Kate Pauley Transcript
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Hi, everyone. You're listening to The Future Of Food Is You, a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. I'm your host, Abena Anim-Somuah, and each week I talk to emerging talents in the food world and they share what they're up to, as well as their dreams and predictions for what's ahead. As for me, I'm the founder of The Eden Place, a community that's all about gathering people intentionally around food. I love this new generation of chefs, bakers, and creatives, making their way in the worlds of food, drink, media, and tech.
Today's guest is Kate Pauley. Kate is the founder and creative director of Create Dinners, an events company that hosts meaningful food-centric gatherings. Kate has put together more than 70 events in New York, Rhode Island, and California, partnering with a variety of brands. In this episode, Kate and I chat about the power of bringing people together, the ins and outs of running an events business, and much more.
As I mentioned, we're part of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network, which includes another new podcast that some of you might enjoy. It's called She's My Cherry Pie, and it's all about baking. Each Saturday, host Jessie Sheehan talks to the best bakers and pastry chefs around and does a deep dive into their signature baked goods. Listen via your favorite podcast platform and happy baking.
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Now let's check in with today's guest. Kate, I've been waiting for this for a long time.
Kate Pauley:
Same.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I'm excited. I feel like we've been on this journey together, but I've also just admired you, both close as a friend and from afar just seeing the impact that you've had in food. So let's get started. You're a Dallas girl, born and raised.
Kate Pauley:
Yes ma'am.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
You talk a lot about how your southern hospitality influences the work that you do. Can you tell us a little bit of what life was like in the Pauley household?
Kate Pauley:
Oh yeah. The Pauley household was a good, loving space to grow up in. Both sides of my family, but I would say predominantly my mom's, I think of food always, always being present. My grandparents had a garden, and so in the summer they were in Oklahoma picking tomatoes and apples, and it was just everything right there in the backyard we'd bring it in, we'd eat it. Sugar tooth. Everyone was a major sugar tooth in my family, and so I feel like any celebration, birthday party, whatever it was, food was present and it was what brought everybody together, and it was such a critical part of my life.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Were you guys more on the homemade desserts train, or were there Dallas bakeries that every celebration you guys were regular customers for?
Kate Pauley:
That's a good question. Sometimes it was homemade. There was definitely a lot of homemade stuff, like my mom's banana pudding I think of specifically. She did a lot of that. And then it was just nothing pretentious. The cosmic brownies were never not in my stocking for Christmas.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh nice.
Kate Pauley:
Or a Little Debbie oatmeal pie. Nothing super highbrow, it was a mix though. My dad, I will say, is a pie connoisseur. He has a blog that I don't think you can even find Googling it, I've tried, but he has a pie blog called Life, A Slice At A Time. And he tries pies everywhere he goes, and then writes about them and documents them, and is legitimately obsessed. We gave him a 70th birthday pie-themed party this year.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh, yeah. That's so cute.
Kate Pauley:
It was a hit.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Blogging runs in the family.
Kate Pauley:
It does. It is where it comes from.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's travel west. You ended up in California for college and you were there for a while. How did hospitality show up while you were at Pepperdine?
Kate Pauley:
Ooh, it showed up a lot. I think in high school is really when I started getting a knack for it and a desire to do it on my own. And the only barrier was that I didn't have a house, so it was like, "Hey, mom and dad, 10 people are coming over tonight that I invited over. We will be taking over the living room." And it would be things like that.
In college, I feel like I got to spread my wings. I remember very specifically the first gathering that I ever hosted freshman year of college. I was a nanny for a family and they had another family that they were good friends with who was going out of town. They needed a house sitter and I was like, "Of course, I can house sit your Malibu home over on the cliff looking over the ocean." And so they knew that I was having friends come and stay. It was like Valentine's Day weekend freshman year, and I invited probably 10 to 12 friends over and cooked this Italian feast.
I'm sure it was just basic pasta with sauce out of a can and a salad that we threw together, but it filled me up on such a deep level where I was like, "Oh, this is what I want to be doing anytime I get the chance to do it." That was a pretty pivotal moment of let's gather the people, whatever the food is, let's bring them together, and do this thing, and plan a pretty over the top weekend, which is really all that Create Dinners is, it's just pick a theme, lean in hard.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
We can call that Create Dinner zero because then you had your first Create Dinner in 2016 in Los Angeles.
Kate Pauley:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And you dub it a passion project. Can you tell us a little bit about the first intentions you had for that first dinner?
Kate Pauley:
Yeah, I had a bunch of creative friends who all did different things. One was a florist, one was a chef, one was a ceramicist, one was a stylist, I'm a photographer, and we all had our own lanes. I don't know how the idea came to my head. I was just like, "We should have a creative dinner party where every person brings some physical offering or talent, almost like a creative potluck, and together we can produce this beautiful evening, this beautiful tablescape. I'll bring my camera, I'll document it, and then we'll have these photos that we can all use on our own social media, websites, and help promote each other as these entrepreneurs, all female."
And I think it just happened that we were all female. It wasn't set out ever to be like, "Only women." But it just turned out that all my friends who were really good at what they were doing, and starting out, and we were all in the same playing field and same level, we're all women, and brought it together and somehow everyone was available on the date, and down to do it free of charge. It was just kind of like a creative barter.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Wow, that's beautiful. Did you come up with the name Create Dinners at that time or did it come up after subsequent dinners with women?
Kate Pauley:
It came up after the first one, before the second one, I believe. I was working in digital marketing and had a mentor in the company. His name was Rory, this British guy. He is really smart and he was asking me about what my passion projects were outside of work and was like, "This is a really good idea, mate. You should do something with this." And saying "This is a business." And I was like, "Okay, that's... Yeah, maybe." And so I think he actually might have been the one that said, "What if it's CrEATe Dinners?" And his idea was take the E-A-T, the eat and Create. And he was like, "What if that's your logo? You bold the eat in create." And I was like, "It's a little far Rory, but let's-"
Abena Anim-Somuah:
It's in there if you got to look for it.
Kate Pauley:
I was yes to the Create Dinners part, because we are creating a dinner together. And I thought that was really cool and also shocked that the domain had not already been reserved.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Sometimes it's the most simple ones.
Kate Pauley:
Seriously. So I snatched that up and got all the handles and the domain, and then we just built the thing.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And that's on that. Let's talk a little bit more about your digital marketing career. So you were working in digital marketing and production for almost a decade.
Kate Pauley:
Long time.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
What was that life like?
Kate Pauley:
It was great. It taught me so, so much. I was number five at a startup and started interning for them my senior year of college. Knew the co-founders, these very wise forever mentors named Alec and Alan, and they started the company and there were only two other guys working at the company with them. And I was like, "Would you guys ever hire a woman to be on your team? And you're like, 'bro club.'" And they were like, "Yeah, I think so." And so I started interviewing for them and at the time they were doing all the marketing for 20th Century Fox's theatrical campaigns.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Huge.
Kate Pauley:
We started with them and I worked on more theatrical campaigns than I could possibly count. And then as we grew... I mean the company grew very quickly. That first year we went from five to 25 in year one. By the time that we ended, we had clients in every single category. We had been acquired by WarnerMedia and AT&T, and it had grown into this massive corporate company. So I really saw it from start to finish and I think it taught me largely how to build a brand, how to build a business, how to scale some things. And Create Dinners is very small, but I'm so grateful to know the inner workings of a really small team that does grow, learns to pivot and just say yes, and figure out what works.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
What were specific things that you worked on at your time there?
Kate Pauley:
The one that I'd hold the nearest and dearest to my heart is Mary Kay Cosmetics. The team there was fantastic. I still have a good relationship with their team. They let us do a lot of fun stuff. I've styled more makeup than you can possibly imagine, and knowed so much about makeup and products and all that kind of stuff from that time, but they were super fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
It transfers over into the tablescapes and-
Kate Pauley:
It does.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The decor and the aesthetics.
Kate Pauley:
1000%.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's go back to Create Dinners. So to date, how many Create Dinners have you hosted?
Kate Pauley:
So the Women's Dinner Series, we have 20 under our belt. But we've done all sorts of different events at this point. I think we are right on the 70 mark for events that we've produced.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Wow, that's amazing.
Kate Pauley:
It's a lot of events.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
So almost a third of your events have been the Women's Series?
Kate Pauley:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And then can you tell us a little bit about the other events that you're working on?
Kate Pauley:
Yes, so we do branded events, where brands, companies, or even individuals who are just looking for a more catered intentional experience, will hire us to produce their events. So we'll put on either dinner parties, or we'll go into a company and do a women's event where the women in the company come together and have open conversation, and talk about what it's like to be a woman in the C-suite, or to try and build their teams together and things like that. And then we will also do workshops. So we'll do creative workshops, either partnering with a florist, or a mixologist, or some kind of creator, to let people come in and have a more hands-on experience. And obviously food and good drinks are always present at those events, but sometimes they're backing the creative thing that we're doing.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's amazing. You can't be creative without good fuel I think.
Kate Pauley:
No, absolutely.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's talk a little bit more about the Dinner Series. Why did you think that the dinner table and food needed to be the focal point for gathering people intentionally?
Kate Pauley:
I think because food has played such a key role in my life, I knew the power of it. I grew up in a Christian household and food was such a huge part of that. If somebody was grieving something or celebrating something, someone was just on your doorstep with a casserole. Or every Sunday or whatever night of the week, you found yourself around the dinner table. And my life looks so different from growing up in Texas, but that has remained the same for sure where I feel most comfortable, the walls come down, it's nourishing. It is this thing that puts everyone on the same playing field, allows for openness and honesty.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
For our audience. Can you tell us a little bit about what a Create Dinner looks like from start to finish?
Kate Pauley:
Ooh, yes. So for the Women's Dinner Series they're all a little different, because they all have a theme. You usually show up, you walk in, someone, most likely myself, is there to greet you. And I will say that's a key part, because at those dinners, I'm usually the only one who's talked to every person. Lots of them, I'm meeting them for the first time, that we will have been emailing for the last few weeks. So they come in, I know who they are because I've stalked them pretty thoroughly on whatever platforms that I can, say hello, hand them a drink or give them the direction of where to go. Usually we have a 30 to 45 minute mingle. Everybody gets to know each other as they come in. And then there's usually some kind of a creative activity, similar to our workshops, and so it could be we're all going to make a candle together, or there's going to be a natural dye class happening. There's some kind of creative thing.
Then we all progress into dinner and we share a meal together. The chef is always working tirelessly, but everyone helps out and has a hand in keeping the night running. It just works out really beautifully in that way, where everyone is just jumping in. And then there's usually some kind of ending activity or entertainment. Sometimes that is someone who's written a poem and performs spoken words, sometimes it is live music, sometimes it's a meditation or a post-dinner yoga that's really easy and winds the night down. And then there's always a swag bag where people get a little goody bag to take out. Looks different from event to event, just based on, if we have somebody who is like a ceramicist who makes something, they may have made a small little thing for everyone to take home, or a tea maker, maybe they send them home with some tea. But then everyone goes on their way. We keep in touch over email and that's the idea. And the most successful outcome of an event is seeing the connection extend beyond the event, where they work together down the line and really keep it going.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome. How do you normally decide on the theme? What places do you like to draw inspiration from for those?
Kate Pauley:
I get theme ideas from all over. Often it is walking around and just observing. It can be going to a more obvious place like an art museum or a park, but I'm, even as we're sitting here, looking at this striped copper and dark red wall, I'm like, "Could you be dinner number 22?" I don't know, maybe possibly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I think you could do it, like a Georgia O'Keeffe motif.
Kate Pauley:
Exactly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Southwestern vibe.
Kate Pauley:
Honestly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.
Kate Pauley:
But usually I'll see something, or I'll have a conversation, and that is the beginning of the snowball. I go on Pinterest and I see a few images and I'm like, "That's it. That's the color palette. We're done."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's awesome. Can you tell us one or two themes that you were so proud of coming up with?
Kate Pauley:
Ooh, we've had some really fun themes. I did one, this was dinner number 19, we did a dinner in Vermont. And that was such a big endeavor because I don't know anyone, I don't know who I think I am being like, "Apply to dinner number 19 in Vermont."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
You are someone.
Kate Pauley:
We had an incredible group of 10 gather, so it was a smaller dinner, but our theme was Luna moth, which I did not know what a Luna moth was prior to moving to the East Coast. My husband Brian is from Vermont and the first summer that I was visiting Vermont, we were with his family. There was a Luna moth on the door outside and they only come out at certain times of the year for just a few weeks, only certain parts of the day. But I was like, "What is that? That is the craziest, most beautiful thing I've ever seen." They're like lime green. The center of them is yellowish, turns pink.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh wow.
Kate Pauley:
They look crazy, in a good way. I always knew I would have a Luna moth theme. But I also love, on top of how it presents itself visually, that it's this creature that flies and is free, and only comes out at certain times, and is just mysterious. And I was like, "This is going to be a cool theme. "
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.
Kate Pauley:
So that was our theme for the Vermont dinner, which felt very appropriate. In the summer, and we carried a table out to the middle of a field, we were surrounded by green. It was a friend's property that hosted it and-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's beautiful.
Kate Pauley:
It was really lovely. Dinner number 14 was the first dinner in New York after I moved from California, and we'd been on a year and a half hiatus because of COVID, and we couldn't gather. We had dinner 14, which was themed stories. Everyone really focused on sharing their story about what the last year and a half had been like for them, where they came from. And the theme was a very old Italian grandma's backyard kind of vibe. We had really good wine and made pizzas, and it was just a very late summer garden. It was a really special one and felt like the right theme to kick off the New York chapter.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.
Kate Pauley:
It was really cool.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's amazing. You have so many different people coming in with different creative mindsets, at different stages of their creative journeys. You've got professionals, you've got freelancers, you've got enthusiasts. How do you set expectations for how guests can contribute and show up to these dinners?
Kate Pauley:
I prepare a deck that I send out before every event that has the timeline, the mood board, logistical next steps for everybody, so time, address, things like that. Everyone who's attending, there's a guest list. And so those things go out to everyone to just formalize it, let everyone know exactly what to expect. In terms of choosing people, I get people who ask me, and I don't even think this was your question, but I feel like it's important to say, A lot of times people will ask, "Do you have to be a creative? Does this have to be my full-time job?" And the answer is no.
I think anyone can tap into their creativity and contribute something. And so I like to look at somebody when they're applying to come as a whole picture of who is this person? What can they offer? What are they going to get from this? Are they the right type of person who's going to come in with nothing but kindness and support, and want to encourage the other women in the room? Because so much of it is about that, over "am I going to be a successful..." Whatever offering you bring. It's more about getting the right women in the room with each other to create a connection that's going to last long beyond whatever happens at the dinner.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I've been to Create Dinner. I've seen so many Create Dinners and they look so incredible, but I have to ask, have there been times when things haven't worked out?
Kate Pauley:
Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. This story that always comes to my mind was the first dinner we ever did in New York, and it was dinner seven. This is when I still lived on the West Coast. My good friend Elise and I flew out. I was just like, "I'm going to do one in New York." And so-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Love the ambition.
Kate Pauley:
Yeah. Decided to do it. The woman who was hosting and she was going to be sourcing all the plates, and we had mapped out this stunning tablescape. The event, I believe, was supposed to start at 5:30 and she was like, "The delivery's coming at 3:30, so we'll be able to set the table then." And I was like, "Great." And we get to four o'clock, "They're not here yet." Then we get to five o'clock, "Not here yet." 5:15, I was like, "People are showing up in 15 minutes. We have to get something on this table." It turned into us just pulling every single plate. Somehow they had 16 plates, thank goodness.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Magical.
Kate Pauley:
Yeah. Pulled every single plate, just put it on the table. I think half the candles were not lit. It is by a landslide, the ugliest tablescape we've ever had, and apologies to anyone who was at dinner seven who doesn't know this story. I look back at the photos and honestly, you, A, cannot really tell. And B, the event was so happy and wonderful, and the people who were there were just fantastic humans that it didn't matter. And I think that was such a big learning for me, is the tablescape is just a detail, that is not what it's about. It does not matter if it's an immaculate tablescape, someone's always going to have a more beautiful tablescape, someone's always going to... Whatever. What matters is the people connected. We had an event that meant something to people, so it was successful in that sense. But yeah, things go wrong all the time. It is usually a logistical thing like that, where you're like, "We need to pivot real fast."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I guess that's a good segue into my next question of I feel like we are entering our events era. Dinner parties are back, everyone's outside, everyone's doing things. And more people are actually choosing to host at home, even though we spent the last two and a half years cooped up indoors, I guess almost three now. What advice would you have for our audience on the show on how they want to elevate gatherings, or add more intentionality to them, also not just in tablescapes, but in other elements as well?
Kate Pauley:
Yeah, for sure. It's all in the details. For elevating, I think, it's communicating with your guests ahead of time to figure out, "Does anyone have a dietary restriction? Is it anyone's birthday, or anniversary? What little things can I do to elevate these people as humans and make them feel like I saw them and I cared for them before they arrive?" I think that's a big part of it. And then I would say on the tablescape, there's so many things you can do. I think one of the very simplest ways that I like to elevate a tablescape is light some candles. I think that instantly can change the vibe of a room. Turn the lights down a little bit and light some candles. Flowers or greenery is always a nice touch.
And then I think it's in the planning and the flow of the event where you need enough structure where people don't feel like they're just walking around aimlessly. You want to give people structure where it's like, "We start out for the first half hour doing this." Give people time to arrive. And then have a very clear, "Cheers, welcome. We're going to transition into this and make you feel comfortable." For the food, there's so many things you can do to elevate food. You could get takeout for the entire meal, but I think having one homemade thing that you do, or one special item can really elevate and make people feel like, "Oh, this is cool." And, "Was delicious." Or thoughtful, or whatever takeaway you want them to have.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, that's so important. That's awesome. So Create Dinners is now your full-time gig?
Kate Pauley:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And you made that transition right as the pandemic was starting?
Kate Pauley:
I did. I did. That company that I was at for almost a decade, we had a mass lay-off November of 2020, I believe. So it was like seven, eight months into the pandemic. I feel very grateful that I was pretty burned out and ready to leave by that time, and had just been there, it was safe. We were like, "What's happening in our country?" And it was a safe thing that had wanted to do something different for a long time, and I didn't know exactly what that was. I knew I wanted to potentially do something on my own, but it was scary. And so then when I was forced to have to make that decision, it felt a lot more clear. I took a couple months to really think it through and map out what Create Dinners could be in a pandemic world when we weren't gathering. We relaunched. We did a rebrand, actually. I hired my friend Kristen, who's a really talented graphic designer to create us a new logo. I redid the whole website and got it ready to go, and then I relaunched with a virtual series called The Lunchbox.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I love that.
Kate Pauley:
We would mail boxes to anyone who would buy a ticket to our event. We would have this group unboxing and inside there would be various goods made by female businesses. So the first one was a Galentine's Day event, and we did a chocolate tasting with Cru Chocolate, which is delicious if you've never had it. But their founder, Karla [Rueda], walked us through the product. We had a tasting and it was really, really cool. And then at all Create Dinners' events, there's a time for conversation questions, usually while we eat. We had questions, and so everyone on the Zoom went around and answered a question, and it oddly felt like a Create Dinners event. I was like, "This gives me hope that we can do this until we're allowed to gather again." And so we did a bunch of virtual series. That's kind of how we launched into the full-time thing.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
As we both know from experience, events, businesses are tough. They're incredibly expensive. They're fun and everything, but it also takes a lot of work, and creativity, and skill, to not just prove yourself, but also bring these incredibly unique concepts to life. What made you decide on doubling down on events? When do you want to relaunch Create Dinners?
Kate Pauley:
I think part of it was out of necessity that I just needed to generate income to be able to live and do this full-time. And the other part of it is that I really do love the logistics and the craziness of an event. Working at the agency that I was at for so long, I worked in production, and so I lived by timelines, and all the internal docs and checklists, and to do masterlists, making sure you had everything. So it was a really easy natural transition into that, where it's all production, it's all details and being organized, and then the creativity part is obviously the fun part.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
How do you balance ensuring the logistics of the business side, while still trying to enhance the creative side for your events?
Kate Pauley:
That's a great question. It is a tough balance. I know I'm in the right profession, because even if I'm losing money, I would still do this till I die.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's a good sign.
Kate Pauley:
Yeah. I am constantly tweaking the business model and the type of events that we do to figure out, where's the need? Where can profit be made? What is actually sustainable? And I don't want to be putting on events that are not interesting to people. On the creativity side, it's a mix of trying to stay with what's trendy and also be timeless. I am not a 20-year-old on TikTok that is on the most up and up trends, but I like to stay educated on what's happening and have a pulse on things. But I do think part of Create Dinners is staying timeless, to an extent, so that we can be there for anybody of any age, any interests. We want to be able to appeal to all different types of people, ages, groups, demographics, all of that. Having events that are not so singular that it won't be interesting to at least some decent sized group.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. And by having different walks of life walk in, you get more enriching conversations, or enhancing conversations. I remember the dinner that I went to that you hosted with Chef Lay Alston, it was so interesting. Just the person across me I think worked in journalism, another person worked in media, another person was starting their own business. And you often don't get to interact with those types of people day-to-day, and it's nice to be able to do it in a place that's incredibly comforting. I want to talk to you specifically about partnerships, because I've really admired the way that you've used partnerships to leverage your brand, and also leverage the way that you produce events. And I feel like we're in this era where there's partnerships for everything. I feel like everyone's doing a collab, everyone's doing a popup. Can you walk us through the pitch process of how you get brands to align with Create Dinners?
Kate Pauley:
Yeah. As you're saying that, I'm thinking, I'm like, "How did we even start doing partnerships?" And I'm going to give a shout-out, because she's about to open up her first brick and mortar, Emily Schildt, who runs Pop Up Grocer, they're about to open their first permanent location. I actually took over her apartment in Fort Greene. She's like a friend of a friend, and met her in that way, and then I was like, "Wait, you do something super cool." She's awesome, and it's been so cool to watch her build her thing. But we went out, I think we were at Grimm in Williamsburg. And I was just picking her brain about things, and I think she was the one that planted that idea in my head, "What? You should get sponsors. That is definitely something that brands would be willing to do and want to be a part of these things that you're creating." And that was the first time I really started thinking about it.
Then it was a matter of curating brands and looking at brands who would be a good fit. Are they big enough to either be able to donate product, or better yet, back an event financially? And then ones who fit with us aesthetically, ones who shared a similar brand ethos, ones who had products that would just naturally tie into whatever event we were doing. And that's often a lot of companies in food and beverage. Sometimes it's companies who make things that go on the table, like plates or napkins. I think because of my background and building those decks, "We'll bring it back to them."
I really knew how to put together a pitch deck, and did a lot of pitching to brands to talk about what the value is going to be for them, which in this case I really believe it. I'm like, "This is valuable. You're getting an introduction to a group of creative, influential women who are going to be way more invested in your brand, than if you're spending a ton of money on a random advertisement that may not be seen by the right eyeballs." But pitching it as this unique experiential marketing opportunity. Shockingly, at least to me at the time, now it's not as shocking, because I'm like, "Yeah, it is good for you. It's good for all of us." A lot of brands are on board and see the value in it. And I'm very grateful for that, because it's the only way that we've been able to stay sustainable this whole time.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I'm curious, are there three elements that you think go into a really awesome pitch deck?
Kate Pauley:
Establishing who you are as a brand is critical and giving the very top notes of whatever the event is that you want them to be a part of. I think visuals is really strong. Fortunately for me, I'm a photographer and I have documented every single one of our events, and I can work those photos into every deck that we have to make them visually really beautiful. And that's one of our selling points for partners is, "You're getting authentic content of your product in use with real humans." So I think showing them what the end result could look like for them at a very quick visual way is key.
And then I think keeping it concise and clear about what is being given and what is being received. Laying out, "Here's what the sponsors give, here's what they're receiving." And outlining that product package for them, what the partnership details are. Obviously this comes after you've had an over-the-phone conversation, or in person, even better. You never want to be trying to close something the second you meet someone. It's so important to connect with someone as a human, and then if it's a right fit, then you can try and sell that.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
You've also done a good job of partnering with people I should say. You've harnessed food and beverage companies and brands. I know you've worked with Chef Lay Alston, who's near and dear to the Cherry Bombe family, Emily of SOLUCA Collections, and you've also worked with Boisson, the non-alcoholic spirits shop. How do you think about partnering with people behind businesses in the food world to get these events together?
Kate Pauley:
Yeah. Similar to partnerships with product partnerships, it's do we have the same goals? Do we have the same brand ethos and values? Chef Lay, her entire life's message is a gratitude, "feed you soon", and I love that. I think you should approach every day with gratitude and start from that place. And somebody who comes in with an ego, it's probably not going to be the right fit for Create Dinners. We started as a bunch of small brands, female brands, as a barter almost. And so nobody is doing it for a ton of money, or a ton of attention. It's people who are humble, and smart, and generous with their talents and their time, and then hopefully that all pays off for all of us.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, that's amazing. When you think of dream sponsors or dream collaborators, are there three that come to mind?
Kate Pauley:
I definitely have some that come to mind. One who is just so cool in every single thing that she does is Laila Gohar, Gohar World. I would just want to be a fly on the wall observing everything that she does, but she creates the most amazing tablescapes in her brain, and art direction just works in such a cool way that I would love to do something with her. I think that would be awesome. I would love to partner, and we've worked with them a bunch, but I would love to do a dinner. Let's just throw it out there, that we would do it somewhere in Greece or the Mediterranean.
Ghia. I love that Melanie built this thing. She's a smart woman, from everything that I've observed. I've only talked to her over email a handful of times, but she's lovely. She's smart, she's personable and has created a product that is delicious. It's so great as an alcoholic alternative. It's really lovely, and I think doing an event with them, they're honestly kind of similar and aesthetic to Gohar World. Just very cool. Everything they put out is lovely and inspirational, and I save many Instagram posts from them. I have my last one.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Okay.
Kate Pauley:
Dream location to do an event would be in The Noguchi Museum.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Wow.
Kate Pauley:
That is a high ask.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
It can happen.
Kate Pauley:
Maybe one day.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.
Kate Pauley:
I know they do events there. They definitely do events there. But that one, I've never not just been so inspired walking through that space, and you could do such an amazing minimal tablescape with like sushi. We've never done a sushi dinner. That's an-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
An Omakase dinner.
Kate Pauley:
Oh.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah.
Kate Pauley:
Yes. Would love to make that happen.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I hope I get one of the tickets if it happens.
Kate Pauley:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Because it will happen.
Kate Pauley:
Yeah, you can come, you'll be there.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Can't wait. I want to talk more specifically about your creative energy. I feel like you just exude creativity so well. When it comes to aesthetic, specifically for dining and food, are there elements of style that you live by in order to bring things to life?
Kate Pauley:
Ooh. I think anything can be beautiful. It is so contextual to where you are, and I think of it as a full package. I went to this place in Mexico City that maybe you told me about, as we're talking about it.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh.
Kate Pauley:
Expendio de Maiz.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes.
Kate Pauley:
It is-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Love that place.
Kate Pauley:
Ugh, it's so good. But it is the most unexpected meal based on how it presents visually, but I think that's a perfect example of the most basic unassuming place from the outside, where you just duck in and it's there, and it's like, "Wow, that was one of the best meals I've ever had." And then you can go to these places in New York that are just so lush and lavish, and beautiful, and also are the best experience you ever had. So I wouldn't say it's a specific detail.
I could tell you what I'm drawn to personally, which is a very clean, minimalistic. I love a lot of wood, I love sushi. We just talked about Noguchi. But I love a lot of plywood, I love a pop of a rich color and velvet, really good light fixtures. Things like that are my personal favorite things to be surrounded by while dining. But then again, it's all context. Being on the beach somewhere, or in just a divey spot, where there's hardly any decoration, and it pairs beautifully with the food and the energy of the space, and the people working it. It's really about the full package and if it works together.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, that's really beautiful. I'm curious though, as you think about Create Dinners as it stands in the grand scheme of event planning and dinner parties, how are you hoping to add influence into this industry?
Kate Pauley:
I hope to add influence by connecting people. It's much less about what it looks like or tastes like. It's about what it feels like. It's about bringing strangers together and having them walk away feeling like they maybe just had a connection with someone, or about people who already knew each other coming into a space and leaving knowing more about each other. As I said earlier, bringing people to the same playing field where they're like, "Okay, we're looking at each other on a human level and we are using food, and this space is the means of doing that." So I hope to bring it back to what food was intended to do, nourish us, and be this thing that brings everyone together. I hope to shake it up, or not even shake it up, just do more of that.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, add more color, so to speak.
Kate Pauley:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. How do you hope people are inspired by Create Dinners to start their own small businesses and their small event companies?
Kate Pauley:
I hope that they can look at me and realize, "She's not a chef. She is not a full-time stylist." I did a lot of styling in my days, but that wasn't my full-time job. But people who are kind of Jane of all trades, are interested in something, I hope they can look at me and feel empowered to know, "You can do it. She did it." You can do it. You don't have to be perfect at it. It's as easy as just sending out an email or a text to a group of people, giving them a time and a place, and being the one to just start the thing.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Just do the thing.
Kate Pauley:
Just start the thing. Do the thing.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
In our many conversations we've talked about Create Dinners' dreams and aspirations, but if we were to do this podcast again in 2030, where do you hope to see Create Dinners?
Kate Pauley:
Ooh, I hope that we have done some things internationally. I hope we're all over. I would love for events to be happening multiple times a week all over. And that we can just be sharing the beautiful photos and the stories of the people who are in attendance on our website. It would be awesome to have a retail space, or a physical event space, some combo of that. That's my biggest goal right now, is like, "How do we get the space so that we can host more regularly?" I have dreams of a coffee table book. I would love for there to be-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh that would be amazing.
Kate Pauley:
A nice coffee table book by 2030, telling the stories of the people who have come, the meals we ate, the behind the scenes craziness that happened. Things like that would be awesome.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Kate, before we wrap this up, I always like to have our guests do something called the Future Flash Five. Are you ready?
Kate Pauley:
I'm ready.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's do it. The future of dinner parties.
Kate Pauley:
Overwhelming and happening everywhere. I would love that.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of tablescapes.
Kate Pauley:
Maximalist.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of small food businesses.
Kate Pauley:
I hope they're very prevalent. I hope that they are the majority. I hope that we all start supporting the small guys and that they run the world.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The future of flowers.
Kate Pauley:
Ooh, funky. I hope they're funky.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And the future of brand partnerships.
Kate Pauley:
Authentic and real, and actually meaningful.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Well, Kate, I'm so excited to continue following your journey, but if we want to keep supporting you, where at the best places to find you?
Kate Pauley:
You can find us on Instagram at createdinners, on our website, createdinners.com, in real life bopping around New York City.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, and you have an event coming up in March. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Kate Pauley:
Absolutely. This is our first all-day event. It is called EXPAND, and it's going to be a day celebrating Women's History Month, focused on wellness, creativity. I think it'll feel like a healthy mix of therapy, and support, and joy, and building each other up. It's going to be a really special day.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That sounds exciting. Kate, thanks again.
Kate Pauley:
Thank you.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
You have reached The Future Of Food Is You mailbox. Please leave your message after the beep.
Kate Pauley:
Hi, future Kate. Based on the last 10 years, there is a lot that has happened that you could have never predicted. I hope that you can give yourself grace for the things that you would've done differently, and that you feel gratitude for all of the incredible things that have happened along the way. Let's chat quickly about work, because it seems to be the thing that worries and occupies your mind the most these days. I don't know what has happened over the past decade, but I want to give you these words of reassurance. The only way you could have failed your younger self is if you have stopped creating and practicing creativity, or stopped gathering others around the table. Life should never be too busy to create or host. There are a lot of different ways you can measure your success, but I hope your top indicator remains love. If you're loving, and being loved by your family and friends and community, and remained kind and generous, you're doing just fine. Love, Kate from 2023.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's it for today's show. Do you know someone who you think is the future of food? Tell us about them. Nominate them at the link in our show notes, or leave us a rating and a review, and tell me about them in the review. I can't wait to read more about them. Thanks to Kerrygold for sponsoring the show. Visit kerrygoldusa.com for more. The Future Of Food Is You is a production of the Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Thanks to the team at CityVox Studios, executive producers Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker, and associate producer Jenna Sadhu. Catch you on the future flip.