Our March BWN Women in… event was with the fantastic Chamber member Stacey Jones from Kitchen Takeover. Our Business Growth Advisor Roz recaps the evening.
How does someone come up with a pop-up restaurant, with no menu, no venue, no wine list, no walk-ins, no specials and no choice, utilising some of New Zealand’s most renown chefs and have the event sold out, sometimes within minutes?!
These things were on the minds of the 20-or-so business women as they gathered at the BWN Women in… event last Wednesday to hear Stacey Jones talk about her journey in business, Kitchen Takeover.
Originally from the UK, Stacey had the professional career that every university graduate would die for – working for corporates such as Prada and Nissan. However, Stacey left that all behind in the name of love and travelled the world, with the person who is now her husband, and ended up in New Zealand, in what was meant to be a three-month leg of their overseas working holiday.
Stacey was amazed at how many people owned their own businesses in New Zealand and realising that their three-month leg was becoming more of a permanent fixture, Stacey decided to become one of those Kiwi business owners.
She started importing and selling leather satchels, a market that was untouched at that time, and built up a successful business – but she lacked a sense of passion, so she did a reset, diving into her inner self. Stacey wound back her clock and thought back to her childhood as a four-year-old, watching her mum throw ingredients into an electric Kenwood cake mixer, fascinated at how this all ended up making such a delicious baked product.
Stacey got to taste and experience food and cultures from the many countries she travelled to, which enhanced her passion for food even further. Bring in the education factor, and the creative and innovative flair that Stacey naturally has, Kitchen Takeover was born!
Stacey shared some of her business learnings and experiences with us with the utmost honesty, all while maintaining a true sense of humbleness. Many of us came away inspired and in awe of how Stacey remains so true to herself, works with her passion and shares that with us in a way that is exciting, experiential and memorable.
Thank you also to Bobby Hanley for our lovely photos and Kathrin from Lavish Foods / Tauranga Farmers Market for the delicious food.
