It is not often that life gives an opportunity to reconnect with the child that you once cared for as a teenager. That is what happened to local mom and business owner, Jennifer Crawford. When she was 17 years old, she babysat a little girl named Lara Martin. Jennifer recalls fondly the time spent with Lara as a toddler.
"I read her stories and played with her," she said. "I got to love on her, and she was so sweet."
As Lara grew up, Jennifer lost touch with her. For Lara's part, she doesn't remember her nanny. But they reconnected in 2012 when Lara read a blog Jennifer had started.
For Lara, finding that blog was more of a blessing than she ever could have imagined. She had suffered a miscarriage around the time she found the blog.
Jennifer had experienced a recent loss herself and she was using the blog as a part of her recovery. Jennifer's daughter, Zoe Jane, was stillborn at 24 weeks. Jennifer was devastated. She received a lot of support after releasing the blog, but nothing could prepare her for the relationship that was soon to follow.
Lara's mother encouraged her to reach out to Jennifer after reading the blog. The two women sat down together and talked for hours.
"I think I even skipped a class to sit there with her, Lara said. "I don't know what we talked about, but I remember how she looked. Her eyes were so sad, as I'm sure mine were too."
From that day, they were bonded together again.
In 2015, Jennifer opened a business in New Boston, Texas. It was a small building, but for Jennifer it held big memories and even bigger dreams.
Her parents had owned a barbecue business in the same building when she was 20 years old and she had returned with the idea of bringing the best burger that New Boston had ever eaten.
"When I moved to New Boston, I often found myself driving to other towns for a good burger," Jennifer said. "New Boston did not have anything other than fast food and the idea of 'The Burger Joint' was born."
In 2016, Jennifer's family grew by one. She welcomed a baby girl named Emmi Kate. She was overjoyed with a new baby that she said is "truly a gift from God."
"After a lot of prayer, God opening doors that I never thought possible, the restaurant opened in its current location in 2017," she said.
"It has thrived ever since. It's been an amazing ride so far."
Lara stayed connected with Jennifer over the years as she continued to find herself.
After the miscarriage and the loss of her grandmother, she felt lost in the world. She changed jobs frequently.
She eventually started working at Silver Star Smokehouse in Texarkana, which she said was a good fit. Still, she decided to leave after a year and a half for a career change.
"I was ready to step away from waiting tables and I left the family I had found at Silver Star Smokehouse," she said. "Those people had grounded me and brought me back to life. Then, to find this family at Burger Joint has kept me going in the right direction."
Lara believes that God knew the right timing for the move.
"I started telling Jennifer we were like that movie 'Fried Green Tomatoes.' Those two women rely on one another and make something amazing," Lara said. "That's what we're striving to be, and we remind one another of it often when things get tough in our personal lives or with work. The food industry can be so stressful. It never sleeps. Something is always happening."
With every success that Jennifer and Lara encountered, there were even bigger obstacles to overcome. Jennifer had opened a second location in Texarkana where she said business was doing great even during the pandemic.
"Business was excellent and continued throughout the summer, but when my husband and I filed for a divorce in July of 2020 I decided to close the Texarkana store," she said.
She wanted to put more focus on her family and the original location in New Boston.
The staff she hired in Texarkana joined her at the original location and they began to focus more on catering and events along with concert venues in our area.
"COVID definitely hit our business just like many others and we saw a drop in sales, but we managed to make adjustments," Jennifer said. "What a lot of people don't realize is that in the restaurant industry we are highly trained and inspected on procedures for public health safety."
Nothing could prepare them for the devastation that November 2020 brought them - the loss of a fellow co-worker. Ashlin Cox had worked at The Burger Joint for about three years. She was 19.
"She was such a light to us all," Lara said.
Ashlin was involved in a tragic car accident.
"It was so devastating to us all. A lot of the staff at the time were just kids," Jennifer said. "Her mom called me at 3 a.m. in the morning and I just could not believe it."
The Burger Joint family has created a wall inside the establishment dedicated to her memory with pictures and paintings.
"All of the Burger Joint staff, including Jennifer and myself, keep her memory alive by talking about her and sharing stories about her," Lara said. "She never failed to make us laugh, even at her own expense."
Jennifer and Lara have worked hard over the years to form a strong bond. Jennifer trusts her in all things.
As a business, Jennifer has always teamed up with her staff to find a way to give back to the community. The tip jar, for example, does not go to any staff member. Instead, it is totaled up at the end of each month and is put back into the community by way of charity or to a family in need.
"Tips are not required or expected, so from the beginning I made the decision that this would be a great way to help others," Jennifer said. "This teaches our young people that we employ about the power of giving."
Jennifer feels so blessed to have the support of her staff. She believes that having Lara as part of the team has been a blessing.
"We like to say that our lives have come full circle," Jennifer said. "There I was a lifetime ago as her nanny, teaching and loving her while she was a toddler, and then she came along to be my manager for this business, as well as a rock for me personally. She loves and teaches my little girl, Emmi Kate." n