Meet Scott & LaWanda Nichols | Owner & Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott & LaWanda Nichols and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott & LaWanda, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind our success is Oliver’s Story. His resilient fight to overcome insurmountable odds has been a blessing, not only to our family, but also our customers. We have connected with so many families that have endured medical challenges just like Ollie, and they have found hope in his miracle. Our community prayer wall has grown organically, and become a source of hope for many, with almost 1,000 requests for prayer placed on the wall.

Another important factor behind our success is our painstaking attention to detail. This is evident in our food presentation and taste, as well as a commitment to consistency. If you come once, and have a great experience, you should be able to have that same experience hundreds of times. Is it difficult? Yes, but it pays off in customer loyalty.

Not only is our food delicious and beautifully presented, we serve it in a relaxing and beautiful atmosphere. The ambiance consists of beautifully appointed seating, that is both comfortable and stylish, And our carefully curated playlist consists of some of the greatest jazz icons to ever play. Our goal is this. Whatever mood or state of mind you arrive in, we want you to leave relaxed and rejuvenated.

What should our readers know about your business?
Oliver was born 8 weeks early, weighing just 4lbs 7oz, and unable to swallow. Two days later, he underwent surgery to correct the issue known as “esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF)”, which basically means his esophagus was not attached to his stomach.

The scenario in which this repair can be done successfully for a child so small is very rare, especially on the first try.

Through what can only be described as a miracle, Oliver’s surgery was successful, and the surgeons at Texas Children’s were able to reattach his esophagus to his stomach in one surgery.

Oliver came home after 85 days in the level 4 NICU at TX Children’s. Due to complications with his surgery, his left vocal cord was paralyzed, leaving him with the inability to drink enough milk orally to come home. He had surgery to insert a G-Tube 10 days before coming home. The doctors told us that babies who receive a G-tube face the possibility of struggling to eat by mouth, sometimes permanently.

After eating and drinking all food orally for 3 months, Ollie got his G-Tube removed. Doctors told us that this is very rare and that babies on G-Tubes don’t typically transition to oral feeding this soon, if at all. All of his doctors, including surgeons, gastrointestinal, ear nose & throat, pulmonary, and general practitioners, were astounded at his progress.

We believe that God blesses people with medical ability and guides the hands of surgeons, but we also believe that Oliver’s rapid progress is nothing short of a miracle.

From a pre-mature baby who spent the first 85 days of his life in the NICU, received multiple surgeries, and fought to eat by mouth, Ollie is now a healthy, thriving toddler who loves eating almost every food imaginable. Ollie is a walking, talking, breathing miracle and a sign of the faithfulness of God.
While he excels in the area of food and appetite, Ollie also excels in other areas. At three years of age, he knows all of his colors, the names of over 100 animals, can recite the alphabet forwards and backwards, can count into the thousands, and has a vocabulary of over 1000 words. Some say Ollie is gifted. We know he is absolutely a gift from God.

His most recent accomplishment was memorizing family cellphone numbers. He is now completely caught up in all areas and metrics that NICU babies are measured by and to look at him you would never know he spent time in the NICU. He loves to attend church, as well as clap his hands, worship, and sing. Ollie is a gift straight from God to all of us. He is a special boy and we can’t wait to see all that he will accomplish in this life. We hope his story inspires you to believe for your own miracle.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Bean Here Coffee is a great spot to get some coffee. Sugar Land Town Square is also a lot of fun, Shoutout to the Rouxpour Restaurant, a great place to get oysters on the half shell.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to dedicate this shoutout to the authors of these book: “Bruce Wilkinson – The Dream Giver” & “Will Guidara – Unreasonable Hospitality”

Website: https://oliversgourmet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ollies.gourmet/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ollies.gourmet/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/olivers-gourmet-missouri-city

Image Credits
Whitney Brown