. She’s a regular volunteer at Fall for Greenville, Euphoria, Artisphere and served on the Greenville Greek Festival’s Steering Committee and was the Chair for the Greek Pizza booth.
Vickie loves being a part of downtown Greenville’s restaurant scene, but views Curean as being part of a much bigger community. Finding ways to give back is an important Curean initiative. The restaurant is always participating in community sponsored events and has hosted or catered many fundraisers for local charities and private groups. She’d love to hear from you!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Definitely not-but I don’t think it ever is in this industry. Curean has been open for a year and a half now and while there have been incredible highs-seeing regulars come back week after week, hosting fabulous events, watching the team grow-there have also been some challenges.
The early days were especially tough. There have been shifts where we were completely slammed out of nowhere and short-handed and I was back there doing dishes or running food or throwing a steak on the grill just to keep the wheels turning. And then there’s the financial side-managing food costs, unexpected repairs, slower weeks that test your confidence and your cash flow.
But every tough moment has taught me something. And what keeps us going is the passion for the food, the community we’re building and the dream that got me started in the first place. It’s far from smooth but it’s real and it’s mine.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Curean?
About Curean.
Fresh. Flavorful. Fabulous!
Since opening in December 2023, our passion at Curean has been to carve a delicious niche in downtown Greenville for exceptional Mediterranean style cuisine. Our name comes from the culinary term “Epicurean” to describe food of rare, high quality that is appreciated by those with refined tastes.
Every day, we dedicate ourselves to take the extra steps necessary to elevate our food to the next level. We start with fresh, natural, high-quality ingredients that have been thoughtfully sourced to meet our high-quality standards. Our way of cooking is an intentional process that involves making everything we can fresh and from scratch because we wouldn’t have it –or serve it– any other way.
It’s the little things –and a lot of prep work– that add up to creating truly special food. We make all our own chocolate, condiments and hot sauces. Our fries are fresh cut and double soaked before cooking. Our vegetable stock is made in-house. Our fresh-baked focaccia is made with Italian Caputo Flour because it is purely sourced and flavorful and a great alternative for guests with gluten and celiac sensitivities.
We’ve set the bar high for the quality of our drink menu, too. We make all our syrups and drink mixes, fruit garnishes and fresh-squeezed juices for our award-winning craft cocktails. (We were named a Top Ten Best New Cocktail Bar in the East in 2024). Our small-batch liquor brands are hand-selected because of their sustainable practices and unique origins. Our fine wines are clean, organic or come from small, family-owned sustainable vineyards
Sustainability, as a belief, runs deep at Curean. We always look for ways to repurpose and to minimize waste. Our scrap bin feeds local chickens and charcuterie scraps are given away as dog treats! We also buy, support and collaborate with independent businesses and other restaurants and suppliers in the community.
Curean is proud to be part of a community of people all helping each other. We support local non-profits including the March of Dimes, Julie Valentine and Shuck Cancer. Vickie says she’s happy to be known as the restaurant with a big heart. Quoting her papou, who was a successful Greenville restaurant owner and a man known for his generosity, “If you take care of people, they’ll take care of you.“
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve worn a lot of hats in the hospitality industry-everything from catering and restaurant work to wedding planning, sales, marketing, and management. Each role taught me something valuable and gave me a deeper understanding of what it takes to create memorable experiences for guests. I’m incredibly grateful to the industry as a whole for shaping my skills and perspective. The foundation I built through those years of experience is what made it possible for me to open my own restaurant, complete with a catering and events department. It all came full circle.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cureangvl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cureangvl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CureanGVL
