The Future is a Mystery, You Never Know How Things Will Play Out.
With new relationships becoming so fleeting in the digital age, it can be hard to take the time to invest in our interactions with others. But making that extra effort to make those lasting connections can change the course of our lives!
In a world of social media, algorithms, hashtags, and the ever-present pandemic, we rely heavily on technology to stay connected with friends, family and acquaintances. As snail mail, white pages, and answering machines have gone by the wayside, sending a text, direct message or comment on a post has never been easier to maintain or foster relationships. How do these relationships start, and where do they lead? Is someone you meet in passing a person who will later impact your story, or are they merely dust in the wind?
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Building a strong network takes time and energy, but it is essential to creating a foundation to build your personal connections and professional relationships that will affect your life for years to come.
In 2007, Thomas Cox, Table and Thyme’s founder and CEO, began coaching college football at Tennessee Tech University. As an assistant coach, it’s safe to say that you meet hundreds of players, coaches, and assistants throughout the course of your career. Memorizing names, remembering positions and responsibilities can become challenging. On the contrary, Thomas always makes it a point to remember everyone’s name regardless of job, rank or status; needless to say, recalling a player’s name was not an area of conflict for him. Thomas and Brandon Barnes’ story began when Brandon played as an offensive lineman and later became the team’s graduate assistant. Together they coached the offense and became close colleagues. However, as time went on, their time together as coaches at Tennessee Tech ended and each found a different path separate from football.
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How can these old friendships lead to new beginnings?
After 12 years of pursuing different careers, Thomas and Brandon’s new found passions lead their paths to cross once again. Because Thomas never forgets a name or face, he direct messaged Brandon on LinkedIn to get an update on his life when Brandon’s profile appeared on Thomas’s feed. Following the correspondence, Thomas learned that Brandon was working full time with Old Elk Distillery in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the time of their communication and reconnection, Thomas explained that Table and Thyme was preparing for a bourbon dessert series. Enthusiastically, Brandon shared Old Elk’s “slow cut” proofing process. This particular process sets Old Elk apart from other bourbon whiskey companies and is what really gives them their “smooth and rich” signature taste. We wanted to highlight this collaboration’s roots in an old relationship to show how much these connections can affect you later in life. We are excited to see where this collaboration will go and wanted to share this exciting journey with you!
For more information on our bourbon dessert series with Old Elk, check out our main blog where we post highlights from some of our recent catering and grazing table events and new favorite recipes we come across.
Butterscotch Bourbon Lava Cake
“This rich, butterscotch goodness flowing with Old Elk Bourbon will quickly be any dessert lover’s favorite.” – Table and Thyme
Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Buttercream
“This fluffy, rich cake perfectly combines two of our favorite things: chocolate and bourbon. The tangy blackberry buttercream is the perfect complement and beautiful topping for this jaw-dropping dessert.”
Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce
“The first dessert we are highlighting is a Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce. This dessert infuses creamy vanilla custard with the flavorful addition of Old Elk’s straight or wheated whiskey.”
We hope that this story has helped you understand the importance of building new relationships with people because you never know who will wind up impacting your life later on! If you have any experiences like this, we would love to hear about it! Interact with us on social media using the links below and stay up-to-date with us by checking out our weekly blog posts.
For more information on Table and Thyme, contact them today! Follow us on our social media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest to see the other amazing events, lavishing grazing tables and beautiful graze boxes we have created.
