The Baima Family
Skillets Cafe & Mingles on Hilton Head

When Amie Baima first launched Skillets, she knew she wouldn’t be alone. The culinary side of things she had under control, as any visit there will show. But for the business side of things, she knew she could count on advice from her father, John—even if she didn’t always follow it to the letter.

“When I first started, I would ask his opinion on how the business should be run; sometimes his opinion and mine differed greatly, and I had a hard time with it,” Baima said. Still, she respected his expertise and guidance, as much now as then, with John doing bookkeeping for both Baima and her sister Sandy Toomer.

Toomer, owner of Mingle’s and Billy’s Beach Club, got similar support in the beginning, saying, “Both of our parents helped us get started and showed us the way. I really relied on them because even though I went to college for retail, I didn’t know everything. There are a lot of details they don’t teach you in school.”

And now, it seems Amie Baima might be getting a taste of her own medicine. “With my son now coming into the business, and seeing his opinions compared to mine, I now know what I put my father through,” she said with a laugh. With son Evan Berkner now on board, his opinions are meeting the same respect as his grandfather’s, helping carry Skillets forward into the future.

“It’s very interesting to be in the middle now and see both sides of it,” Baima said. “I’m incredibly blessed to have such role models as my parents.”