Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie-Rose Watson.
Katie-Rose, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always loved to cook and entertain but I took my passion to a whole new level in my mid-twenties. I work as a publicist, a job that is almost always included as one of the most stressful careers a person can have. At the end of a fifteen-hour action-packed day, nothing makes me happier than turning on jazz, lighting music, and firing up the grill. Cooking quickly became my way to unwind after work and I very much hope that The Rose Table inspires people to make dinner an event, put away their phones, and enjoy the art of food.
I’ve always loved how Europeans treat food: like an event. I feel like a new person after a fuss-free meal, glass of wine, and great company. Americans are so fast-paced and certainly, publicists are! It’s important to find the quiet in every day and encourage others to do so. I’m thrilled with the response The Rose Table has garnered this year. I’ve been hosting monthly dinner parties and chronicling them on therosetable.com and much to my delight, scores of people have been recreating my dinners! It fills me with joy.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Instagram is my biggest struggle. The Rose Table has over 13,000 fans on Facebook but for some reason, that hasn’t translated to Instagram. I think it’s because I post about a wide range of topics and the most popular Instagram accounts not only post mostly the same thing (all outfit photos, all travel photos, all food photos) but also photos with the same exact filter! That’s not me and that’s not who I’m trying to be but it can be frustrating at times, especially since so many brands only care about Instagram numbers right now. My advice is to have your end goal in mind at all times and to not let the details in between get you down. If your end goal is your true north, you’ll never be off course.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Rose Table – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I create original recipes and unique dining experiences. From casual courtyard dinners to elaborate garden parties and everything in between, The Rose Table exists in order to inspire people to savor life’s pleasures. I don’t like complicated recipes with four thousand steps that use every dish in the house. My cooking style is fairly simple with whimsical twists, such as my latest creation Deconstructed Chicken Salad. It’s basically jazzed up chicken salad turned into dinner: a marinated grilled chicken breast on a bed of couscous, Marcona almonds, Feta cheese, and topped with grilled grapes. You heard me! One day, I literally thought, what happens if you grill grapes? They turn smoky, jammy, juicy, and burst with flavor. They’re divine! It’s one of those dinners that’s fancy enough for company but easy enough for a quick weeknight dinner. That’s the kind of food I like to cook.
What truly sets The Rose Table apart from other food-centric websites is my entertaining style. Fresh flowers, the glow of candlelight, cloth napkins, all of these things are prevalent on my table. These little touches help make dinner an event that can really affect your day. On vacation when I was young, my mom would always grab my arm at some point and say, “Can you believe it? This would have just been a Tuesday!” Her point was that most of your life’s Tuesdays run together, but you’ll always remember eating fondue on top of a mountain overlooking Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The Rose Table aims to turn every Tuesday into an evening worth remembering.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
The sky is the limit for women today. There are so many wonderful avenues now for women to let their creativity shine. The blogging community in Dallas is quite supportive of each other and that’s wonderful to see. One of my favorite quotes is, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” (James Keller) We should all be lighting as many metaphorical candles as we can.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therosetable.com
- Email: therosetable@therosetable.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/therosetable
- Facebook: facebook.com/therosetable
- Twitter: twitter.com/therosetable
- Other: bit.ly/rosetableTV
Image Credit:
Jessica Serna, My Curly Adventures, Darling Photography TX, The Rose Table
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
