Meet Cathy Jenkins

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cathy Jenkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cathy, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

My purpose come from my family. I have always been a stay at home mom and I have taken care of my 3 children and my loving husband for 35 years. It was very easy to transform my life into the restaurant business because it was something I loved to do for my family

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In 2013 I opened Cathy’s Kitchen Restaurant and Diner in Ferguson,
MO based upon a 2 month road trip around America. Unlike most restaurants, my
menu is based on my favorite dishes from each state and soon became one of the most
popular restaurants in the St. Louis area!

However, in 2014 Michael Brown was killed by a Ferguson Policeman and the events
that would follow would forever change my life. Cathy’s Kitchen Restaurant and Diner
sits 2 doors down from the Ferguson Police department and immediate protest stopped
all sales to the restaurant. I quickly realized my business could not operate as
normal so I decided to cook all the food I had to feed the protesters. I rolled my
cart up the street and fed them all for free as they stood in the bitter cold protesting the
death of Michael Brown. This decision was life changing.

After the verdict the riots began and the city of Ferguson began to burn. To my
surprise all those protesters I fed made a human chain around my restaurant and
protected my building from getting damaged. The next day after the smoke had
cleared Cathy’s Kitchen was the only restaurant that could open for business.

That act of kindness created a new popularity in the restaurant. People came from all
over the world to dine at Cathy’s Kitchen. I had lunch with Danny Glover, Harry
Bellafontaine, Kevin Costner, Melissa Etheridge and The Speaker of The House
“Nancy Pelosi” came to visit Cathy!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say hard work, staying focus on the things you like and learning from others. My advice would be to never think you can do this alone.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I would say my Husband! I have been married 35 years and could not have done this without him. He is former Track Star at the University of Illinois but more importantly he invented a chemical that NASA use to allow Astronauts to make Space Walks in the outer atmosphere that prevents the suit from catching on fire!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cathyskitchen.net
• Instagram: cathyskitchens
• Facebook: Cathy’s Kitchen Restaurant & Diner
• Twitter: @cathyskitchens
• Youtube: @SeeJenkins