Meet Kimberly Donalson | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Donalson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I would have to say being organized and time management definitely has helped me in life and business.You must be able to multi task and organize when you’re planning events, designing the space, creating menu options, communicating with different vendors. Having time management is also a must. I like to Create event itinerary charts, this keeps me on track from beginning to end. Consistency, time management  also helps maximize my output daily in business and personal life.  Having those two key skills will always help you succeed.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I consider myself an food artist. I don’t have a “specialty” because I love to cook all cuisine’s and create recipes that are simple and easy for anyone to cook. The plate is my canvas! I was born and raised in the southern section of Dallas, in Oak Cliff cooking at the tender age of 12. Leaving corporate America in 2014 I decided to enroll in Culinary school and follow my passion. I graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu classical French culinary school of Dallas in 1996. While in culinary school I was recruited by Hilton for a internship position that later led to becoming a banquet chef. After 3years in the hotel & hospitality I realized that I wanted to start my own catering and personal chef services. At that time meal preps weren’t as popular as they are today. When I started my meal prep service in 2017 I wanted to offer elevated healthy food options. There were many others already selling pre cooked home style dinners to go. I needed to separate my business from others by offering something different something “healthy”and new. In the beginning it wasn’t easy and very challenging. My meals were portion controlled (smaller) not the same as others. Due to the ingredients I used in my healthy Gourmet food the prices were not the same. Also a requirement of a monthly subscription commitment was needed to enroll. That’s what set me apart and was also my biggest challenge back then. I stuck to my vision and continued to promote & push this healthy luxury meal prep until it was embedded into my viewer’s minds. I had to learn everything is not for everyone and I couldn’t make everyone happy. That’s just impossible and will never happen. Staying true to myself , I started doing the necessary research, marketing,strategic planning to grow my business. I did my share of volunteer work as well. Being persistent and consistent helped develop new client relationships and I was able to connect with customers who had interest in what I was offering. This is how I overcame that challenge. Being persistent with educating myself making chef Kim more knowledgeable about food nutrition, better food products collaborating with fitness trainers teaching people how to cook for themselves or their families. Today my time only allows me to offer that service to professional athletes and some of DFW most elite in a more private setting or on location. I’m catering and consulting a lot more these days. I would like the world to know that Chef Kim is still growing and to expect big projects this year. There will be more changes, but I will always remain true to my “Sophisticated “ food style!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I currently live in Las Colinas near the Toyota center and there are so many new pubs and restaurants that are all walking distance I’ve yet to try them all so we’ll start there lol! I love love live music my favorite spots would be Michaels of Las Colinas and the Freeman in Deep Elm for live entertainment. Bishop Arts which is my other go to location for food and entertainment.I like to people watch and it definitely has some interesting shops and fun places to dine. Casa Blanca is my favorite new hot spot for dinner. The ambiance just takes you to Tulum, Mexico if you’ve ever visited and we must go to the Black Girl Magic museum for those perfect Instagram pictures lol I am a spa lover so wouldn’t be me without us stepping into those warm robes and glass of champagne at the ZaZa hotel Zaspa. We have some beautiful wineries and tours depending on weather here throughout the DFW metro most are not aware of and I always like to give a bottle of wine as gifts.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like shoutout to my daughters Mikaela and Gabriell. They came up with the business name “sophisticated lady Catering “ they were my assistants, taste testers my servers when I couldn’t afford to hire professional waitstaff. They encouraged me to keep going in culinary school all while being a single parent. I appreciate the sacrifices they made some weekends helping their mother and being understanding when I missed family time. The unconditional love,I thank them both for always giving me.

Website: Www.atasteofsophistication.com

Instagram: Personalchefkimd

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