We were lucky to catch up with Kathryn Arceneaux recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kathryn, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
After 21 years of professionally working with both adults and children with severe disabled children as a counselor and a social worker, I knew it was time for a change. My previous occupation was very rewarding and I did great work however it was emotionally draining and the work was affecting me in my personal life and mental health.
All my life I loved to cook. My mom was my first teacher and I was her official taster when it came to cooking dinners for family and friends. Throughout my previous career I would put on parties for the companies I worked for and of course for dear friends on Sundays. It was my friends who said that I should open up a restaurant. Financially, of course, this was not operable nor did I wanna work 70 hours a week.However, I knew I wanted to Chef for others and create something intimately special and delicious in people‘s homes so I did my research. I looked at what my area had to offer, did a labor market survey of other caterers in the area, did research on costs and certifications. Before resigning my social work position, I dedicated the whole year of 2017 studying 12 European countries around the Mediterranean Sea (4 European, 4 Middle Eastern and 4North African ending in Morocco). In 2018 with only $1000 budget, I slowly transitioned out of my previous career and started working on my catering business. This morphed a couple of times until I decided to focus on Cajun and Mediterranean cuisines. Growing up in southern Louisiana I decided to keep the recipes that my family and I loved as part of my menu and then added a separate menu for Mediterranean an a separate option. What I was creating in my catering business was not found in my local area and therefore this was my niche. The niche was delivering ethnic meals, family style on white, elegant dishes, and then picking up my serving dishes the next morning for the convenience.
I also love everything about wine from how it’s grown until how the wine ends in the bottle. And of course, everybody knows that wine goes well with food and so I wanted to concentrate on this as well. So to supplement. my catering, I started working at wineries. My business started actually getting traction in 2019 and then in 2020 everything shut down. We all have our Covid stories And I think this is what every person in the world has in common during that time.
2020 was really hard for all of us. I created online classes and charge minimally, but had a great time doing it. I dedicated the whole year to study Wine. I was scheduled to take my level one exam through the court of masters, but it kept on being postponed Due to fear of Covid. After the third postponement, I jump ship and decided to study under Wine Spirit Education Trade (WSET) out of London. I called the headquarters and asked permission to skip level one and level two and to take the exam for level three. I was granted permission, but realized I had opened up a difficult task for me. There is one thing you will learn about me and that is failure is not an option. I studied very hard every day every moment. December 13 of 2020 my husband and I drove from Pismo Beach California to Las Vegas Nevada so that I could take my exam. I discovered two months later that I did indeed pass with Merit. And in 2021 I studied again and earn my certification as a became as a Spanish Wine Scholar and I am currently studying to be a French wine scholar.
At age 57, I don’t see myself slowing down at all. I so enjoy my work now. I love planning with people who call for my catering or classes. Each class or catering g opportunity I usually will have several conversations with my clients so that I can gather all the details that are necessary to make each event special and memorable. My motto is “bringing wholesome food and loved ones back home.” It is in our homes where friends and families gathered together and spend special times. And if I can create the meal during that time, then that is worth everything to me.
I hope I can be an inspiration for those individuals who feel they’re stuck in their jobs.. And for young 20-year-olds who think they’ll be only in one occupation for the rest of their lives.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story. And thank you so much for your interest. Most sincerely, Kathryn Arceneaux, chef, WSET 3, Spanish wine, scholar, and future French wine scholar😌
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
About me
With 25 years as a professional counselor and social worker
for people with disabilities, I have always found fulfillment in
service to others. For me, creating a scrumptious meal that
draws people together is just another way of catering to the
needs of people. In the bustle of our everyday lives, we all too
often undervalue those things that so easily bring us joy and
happiness- good food and good company. I constantly remind
myself of this as I reflect upon my fondest memories of myself
helping my mother with Thanksgiving dinner year after year.
And I constantly renew my appreciation of good food and
good company when I organize and cook at get-togethers for
friends and family. I want to share this simple joy with you
with healthy and delicious Mediterranean cuisine. I have
personally studied the diverse countries surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea and look to their flagship dishes to create
my menu. For me, cooking for others is just the first step. The
second comes from the satisfaction I feel when others enjoy
my food and each other and create their own happy memories.
In 2020 I wanted decided to add wine as part of my business plan. While catering working in tasting rooms and describing wines. My guests always commented that they enjoyed my engaging manner of explaining winemaking styles, the wine itself, and how I unpretentiously answered any questions they asked.In Fall 2019, I decided to pursue certification as a sommelier, and registered to take the Level 1 Master Sommelier Exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers in San Francisco. With a scheduled date of May 2020, I had almost a full year to prepare. I think you know what happened next: Covid postponed my exam. But not just once- three times. It was agonizing, but I always try to make the best out of things. And in this case, I gained extra time to study. So I made lemonade out of lemons by reaching out to the WSET exam and requested special permission to jump the first two levels. I studied intensely every day for three straight months and on December 13, 2020, drive from my home in Pismo Beach to Las Vegas to take the exam. The gamble I took in 2018 paid off on February 27, 2021 when I learned that I not only passed my exam, but passed with merit. I then continued my studies and passed my Spanish Wine Scholar Exam with HONORS in 6-2022 and plan to continue my studies. Both certifications compliment my current catering and cooking classes business, Kathryn’s Kuisine. I take great pride and joy in my achievements, but most of all it is always my pleasure to share with others my knowledge of wine and food from around the world!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I worked for 21 years as a counselor and social worker. It was a fulfilling career, but in 2018, I decided I needed a change, one that would allow me to meet new people and embrace my passion and love of wine. I started like most, working in tasting rooms and describing wines. My guests always commented that they enjoyed my engaging manner of explaining winemaking styles, the wine itself, and how I unpretentiously answered any questions they asked. In Fall 2019, I decided to pursue certification as a sommelier, and registered to take the Level 1 Master Sommelier Exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers in San Francisco. With a scheduled date of May 2020, I had almost a full year to prepare. I think you know what happened next: Covid postponed my exam. But not just once- three times. It was agonizing, but I always try to make the best out of things. And in this case, I gained extra time to study. So I made lemonade out of lemons by reaching out to the WSET exam and requested special permission to jump the first two levels. I studied intensely every day for three straight months and on December 13, 2020, drive from my home in Pismo Beach to Las Vegas to take the exam. The gamble I took in 2018 paid off on February 27, 2021 when I learned that I not only passed my exam, but passed with merit. I then continued my studies and passed my Spanish Wine Scholar Exam with HONORS in 6-2022 and plan to continue my studies. Both certifications compliment my current catering and cooking classes business, Kathryn’s Kuisine. I take great pride and joy in my achievements, but most of all it is always my pleasure to share with others my knowledge of wine and food from around the world!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
This was explained in my story above. But my journey as Kathryn’s Kuisine continues. I am. Very small business with the best marketing for me is word of mouth and creating positive relationships. I am still have desires to grow more in my business traction, learning and creating friendships. I love bring joy to people and helping my clients in their personal special occasions is my greatest joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kathrynskuisine.com
- Instagram: kathryn Arceneaux
- Facebook: Kathryn Arceneaux
- Linkedin: kathrynskuisine@gmail.com
- Twitter: kathrynskuisine@gmail.com
- Youtube: kathrynskuisine@gmail.com
- Yelp: kathrynskuisine@gmail.com
- Soundcloud: kathrynskuisine@gmail.com
Image Credits
KATHRYN’S
– KUISINE KATHRYN’S
– KUISINe