Conversations with Jenni Scott

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenni Scott.

Hi Jenni, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career in the industry when I was 13 at a well known restaurant at the time called Mabel’s Restaurant. I started as a busser and host, and worked my way to waiting tables. In my early twenties, I decided I wanted to shift my path to the back of the house and jump in to the culinary world where I worked in high end kitchens, to small startups, and everywhere inbetween. I got a taste of what it felt like to run my own kitchen and the creative freedoms that came with that when Mike Deering hired me to run the kitchen at Maxbauers After Hours (which is now Sisters!) In 2015, I purchased my first food truck, Betty’s Hot Dish, and ran that for 6 seasons until I purchased Lil Bo, along with my sister, Lisa, her husband Matt and our parents, Marge and Doug. When the former Maxbauers After Hours building went up for sale, we knew it would be a good fit to be able to expand Lil Bo’s kitchen and prep space as well as provide the Traverse City with another breakfast option – we landed on the name Sisters in honor of our partnership and celebrating sisterhood. We opened in late April 2025, and have been serving up brunch classics with a modern twist since!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say, overall yes! We’ve been warmly welcomed by the community, found a wonderful staff to help keep us moving forward, and continue to strive to learn, improve and stay ahead of challenges by working as a team.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Through each of the places I’ve established, I’ve found my groove in cooking up nastalgic flavors, comfort food, and fresh spins on classic favorites-something that grandma would have dished up, yet with a twist. I am a big believer in “playing with your food” Cooking and eating alike can be such a fun and exciting experience.

I’m most proud of the little moments, like when the cooks are jiving in the back, the servers and making folks smile in the front, you can hear little “yums!” coming from the booths, when the din of the restaurant is happy and humming.

I would say my staff. We are so fortunate to have people who put their heart into their work. You can taste it and feel it in the vibe.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I don’t like onions. A lot of people are so surprised by that. I cook with them, they top our burgers, and we’ll pile ’em on top of our Cowgirl chili if you’d like, but I just don’t like them!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lilbotc.com & www.sisterstvc.com
• Instagram: @lilbotc & @sisterstvc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lilbobar & https://www.facebook.com/p/Sisters-Breakfast-Lunch-Cocktails-61569317818193/