We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Kershner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I’m on a mission to transform the way people execute and experience hospitality. A hospitable person is described as someone who is friendly, welcoming, and generous. To me, it is an act of sacrifice and service- a way to give back to the world, leaving it more loved and cared for than it was before. It’s a powerful thing and I think any kind of business, not just those in the hospitality industry, can adopt this spirit and principles to make the world a better place.
My mother raised my sister and I without a father, raising us the best she could while working long hours to pay the bills and feed us. By the time I was 8 or so, I would help get dinner on the table, usually putting a casserole in the oven after school, setting a timer, and then taking it out. But still, I know it helped her tremendously. As I grew older, the meals became more complex as I fell in love with cooking and feeding my family. This act of sacrifice and service became my way to care for my mom, and ultimately the way I care for my clients today. I can see the difference it makes for people and I’m obsessed! Hospitality is philanthropy. I get to serve others, make their lives better, and connect with them over a beautiful meal. This is the mission that drives my team. Working with us, our guests find that they make a new friend. We genuinely care about their wellbeing and work our butts off to deliver the best love and care that we can.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Lauren Kershner and I founded a group of hospitality businesses in the beautiful Sonoma Valley: Goodness Gracious Catering, Songbird Parlour, and Valley of the Moon Kombucha Co. I fell in love with cooking as a teen growing up on the Mendocino Coast on a small farm. I spent summers planting and organizing the “seed house”, harvesting vegetables and berries, and the hard work of pulling weeds and unloading truckfulls of dirt. When I was 15, I was hired to be a busser at the local farm-to-table cafe that bought our produce. I’ve worked in hospitality ever since.
When I was 18 I moved to Portland, OR to study at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute where I quickly found that I was a natural in the kitchen. My plan was to head back to Northern California, to Napa Valley, to work in some of the world’s finest restaurants… so I did. These years of my life were transformative and settled that I had a deep love for the industry on many levels. I landed at Beltane Ranch in 2013 as their Executive Chef at age 25, ready to take on the growth they were experiencing in their food and wine programs. After about 4 years, I started meal prepping for some friends in the evenings; I became so popular I decided to make a business out of it. That’s when Goodness Gracious Meal Kits and Catering was born. Now, I was burnt out of the “meal kits” pretty quickly, but more lucrative and fun Private Chef gigs kept coming up so I did that, too. In just a couple short years, my events calendar was full and I was able to bring on more staff. I brought on another Private Chef, Brandy, who is now my talented Director of Operations!
To say the least, my quick success was very humbling. My business grew naturally and with the help of some coaches and consultants, I was learning how to scale effectively and manage better. Eventually, we needed a bigger, better working space of our own. I shopped around and found a space in the historic Jack London Village. It was a former restaurant, and a really big project to take on. I had just received an EIDL loan for $50,000 for pandemic assistance and decided to use it to invest in my company. I signed the 15 year lease in July and started demo and design right away on what is now Songbird Parlour. We decided to fix up the dining room for private parties and eventually a restaurant, which will open November 2024.
Goodness Gracious Catering is successful because we truly care for the local farmers and artisans and support their businesses with every meal we put out. Our Chefs care about their craft and making others happy, so our food and service are always top-notch. We think of all the details: custom printed menus, surprise courses from the chef, local flower arrangements, and a highly curated tablescape. We are very proud of our 170+ 5-star rating and honored to have been named Sonoma Valley’s Business of the Year in 2023.
Songbird Parlour has become a space for couples wanting a non-traditional wedding experience. No need to spend $100k on a Wine Country wedding! No need for a white dress, bouquet toss, or awkward mother/father dance! Our space is Modern, Victorian, rich and opulent. Definitely not the typical Tuscan-themed winery venue, and we LOVE that about ourselves. There are modern couples out there that want to celebrate their love with their closest friends and family over amazing food and drink. These types of micro weddings are the most special, in my opinion, and we’re glad there is finally a place like this in Sonoma Valley.
As a self-taught entrepreneur, I am (shocked) at how completely confident I am in my ability to transform the hospitality scene in my community and beyond. I thrive on challenge, I enjoy project management, and am always learning. I was named one of North Bay’s Forty Under 40 in 2022, and Press Democrat’s “23 to Watch in 2023”. I’m doing something right and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
I was a busy and highly-sought after Private Chef and regularly booked lucrative events for myself and my team. An inquiry came across my email for a breakfast for just two guests, a couple, for her birthday. It was on a Saturday so I already had a larger event booked and knew I’d be working late Friday night. Anyone else would’ve turned it down. I didn’t book it for the money, I simply knew my mission was to serve others and so I did.
Of course, the couple was the sweetest and so grateful. It turned out they were a wealthy couple from San Francisco and ended up hiring me for much bigger parties quite often, as did their friends. Six years later, we are still catering for them and their network.
I talk of this successful experience often because it goes to show that 1) if you carry out your mission, your business will thrive, 2) providing a service isn’t only about the money, it’s offering your help to someone in need, and 3) you never know where a connection may lead. Even the most unseeming sales call can prove pivotal for your business.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Starting a business for me was confusing and difficult. I never took a business class (that has since changed; I’m actually pursuing a degree in Hospitality Business Administration at UNLV currently); I figured out what all the acronyms meant with frustration: CDTFA, EDD, FTB, EIN… but I did it! And now, to figure out how to pay for all of the application fees, business insurance, etc. The cost to start a business isn’t very much, but still a couple thousand dollars that I didn’t have. I never had a credit card or a loan before but I figured I would go to the bank and ask them how I can get one. They suggested a personal loan to fund my business and I was approved for $5,000. At the time, I felt rich and already successful! Ha! Either way, I was able to grow my business incredibly with literally just that $5,000. I remember walking out of the Redwood Credit Union bank on Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa, an errand I ran between classes at the Santa Rosa Junior College. It was an exciting day and a story I use to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs all the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goodnessgraciouseats.com
- Instagram: @GoodGraciousEats
- Facebook: @GoodGraciousEats
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-kershner-b14855158/
Image Credits
Shelby June Photography
Melissa Atle
Megan Moura
Tiffani Beecher
Richard Wood