Meet Keitra Bates | Founder

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

Hi Keitra, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success is doing something that we believe in. Our mission is to preserve culinary culture. Staying focused on our mission and goals has allowed us to partner with other brands that we align with. We are constantly looking for ways to promote and support our vendors. We seek out partnerships that align with our values.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I got to this place through a series of personal zig zags. I recognized early on that I needed some level of autonomy in my employment. Which lead me to waiting tables, teaching, and being a stay at home mom. When I was pregnant with our fourth child my husband was laid off and we decided to start our own business. We gave ourselves a loan out of our 401k and started a pizza shop. We were located in a community that was rapidly gentrifying and we started to notice that a lot of the barber shops and hair salons were closing and local food vendors were losing places to sell their goods. We realized that if we did not purchase our own building we would be priced out of our own community. Instead of reopening our pizza shop we decided to open Marddy’s Shared Kitchen. Establishing a permanent home for local home cooks. Its important for people to know they have a choice and their choices collectively determines the fate of small business. I would like to urge people to spend in alignment with their values.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite spots in the city are, sweet water creek park, my dining room table, and botanical gardens,

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Westside Future Fund has been a huge blessing in creating a space to network and garner support from the grassroots level. They host bi-monthly meetings that are attended by everyone from community members, business leaders, and elected officials. Attending the bi-monthly summits has allowed us to connect with others outside of our regular social circle.

Website: marddys.com
Instagram: @marddys
Facebook: Marddy’s

Image Credits
Taste and C for Marddy’s Catering