Karen Dudley

Karen Dudley (born 5 January 1968) is a South African chef, food writer, and restaurateur. She is best known for her restaurant, The Kitchen in Woodstock, Cape Town, which was visited by former First Lady Michelle Obama in June 2011.

Quotes

 * ... but I think few understand just what it takes to run a restaurant, keep a restaurant and look after 20 staff when you don't know what you're looking at... The conviviality of The Kitchen - I just knew it wasn't going to be the same again.
 * I came to business as a creative... As time went on I had to learn how to make business work, that wonderful trifecta of having your systems and your creativity and joy and love connect in some way...
 * You have two layers: you have all the people you're looking after and then you have all the customers coming... There's a joy but also an obligation and a commitment to this life. And ultimately it was quite exhausting! I sometimes had to go home salary-less in December...
 * The most fun is when you're a small operation and you manage people's expectations... There's a joy there of being really clear about what it is that you're offering
 * The real challenge for the future is... how we feed people well and sustainably, and make money for everybody. There is enough
 * I have a compulsion to bring food and people together- chef Karen Dudley CAPETALK ,25 August 2022 by Paula Luckhoff