We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Sullivan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.

Kevin, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When you need reliable staff its natural to want to involve someone you’ve known your entire life. The people you’ve known the longest tend to be family. I worked with my family before I opened my own place and once I open Kitchen Laurel, they were the first calls I made to begin staffing the restaurant.

I’m sure you’re wondering what that has to do with the name of my company. Well I had been talking to my cousin, reminiscing about growing up together in the home my grandmother purchased with the expressed thought that it was for raising kids and giving the family a strong base. My cousin is 10 years my elder but we both remember good times at 857 Laurel in Orange Mound, Memphis.

I know I know, we still haven’t connected the dots but its on the way. Fast forward a few months and I walk into the property that could be my first restaurant. Its cozy. Cozy and quaint. Read small. Tiny. Minuscule.
BUT it is in the neighborhood that I have been cooking in since day one of my culinary career. Im intrigued. The gears are turning. I fought it but early on I feel like I made up my mind. This would be my first restaurant. But how do we take this weakness of space, and size and make it a strength. My mind wandered back to that conversation with James, my cousin. 857 Laurel. We had love, food, fun. And it was not a huge place. But we never thought about that. It was oversized from the good vibrations.

Now we get to the good part. 857 Laurel. But thats a real address. And not the restaurant’s address. It could be confusing. But I was married to this name. Immediately my wife suggested Laurel Kitchen, as a nod to my catering company Ki Kitchen that I had been running since 2013. A few more people pointing out that naming a place an address, that was not the address of said business was a bad idea and I turned to Laurel Kitchen. But I was in a business incubator class and for an activity I submitted my new name. Laurel Kitchen, Then I arrived and it had been transposed. Kitchen Laurel. Or Kitchen Law Rel as we pronounced it growing up. The first time I said it out loud, I made up my mind, this is it. Kitchen Laurel.

So I honor my grandmother, a lady who was determined to leave behind a legacy. It was ruined, that childhood haven burned down, but now it lives on. I honor Orange Mound, a big inspiration in my formative years. A neighborhood known for being one of the first in America, a neighborhood for African Americans and a place where we thrived and owned businesses. And I begin my legacy. Kitchen Laurel.

Kevin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Video games.

Video games led me to a career in the culinary arts. I had a great friend in high school. He had every new video game and I wanted them. When I asked him how he pulled it off, he informed me that he worked at a restaurant. Tsunami. Tsunami paid him 7.50 an hour. I was a junior staff member at the Buckman Boys and Girls Club and was making 5.35 and only working 8, 9 hours a week. I needed that job.

Eventually another friend of ours graduated and planned on going to the navy. I applied, interviewed and got the job. The mom and pop style where we got in raw product and fabricated proteins and vegetables from start to finish pulled me in. I watched fish get cut. Watched the differences and learned the names.Whether they were wild or past their prime. I got interested. And Ben Smith had a passion for cooking that was infectious.

Time passed, raises were on my mind and I took on more responsibilities. Before I knew it, I was sous chef and entrenched in my passion!

Then when I opened my own place, I decided to focus on community. Tsunami had built that just by being a fixture in Cooper Young. Kitchen Laurel is trying to synthesize that connection quicker.

When you walk in , we aim to be genuinely warm and inviting. We want you to feel like a guest and not a chore. Not something else we just have to do. We have a creative menu that can be overwhelming for some, but if you give it an honest chance, most find it enjoyable.

The main thing I want potential clients to know is that I know I am nothing without you. I can cook the most amazing meals and it means nothing if no one gets to enjoy them. I sell food, but Kitchen Laurel is about sharing experiences. My life, all 39 years has led me to this moment and not much has happened and not been necessary for me to make Kitchen Laurel happen.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Current Clients. Everyone points to social media and I think its important but relationships have helped me grow more than anything. Years of giving my all to ensure that every event is a hit, just snowballs. You will go about the business of taking care of the business and one day a customer will without a reason become your biggest cheerleader. The joy of sharing how much they enjoy your business and your service will become their thing. You can’t pay for a champion. And you never know what will create one. But you need champions, because everyone will hear you out if you say you can provide a service, but if someone who isn’t on the payroll says you are the best it will means so much more.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

This. Multiple income streams is the 2020’s version of diversifying your portfolio. The restaurant business is fickle, Food trucks are coming and going. Influencers are creating business for places and going viral. You are fighting for every customer. I push ticket averages by offering food that is already prepared. I offer catering services. I sell holiday sides. I make tamales from scratch. I keep my people interested and intrigued and I make sure that the product is solid. The goal is never the next sale. The goal is to create trust. To have customers see Ki Kitchen or Chef Sullivan and have that be enough to warrant a purchase.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kitchenlaurel.com
• Instagram: kitchenlaurel901
• Facebook: kitchenlaurel
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kitchen-laurel-memphis-2

Image Credits

Stacy Sullivan