a tasty beginning
Decades after Paula began honing her craft while raising three children (Nathan, Benjamin and Claire Frances) with her husband Brad, she received a phone call from a neighbor, Wendy Mitchell. Wendy could not stop thinking about a delicious dish of Tuscan Chicken with Saffron Rice Paula provided her family for an occasion and she had an idea of how Paula could help her busy life. Wendy offered to pay Paula to cook for her family several nights a week as a “personal chef”. Paula was delighted. She had been thinking about catering for years and even had a logo she created in a file cabinet. January 2007 Paula’s Palate was born with this menu. Wendy’s encouragement was pivotal in Paula taking a vulnerable step as a passionate home cook. Paula is forever grateful to Wendy Mitchell. Wendy remains one of her best repeat clients twelve years later.
Paula’s journey of learning and growing as a home-cook caterer to serve others with tasty, tasteful food in their own home around their own tables was launched and continues to this day. Working as a “personal chef” was invaluable experience to springboard Paula into catering countless luncheons, dinners, cocktail parties, showers, etc., all with one thing in common…all celebrations in people’s homes. Many dishes became requested over and over from this exposure.
COOK. WRITE. REPEAT.
In 2011, Paula began sharing recipes on a Facebook Page called Paula’s Palate Houston and she wrote a food column in a magazine for the NW area of Houston including her neighborhood. She was intrigued with the idea of helping busy Moms answer the age old question, “What’s for Dinner” with ease. The first three recipes she shared were family favorites, Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry, Chicken Piccata and Shrimp with Italian Polenta. She still makes these dishes today and they are adored by clients and friends of Paula’s Palate Houston Facebook Page.
Paula wanted to convey to people it is not as hard as it looks to prepare dinner meals for your family…even on busy school nights. As Paula began to see the recipes were resonating from countless emails and comments on Facebook, she also noticed people were finding her holiday tablescapes and flower arranging as a source of inspiration in their own homes.
AN unexpected HIATUS
After taking a break in 2014-2015 from catering due to a diagnosis of breast cancer, Paula found the Facebook page and the magazine food column a way to share her craft with others and found it vital during recovery. When she could not leave the house she could write about her recipes , share them and catalog them on her computer. It was during this life changing event in her life that the idea of a cookbook began to take shape.
GIVING BACK
Paula began to take on small catering jobs and offer POP UP Shops on Facebook for family meals …and then Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in late August of 2017 and Paula’s Palate became a philanthropic mission with her friends as Paula’s Palate Posse. In two days, $5000 was raised! The first few days the only place that had food was Panera…so the Posse delivered Panera to work crews and as trucks began replenishing grocery stores, Paula and the Posse cooked and delivered home cooked meals to over 500 people in NW Houston. In addition, cases of baby formula and diapers were provided and their final act as a group was shopping for over $1500 of non-perishables for those in tent like city conditions. Although the Posse was disbanded as families began rebuilding, Paula kept up with families and was still providing deeply discounted meals to many into 2018.
Paula continued to be inundated with recipe requests from families. She happily shared and knew her approach to Cooking and Dining with Heart and Soul was on target, and it was time to focus on it.