Meet LaMara Davidson | Founder + Chef of Cornbread and Kimchi

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

Hi LaMara, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success overall is that I’ve always followed my spirit. Its organic. Cornbread and Kimchi is authentic to who I am and where I come from. It’s truly the lens that I see the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to tap into my natural gifts and apply it to my purpose. This has been a long winding road that I’ve been blessed to pick up a tribe to roll with. I understand its bigger than me. Success is measured in many ways and in different ways depending on who you ask. For me doing what I love, with those I love is immeasurable.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a chef, one of the things that sets me apart from others is my early career promoting and managing talent in entertainment and hospitality industries. I’m most excited today that I have a team around me that supports me being the creative or artist. The freedom of just focusing on creating is everything I didn’t know I wanted before last year. I’ve always seen myself as a businesswoman and entrepreneur first. Still do in many ways but I don’t have to stress over things that slow me down as creative.

Launching Cornbread and Kimchi and putting myself out there has been a long winding road. I actually had the domain name for the website for over 15 years before going live. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for myself as well as work with the world’s largest travel company. I view my 10 years with Marriott International as paid training. Each property and position helped develop the leader and chef I am today.

It’s definitely not been easy. I have worked for everything that I have. Everything. Like many entrepreneurs and chefs, I’ve sacrificed so much of my time in the last 20 years being in the kitchen serving others, doing what I love most, I didn’t cultivate the life I desired. I didn’t even take the time to know what it was that I desired. The silver linings of Covid have been powerful. No regrets because I’ve loved it all. The good, bad and ugly. I just didn’t have balance and I felt like I was putting everything and everyone before myself. I had to change that.

Biggest lesson for me is knowing you can’t be comfortable and successful. It takes that uncomfortable, not knowing space, that pull’s us towards our greatness. I know we can always dig a little deeper.

I’m thankful that I’m now at a place in my life where I’ve integrated work and play. I’m enjoying myself and putting me first finally. Cornbread and Kimchi is a way for me to “bridge the gap” on many levels. The food is just one of them. As I continue to build the brand and share my story it’s in the hopes that someone else is inspired to live their dreams by being authentic to themselves and putting in the work. Focus on the work, the money will come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d first start with a dinner party at my place and invite some of my favorite people. I want them to meet other likeminded people to potentially explore the city with as well. Let’s be honest. I don’t have time for a week of entertaining. My best friend would know that though. That being said, I’d definitely take them to get food on Buford highway, to shopping in the malls in Buckhead to my favorite place outside the city, Indian Springs to collect spring water to bring home. Thats one thing about Atlanta is there are so many different pockets to be discovered within and right outside city limits.

The diversity of the food in Atlanta alone could take up the whole week. From the old school south side favorite “Supreme Fish” to Korean barbeque in Duluth, to delicious Basque dining at “Cooks & Soldiers” in Midtown. Atlanta is rich in its diversity if you look for it.

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?
There are so many to name that are contributing to my success today. I truly have a tribe of All-Stars that keep me elevated both professionally and personally. My dear friend Carla Taylor who is a makeup artist and photographer is someone that saw my vision and helped me get a visual out to the world when I first decided to package Cornbread and Kimchi products. We were about 6 months into the pandemic, and I was out of work and didn’t know how I could afford her services. However, Carla was gracious enough to agree to barter our talents. She was the first one to contribute her skill set to my dream once I decided to focus on Cornbread and Kimchi in 2020.

My team at Pomme Creative is also amazing! Bianca Kenworthy is my publicist, and Emily Karpin is my agent, and they’re like my fairy god sister’s. Straight UP. Their belief in me when we met, gave me the confidence I needed at a time in my life where I was at my lowest. Personally, that is. Career was on the upswing. However, I was in the middle of my divorce and was uncertain about everything. Serendipitous is the word that comes to mind. So thankful for them both. Emily actually initiated my move back to Atlanta to collaborate with Cook Unity, an online Chef collective. Super thankful that they will be distributing my meals throughout the south starting in February.

My friend and mentor Chef Juan Martinez was one of the first chefs I worked with that saw my talent and poured into me. He pushes me to always go further. He is probably this most talented chef at Marriott. His palate is impeccable. The beauty of a company like Marriott is that they are all over the world, and Chef Juan took advantage of this and took positions throughout Asia and the United States. Hotel chefs generally get a bad reputation for not being talented. It’s not true. No more than all restaurant chefs are great cooks. Hotel chefs are the ones that have 401k and health, travel and a number of other benefits a mom-and-pop restaurant can’t give you. Chef Juan helped me see the value in both.

Overall, besides good old fashion hard work, my success and has been because of my actual family and friends that keep me lifted with well wishes and love. The love is abundant, and I’ve most recently been building with my friends Chef “Red” Donyele Dubose and Faith Campbell of Branding by Faith, on how we can bring our talents together and uplift not just one another, but the Atlanta community and beyond.

Website: lamaradavidson.com and cornbreadandkimchi.com

Instagram: @cheflamara @cornbreadnkimchi

Linkedin: LaMara Davidson

Facebook: cornbread and kimchi

Image Credits
Carla Taylor Photographer