Emily Kate found the hospitality industry at a young age, becoming a restaurant hostess at 17. While this was her first official gig, Emily had been a hostess for many years. At 6 she was emulating the diner waitresses she adored by topping off her grandpa's hundredth cup of Folgers, making small talk and taking imaginary orders.

“I watched the women of my family hold court in their kitchens while simultaneously keeping everyone fed, a classic trait of a true Midwesterner. It only made sense I would feel at home in the service industry.”

The service industry gave her a purpose and lifelong relationships but it also greased the wheels of addiction and self-destruction. After almost a decade-long battle with alcohol, Emily quite drinking in 2020 and began to re-assess a long-time dream of running her own bar.

She had to unravel not only her relationship with alcohol, but the physical and mental spaces in which she consumed it. Emily reexamined bar and service industry culture, cocktails and the act of imbibing itself, including the hugely social component of drinking. In an attempt to combine everything she loved and valued about the service industry with her newfound moderation and intention, Emily created Nostalgia Room.