The Kitchen Mistress

I had a wonderful opportunity to sit down with Virginia Davis, owner of The Kitchen Mistress, and discuss everything from Colorado to cooking, trends and challenges, to what advice she has for inspiring chefs.

Virginia, you have lived a number of places all over the world, what inspired you to live in Colorado?

Actually, unfortunately... I probably wouldn't have come out to Colorado if it hadn't been for a boy that I had followed out here, but once I did, I knew that this place was home for me. I lived in a small mountain town when I first moved to Colorado. I think the thing that really resonated for me was immigrating to America from Russia in the late eighties. It was a process. We had to take a train through Poland, stop in Austria for two months, and then on to Italy where we stayed a significant amount more time. When we stopped in Austria it was at this little ski town, it was off season so we were pretty much the only ones there; and when I moved to Colorado it was at this little off season ski town… there was something very nostalgic about it.

Colorado was known for microbreweries before microbreweries were a national topic, why do you think there has been a recent switch to “classic hand-crafted cocktails” here in Denver?

Well I think a part of it’s just demographically speaking, people are flocking to a cool town where things are happening. Denver’s finally starting to get its name on the map as far as the foodie scene and with that comes a certain measure of mixology. I think Colorado innately has this appreciation for homegrown anything; we have so much beautiful farm space in Colorado that it is providing an opportunity to supply the restaurants with seasonal fruits and vegetables, making Colorado a farm to table state. I think drinks are on the tail end of that booming industry. Why can’t the cocktail and the craft brewery industry have that same sort of appreciation from things being handmade or hand-crafted, seasonal and local?

What influenced you to be a chef and where did you learn to cook?

Interestingly enough it was getting told that I couldn't be one. The boy I followed to Colorado told me by his words and actions that I didn't belong in a kitchen. He made it very difficult for me to thrive and flourish in that space and in that capacity; he always down played my talents, efforts, and ideas. Later down the road I ended up dating an executive chef of a restaurant and he did the same thing to me too, telling me to stay out of the kitchen. I was so compelled by the male driven, oriented approach to the industry that I responded with, you just wait and see. I put myself in any and every situation where I could learn just by working. Starting at prep cook and working myself up the line, I finally got to a place where I was like, I got this! I can do this on my own and I can teach myself what I feel I need to learn. It was not just from working in a restaurant; it also came from watching shows on television and YouTube, reading magazines and books and then practicing.

Can you tell me who and what exactly The Kitchen Mistress is?

Originally the concept of The Kitchen Mistress came from the idea that I’m the other woman in the kitchen. There may be a mother and wife in the picture, but maybe she is a little too busy and doesn't have time to cook. The idea was almost like that of rent-a-husband, but I had no idea it was such a big industry. To describe The Kitchen Mistress in so many words: she is sassy, smart, funny, goofy, educated, passionate, and hard-working.

When did you decide to begin this business venture?

I started The Kitchen Mistress in 2008 when the recession began. I wanted to change the way people looked at food. It was a rainy day, I was sitting at home and I told my husband this is what I wanted to do. He told me that I could quit my job once I got my first 3 clients. Shortly after I got my first client I told my employer goodbye.

Why was it important to you to bring people a passion for cooking and consciousness of their food?

It was pretty apparent that we as a people don’t really think about what we’re eating. We do crazy things like eat in our car and eat on the run. Food is more than eating to survive; it is love and holds memories. I took a Julie Child old school approach to it, make it be food! I think people don’t realize the negative impact food can have on their bodies when it’s not prepared with love and admiration. The one guy I dated who wanted to keep me out of the kitchen made my food with such negativity I couldn't actually eat it; I literally would have physical pain from consuming food prepared with so much resentment and hate.

Starting your own business is a challenge, what specific challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges I faced were the ones that I made up for myself. Marketing and personal branding are definitely something to speak of. Skill and confidence go a long way, but you have to have some sort of business savviness and support from your community. At first I did a lot of free events and gave things away to market myself. I kept the price low for a while until the business grew, I had to accept the fact that there are going to be people out there that cannot afford what I do and people that will not be pleased by what I do. It’s all about perspective. I am still learning and very humbled by it all.

You've seen a number of trends come and go over the years, how have previous and current trends affected your client’s choices from home? How does it affect The Kitchen Mistress?

If Dr. Oz talks about kale, everyone suddenly has a hard on for kale. Some people just don’t care, but I think most of what is in or out is well received from home. It greatly influences me as The Kitchen Mistress because the trends happening right now influence my farmers, my markets, and my producers, therefore changing the whole spectrum.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own business?

Perseverance. You have to be able to see the vision and also be able to follow it through. You have to be capable of making your dreams turn into goals, goals into realities. No matter what challenges you face, if it’s truly your dream, you must stick it out. I had to have side jobs at times over the years, but that didn't mean that I was not, or am not successful. I did what I needed to do to get to my end result.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I want to encourage more women to cook and to not be kicked out of the kitchen. Cooking for many years has been a male driven industry, but we can change that, we ARE equals. Follow your passion whatever that may be, even when it changes; we only get this one life so even when you hit roadblocks, they are just little lessons that lead us to what we’re meant to do. For me, to be able to cook for people is one of the ways I can show them love. Feeding people is an immense gift, especially when they really, really like it.