Conversations with the Inspiring Melody Bishop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Bishop.

Melody, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a chef with partner, Dennis Kelley. We moved to Dallas to open Lark on the Park and after four years, we moved on from Lark to assist in opening Up on Knox. We are now on our own and working to open our own restaurant. Along with this journey, we started R&O Pantry, our own company selling jams and sauces and eventually other packaged products. The culinary field is my second career as I used to work in the film industry in Los Angeles, CA. I decided cooking was my passion and changed careers after ten years in that industry. I then graduated from culinary school and went on to work in some of the top restaurants in LA paying my dues as a line cook and eventually Sous Chef and Chef. I have been working with Dennis Kelley since we met at Suzanne Goin & Caroline Styne’s restaurant, Tavern, in Los Angeles, CA. It’s at Tavern where we became immersed in making and packaging jams and sauces. After moving to Dallas (to open Lark on the Park) and then making the leap to open our own restaurant we knew we wanted to return to packaging our own sauces and jams again to sell in our own restaurant. It’s a great way to preserve the bright flavors of the season to be enjoyed later. It’s a taste of summer in the midst of a brisk fall day or a bright, tart citrus fruits enjoyed in the heat of summer. We love the idea of sharing our favorite foods with our friends and neighbors.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As with any journey, there are dilemmas and obstacles. I was overwhelmed with the process of opening a business and tasks like developing a business plan and financial projections. Working in a fast-paced kitchen, designing a menu, managing staff are all part of my everyday life. But the somewhat tedious task of financial projections and business planning were foreign. But as with anything else in life that is overwhelming to me I just have to take small steps. Break down the project into small obtainable tasks and before you know it you have everything you need. It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment to look at something you thought was so overwhelming and suddenly realize ‘wow! I just tackled it and finished!’ Focusing on the final outcome or overall project can prevent you from taking the first step. Focus on the first step, then the second, third and so on. Before you know it, you have completed your project.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Simply put I am a chef but now I can also call myself a business owner. I’ve always enjoyed traveling and have seen many places around the world. That in conjunction with working directly with farmers in California and Texas has given me experience in the seasonality of food as well as a wide variety of ingredients. I feel my food is known for it’s clean and bright flavors that are not masked with heavy ingredients. It’s also important to not have too many competing ingredients on a plate. Sometimes, the best dish has just 4 or 5 ingredients. I always have held the belief you should let the flavors speak for themselves. If you use quality ingredients they will shine. I also like to see the ingredients and styles of food that I have found in my travels to create unique and fun creations.

It’s a tough industry and I am proud my hard work has gotten me to a place where I feel confident in my work and proud of the product I supply to the community. The food and product I provide focus on small production and I try to support local farmers and suppliers as much as possible. It’s important to me to support my local community.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
The restaurant industry can be tough for female leaders as it has most commonly been dominated by men. I was lucky to work for and learn from two incredibly talented and strong women, Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne, at AOC and Tavern. I was also taught at a young age from my parents that not only do you need to hold your own and be tough mentally, but you can’t always expect someone else, man or woman, to carry the heavy load physically. Restaurants are tough, physical jobs. You need to be able to keep cool under stress but also handle the physical labor necessary to do the basics of your job. Pull your weight in all areas and you will eventually gain respect. Moving 50lb. bags of sugar, 40lb. boxes of fruit, 60lb. boxes of meat is an everyday norm. If you want to be a chef but can’t do this, I suggest you hit the gym! It is not always easy. I’m not going to lie, there are days when you might have to work twice as hard or have serious backlash from someone not happy about taking orders from a woman. But as long as you hold your own and stay strong, you will succeed.

Pricing:

• $10 for Jam (6oz – flavors vary)
• $12 for Tomato Sauce (16oz)

Contact Info:

• Email: info@ropantry.com
• Instagram: @r.o.pantry
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ropantry

Image Credit:
Marshall Cox, Secretary Studio, Loren Whiteside

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