About CoolGrass
Hi, I'm Cornell. I've been where you are.
In 2008 I owned a catering company in Washington, DC. I paid a developer $10,000 to build our website, and then I couldn't afford to keep it up. So I taught myself to maintain it, late at night after the work was done. That website is why I'm a web developer today, and it's why CoolGrass exists: no small business should be left alone with a website it can't afford to care for.
Twenty years in kitchens
I got my first restaurant job at 15, at Vive la Différence in Broussard, Louisiana. I went to LSU in Baton Rouge, and in my junior year I switched to culinary school to train in classical French cooking. In 1996, at 21, I joined Emeril's in New Orleans and worked my way up to saucier. From there I cooked on expedition ships in Alaska and Baja, opened restaurants as a sous chef in Texas and Florida, and ran kitchens in Washington, DC as executive chef of Mendocino Grille and the Dupont Grille.
What I loved most was the dinner rush: twenty people moving in concert to the rhythm of the night. Then, afterward, talking with guests and watching them smile. Food can take people somewhere, even for a moment. Kitchens also taught me something I still believe: being kind to people brings out the best in them. I watched cooks who didn't believe in themselves become people they never imagined they could be.
Three businesses of my own
I've signed the lease, made the payroll and worried about the slow months.
Basikneads Catering
Washington, DC. I took it over in 2008. The recession hit hard, and I kept it going for four years before closing it.
Code Ninjas
Stone Oak, where kids learn to code by building video games. We built a place where every child felt comfortable being who they are. Stone Oak became a Black Belt center, and we brought the same approach to New Braunfels.
A home on Airbnb
Where I learned that guests who feel comfortable, safe and heard leave glowing reviews.
From kitchens to code
That catering website got me hooked. I went to Coding Dojo in Seattle, then worked as a contractor at Xbox and as a remote developer at Live It, a mentoring platform. Family brought us to San Antonio, where I became a senior Drupal developer at a San Antonio university, building on the same secure platform universities around the world trust.
Why CoolGrass
A few friends and I were at a wine bar when someone joked that we should start our own marketing firm. They were kidding. I wasn't. I'd spent years watching Drupal grow into something secure, powerful and backed by a worldwide community, and I knew small businesses deserved that too, without the $10,000 price tag and without being left on their own afterward.
So I built Sod, a platform for small-business websites, named for the way sod arrives: a finished lawn, the same day. Your site goes live in about two weeks, then keeps growing with you. My hope is that one day thousands of owners use it, and that what it does next comes from what they ask for.
Working with me
When we're done, I want you to feel heard and looked after. I hope you'll be able to say something like: “I felt alone dealing with this, and you listened and helped me find a solution that works for me.”
You own your site, there's no cut of your sales, and you'll always reach a real person here in San Antonio.
When I'm not building websites
On Sundays you'll find me playing guitar at Mission City Church, North Campus. I love Fredericksburg and the Hill Country, Texas wines, live concerts and a good comedy show. I'm a lifelong learner, because a team is only as strong as its weakest link, and I'd rather that link not be me.
Let's talk about your business.
Tell me about your business and I'll build your sample.