Punta Gorda, Florida
We all have defining moments in our lives we just don't always recognize them at the time. That's how it was for Cindee Murphy. The defining moment came when her father, Lonnie Patterson suddenly died of natural causes just weeks before his scheduled retirement. At the time, Murphy was a young associate trying to make a name for herself at a prestigious law firm in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Murphy didn't realize the impact that experience would have on her life until many years later. "I know that my father would say he lived a good life," said Murphy. "But he had a high pressure career and I always felt like he put off "the fun stuff" until he retired. Then he was gone before the fun could really begin. It made me starting thinking not just about quality of life but about the quality of the MOMENTS of my life."
After practicing law for 12 years Murphy had achieved the goals she set in law school. She was a partner at a prestigious law firm, she was board certified in two legal specialties, she had more clients than she could handle, she was highly regarded in her profession and in the community. "There were lots of things that I enjoyed about practicing law," said Murphy. "I had great clients. I enjoyed my partners and our staff. It was mentally stimulating and financially rewarding. But it was also stressful and I was working ALL the time. I was wearing my lawyer persona 24 hours a day. Like my father I was putting off the fun stuff until later."
In 2003, a dream that Murphy had kept locked in the back of her mind began creeping forward. "I'd get really stressed and think there has to be more to life than this. That's when I'd start day dreaming about Pies & Plates."
Pies & Plates grew out of a dream shared by Cindee and her best friend, Mary Caliguiri. Mary's husband, Richard and Cindee's husband, Dennis had been best friends since high school. All were employed in high pressure careers and the topic of their conversations often turned towards retirement. "Here we were in our forties and all we talked about was what we'd do when our careers were over," said Murphy.
Dennis and Richard would talk about buying land in the Carolinas and building cabins. Mary and I came up with a the idea of opening a little gourmet store as a way to avoid felling trees and clearing land. "Mary came up with the name Pies & Plates one day when we were drinking margaritas on the lanai and it stuck," said Murphy.
Still, Cindee thought Pies & Plates was a distant dream. Until one day, Dennis came home from work and said, "I think you should think about opening Pies & Plates now" and handed Cindee a newspaper. The newspaper featured an article about a new shopping center that was being built in Punta Gorda.
With Dennis' urging, Cindee made a few phone calls just to see what the rental rates would be. The rest is history. Once the ball started rolling there was no turning back. "We prayed and prayed about it. We ask the Lord to put up road blocks if it wasn't what we were supposed to do and instead He just kept blessing us with opportunity after opportunity. By the time we opened weI knew without a doubt that this was God's plan for my life," said Cindee.
Pies & Plates opened in April, 2003. For more information about the history of the business, including devastation caused by Hurricane Charley in 2004 and the opening of Prepped & Ready
click here.
Cindee's husband, Dennis is a co-owner of the business but he "wisely" leaves the day to day operation of the business to Cindee. As Dennis like's to say, his main job is as the Growth Management Director for the City of Punta Gorda. His other job is handyman, trouble shooter and "honey doer" for Pies & Plates.
"The staff at Pies & Plates have Dennis wrapped around their fingers," said Cindee. "When we need to have something done at Pies & Plates, I don't just ask Dennis. I say "Sarah needs this" or "Beth would like you do that. Things get done much quicker that way. Dennis has this great big servant's heart and if he can find a way to make someone's life better or someone's job easier, he's all over it!"
"I couldn't ask for a better business partner," said Cindee. "Dennis has the wisdom to let me do things my way (most of the time) and he's always there when I need him.
