Caitlin Cullen, the chef and owner of the Tandem restaurant in the Lindsey Heights neighborhood, is used to helping others, but she could use some help of her own to keep the restaurant going after shattering her ankle.

Her broken ankle, secured with eight pins and two plates, means she will be away from the restaurant for about a month and unable to cook for two. Cullen manages the kitchen and is the main cook at the restaurant every day that it's open for lunch and dinner, Tuesdays through Saturdays.

"I’m realizing how much it has relied on my literal blood and bones," she said.

She's hoping experienced cooks will pick up shifts or half-shifts for the next month or so.

"I just need someone who knows how to cook and shows up," Cullen said.

But she also needs servers and hosts who can help guide the other employees staffing the restaurant.

"There's no one to help them," Cullen said.

Cullen has made it her mission to hire employees from the neighborhood around the restaurant, 1848 W. Fond du Lac Ave., to help them build their résumés and get better jobs.

But that means many of her young staff members have no restaurant experience and need a guiding hand while she's away, someone who can "help the kids focus on their jobs," Cullen said.

Cullen is taking out a nonprofit Kiva crowdsourced loan that should be active about Oct. 7 to pay for staff helping at the restaurant.

"I’ve never hired someone with experience before, and that’s expensive," she said.

And Cullen is hoping customers will continue to visit the restaurant, at 1848 W. Fond du Lac Ave., and support it while she's recovering, with a dose of patience for the young staff as they navigate lunch and dinner without her.

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Contact dining critic Carol Deptolla at carol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.