The Book

From GED to Harvard to Inc. 500 offers the dual perspectives of New Orleans restaurateurs, Scott and Jane Wolfe, each telling the story of the long-odds they faced building one of the most beloved restaurants in New Orleans. In 1982, as teenagers, the Wolfe’s bought a rundown market in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. Setting out to build a business that their community could take pride in, the young couple revived the old Wagner’s Meats shaped it once again into a neighborhood fixture, eventually growing the business to ten locations over the next 25 years. Then, Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything they had built. Always resilient, not even a force majeure like Katrina could keep the Wolfes down for long.

Engaged Entrepreneurship

What comes to mind when you think of the modern entrepreneur? While running a 24-hour New Orleans Po’boy shop might not be your first thought, perhaps it should be. For Scott and Jane Wolfe, entrepreneurship comes with a much higher responsibility than positioning a business for a buyout offer. They believe it is their role to lift and empower their employees, customers, and community. “We are not business people.” says Jane, “We are teachers. Every transaction is an opportunity to teach our team and serve our customers and community.

“Business is about lifting up where you stand,” Jane said about the Engaged Entrepreneurship that she and husband Scott practice at Melba’s in their home city of New Orleans. Focused on enhancing literacy in their community, Scott and Jane have partnered with local authors for their Lunch & Literacy initiative and created a reading nook in Wash World (the laundromat attached to Melba’s) to infuse more books into the New Orleans community.

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