Margot Tankersley has been making homemade candy and serving frozen treats out of Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor in San Juan Bautista for more than 30 years. With the help of a PG&E grant program aimed at small businesses, she plans to be able to continue to serve many more customers for long into the future.
The shop recently received a $5,000 grant through a partnership of the California Restaurant Foundation and the PG&E Foundation. Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor, 211 Third Street in San Juan Bautista, is one of 17 restaurants and commercial caterers on the Central Coast that received such grants.
Known as “resilience grants,” the funds are designed to help recipients pay for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardship, employee retention bonuses and training to help restaurant owners invest in their business and people, according to PG&E.
Grants were awarded to California restaurant owners with fewer than five locations and less than $3 million in annual revenue. The program prioritizes minority-owned and women-owned businesses, according to PG&E.
Tankersley said she applied for the grant when she saw an email from Environmental Innovations promoting the grant program to certified green businesses like Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor.
Still trying at the time to “dig myself out of the pandemic,” Tankersley decided to apply.
“We make our own candy at the ice cream parlor. I was needing more equipment so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll go ahead and try,” she said.
She had purchased a new air-conditioning system earlier this year—a hefty expense—so the news that she had received the grant was happily received. Specifically, Tankersley plans to buy another chocolate temperer to replace one that recently “died,” at least until she can find a way to repair the broken one.
The new temperer will allow Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor staff to slowly melt more chocolate into the temperature and consistency needed for dipping. While one temperer is full, they can work on cleaning out a just-emptied one for the next batch, Tankersley explained.
She is also planning to use the grant funds to purchase a new bakery case for the front of the shop.
Tankersley’s homemade line of craft candies and truffles is known as Kayla’s Kandies. She has made candy for nearly 50 years, and purchased the ice cream parlor in 1996 so she could make and sell her product in a commercial kitchen and storefront.
When Tankersley bought the shop, it was a former ice cream parlor that had been closed for several years. Today, Tankersley employs nine people and the downtown San Juan Bautista ice cream parlor is open seven days a week.
A self-proclaimed “recycle fanatic,” Tankersley said the fact the grant program was promoted by a green business advocacy group made it even more appealing. At the shop, Tankersley has led ongoing efforts to reduce the amount of waste they send to the landfill—largely by converting to reusable or compostable dishes and utensils.
“We will become more efficient” with the resilience grant, Tankersley said.
Margot’s Ice Cream Parlor was the only recipient in San Benito County of one of the PG&E resilience grants. Throughout PG&E’s northern California service area, the utility company partnered with the California Restaurant Foundation to give resilience grants to 239 restaurants in 30 counties—for a total of $1.4 million.
“Many of these restaurants are owned by families who live in our communities. They are places where we love to gather, celebrate and make memories,” said Jeremy Howard, regional senior manager for PG&E’s South Bay and Central Coast Region. “As small businesses that help drive our local economies, they are the hearts and souls of our communities. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the California Restaurant Foundation to support our local restaurants and help ensure their sustained success.”
