Journeys to Leadership

Jen Hidinger Kendrick
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Jen: [00:00:00] What happened to me at such a young time in my life, and I wasn't able to unwrap it fully, truly, until probably, until Ryan really passed, and I went through this just life, you know, journey in such a different way, but it was the first time I recognized my, my power was something so significant and small, though, um, and for me to take its life away was just a first realization.

President Zak: Hello and welcome to Agnes Scott College's podcast, Journeys to Leadership, where we explore the paths of inspiring women leaders from around the globe. I'm Leo Kadiazak, president of Agnes Scott and the host of this podcast. I hope that our guest stories not only encourage you, our listeners and leaders of today and tomorrow, but they also inspire you as you take the next steps in your own journey.

President Zak: With a spirit of perseverance, empathy, generosity, community, and gratitude, [00:01:00] today's guest serves as one of the founders of Giving Kitchen, a not for profit organization that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. She advises on brand awareness and community involvement while providing a personal account and telling the story of Giving Kitchen to audiences near and far.

President Zak: In 2019, she shared the stage with her colleagues to receive the James Beard Foundation's 2019 Humanitarian of the Year Award. Giving Kitchen was also recognized as one of the Fast Company brands that matter in 2022. As the organization's spokesperson, Jen has received the Community Hero Award from the Atlanta Braves and Fox Sports South, has been featured on the covers of Entrepreneur Magazine and Atlanta Magazine, and was the recipient [00:02:00] of the 2022 Community Hero Award.

President Zak: Klaus Nobel World Betterment Award. She received her bachelor's degree in broadcast communication from Indiana University and has a background in retail and account management. She is passionate about design, travel, dogs, food and beverage, and the art of tidying. Her most cherished quote is, Anything long lasting or worthwhile takes time and complete surrender.

President Zak: Ryan Heidinger. Please join me in welcoming one of the founders and the Chief Gratitude Officer of Giving Kitchen, Jen Heidinger Kendrick. Jen, welcome to Journeys to Leadership. I am so happy to be here. Thank you. We are so excited to have you with us today. On our show, we understand that leadership doesn't just happen.

President Zak: It is a journey. During our time together, we want to explore your journey. The ups, the downs, all of [00:03:00] it, well, at least as much as we can get into this episode. So

Jen: begin. Tell us a little bit about the Giving Kitchen. Absolutely. I'm honored to be here. And your voice is just so soothing and approachable. So thank you again for having me.

Jen: Um, Giving Kitchen is a nonprofit. We were born right here in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm so proud to say born right here in Atlanta and we're a nonprofit helping food service workers in crisis and we do two things exceptionally well. We offer financial aid to food service workers across the country when they are facing an.

Jen: unanticipated crisis. So consider an injury, an illness, the death of a family member or a housing disaster like a flood or a fire will help pay the rent and the mortgage or the basic living expenses while they're away from work. And we also offer a connection to community resource referrals to food service workers.

Jen: Um, we do this in all 50 states. What started in Atlanta, helping one chef, my late husband, Ryan Heidinger. Now has helped over 18, [00:04:00] 000 food service workers across the country and we're just getting started.

President Zak: That's an amazing track record. And I have to ask you, how did Giving Kitchen get started? And I have to say, I've heard this story before.

President Zak: I have my Kleenex at hand. Um, but if you could share with our audience, I'd

Jen: appreciate it. Of course, absolutely. You know, we're both originally, my late husband, Ryan and I are both originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. That's where I went to IU. And we moved, um, into Atlanta in late 2004 after coming off a multi week road trip around the country trying to find a place to live.

Jen: Um, we knew we wanted to move from Indianapolis, kind of a smaller Midwestern town, um, and try to find a place that just felt right for us. We didn't know where that would be, but we ended up landing back in Atlanta area. Ryan had actually gone to culinary school, um, back in 1997, 98. time frame. Um, and so here we are.

Jen: We're in late 2004 when we moved. Um, we had spent a few [00:05:00] years roaming around the city. I started off, I graduated, you know, with a broadcast production degree, started off in advertising and marketing. Um, my late husband got a chef position with Chef Anquetrano at Bacchanalia and then was promoted to sous chef at Float Away Cafe, um, a sister restaurant.

Jen: Before he ended up finding his more permanent home, um, at Muss and Turner's in Smyrna, Georgia, back then, many moons ago, it was a, um, sandwich shop by day. It soon became a full service restaurant a couple years in, and he was one of the leading chefs behind really getting it to where it is and where it's now known today.

Jen: Um, we ended up starting a supper club, Um, back in January of 2009 as an opportunity for us to really get an appreciation for like the true fabric of Atlanta. We had been here for several years, um, we were really happy about being in, in the Atlanta area, but just didn't feel completely connected to [00:06:00] it yet.

Jen: So after a car accident actually in late 2008 that took Ryan out of work for about two months. Uh, he took some time to just calibrate and, um, hone in on what it was that he really wanted to do for the city, which was to open up a restaurant of his own one day. So we fast forward to January of 2009 and we decided to host, um, an underground, uh, dining series called Prelude to Staple House.

Jen: We came up with the name. Um, as, as, you know, staples as those things that you crave and want to come back to and house the place that you go to get them as in anticipation of this one day, you know, four walled brick building that we would have as a restaurant. Um, and we invited strangers into our home, um, by a multi course menu.

Jen: Um, Ryan would cook, we would get together, you know, this was one, one night out of the seven day week that we would have together as a husband and wife, both working full time jobs. Ryan, you know, many six nights a week at night and [00:07:00] me during the day, but we would come together and then be able to host these strangers in our home.

Jen: Um, and it was really, it was a really amazing opportunity to get to learn about the people within our community. And again, to really feel. more pulled to the city. Um, when we moved here, we never anticipated being in Atlanta for more than two or three years, but it finally was time to feel rooted to it.

President Zak: Atlanta grabs you. Absolutely. Keeps you here. It really

Jen: does. It really does. I'm so proud of Atlanta and I absolutely love living here. Um, so we are there and we start again hosting these dinners. We invite strangers we send out. I remember back in our early years, I sent an email out to Uh, my database of strangers, it might have been less than 200 people to say, Hey, we're going to host this dinner.

Jen: First come, first served those who want to come just email back and that happened and over the course of some weeks, it started to be a very quick sellout. Um, so we started hosting 10 guests and we fast forward four years later. Um, [00:08:00] during this timeframe, we both decided that, um, instead of it just being something that Ryan.

Jen: did by himself that this was going to be something that he and I wanted to do together to put a kind of a mom and pop business together. And that's what we did for four years. We again would host strangers, we would cook, we would serve, we would get to learn about our city and the culture and what people wanted and what we wanted out of our city.

Jen: And it was amazing. It was an opportunity for us to really build community. Um, you know, four years went by a down economy and just a, Trials and tribulations all the way through building a business plan, trying to find bankers who would support us and investors or guarantors. And it just was an incredibly hard four years because we were told no a lot.

Jen: Um, but we never gave up. This was something that he and I, um, cherished. We, it's the only thing we talked about. As a couple, we, when we got together, it was about [00:09:00] serving and it was about curating something, um, and it was just really our complete passion, um, outside of having our dogs at the time. Uh, so we fast forward to 2012, everything started coming together in the summertime.

Jen: We had found a space that would back us, um, or would want us, and then, you know, a bank that would support us and guarantors, and, um, I ended up sending Ryan to New York, uh, in December for a late anniversary gift. Um, as a chef, he had never been to New York City to try the food, so I figured, you know, what a great idea Maybe send him there.

Jen: Um, we couldn't afford an overnight trip or a hotel, so I literally bought him a ticket just there and back within 12 hours. And he came back that night, and it was really kind of the consecutive days after that that kind of started changing. Um, he started missing some work. and sleepless nights and just some adenine kind of issues were happening.

Jen: Um, it led to an ultrasound that led to an MRI on December 21st of 2012. It was a Friday. Um, [00:10:00] and we sat with the oncologist and that's when we learned that Ryan had been diagnosed with stage four gallbladder cancer. Um, it was a really rare cancer. Um, he was given less than a 5 percent chance at survival.

Jen: And, uh, it was a terminal cancer diagnosis of six months. And so that's when we learned that the rest of our kind of fate was determined in that moment.

President Zak: Oh my goodness. That's so difficult.

Jen: Yeah. Uh, you know, I, I often get asked, you know, what went through your mind and I never really have the right answer.

Jen: I just remember a lot of darkness. Um, and, you know, it was a moment for, for me. Us, I think as a couple to feel like what it to have a feeling of, you know, how it feels when something really is gets ripped away from you. This, you know, idea of our passions of this restaurant coming to fruition and then it being stripped away.

Jen: And I think that was a lot of the The, kind of the gut reaction that we had at the beginning, or at least that I did. And I remember we went [00:11:00] home that night. Uh, Ryan had given me, um, the responsibility to call, um, our family and some friends with the news. And so I remember making three phone calls that night.

Jen: And the first two were to immediate family members. Family and call number three was to Ryan Turner of Muslin Turner's his boss and mentor and a dear dear friend of mine still to this day and also one of giving kitchens founding board members. I called him and I told him what was going on and that was when he said, we're going to help you.

Jen: I remember he came over to the house a couple of days later and. asked that of us. Would you be willing to, you know, let us help? Um, we had no other focus at the time than, you know, Ryan's medical journey. Um, and so Ryan Turner and Todd Musman and many other individuals came together and put on a fundraiser within three and a half weeks from the date of Ryan's diagnosis to this fundraiser, Team Heidi, Heidi being short for Ryan's last name.

Jen: Um, Friends and strangers came together, nearly a thousand people, uh, we gathered at [00:12:00] King Plow Arts and Events Center on the west side. We, uh, had about 45 of Atlanta's most beloved restaurants and bartenders gather. Live auction, live music, and what was supposed to raise maybe 15, 000 to help us get through that year to pay our mortgage and our utility bills.

Jen: living expenses, ended up raising nearly 300, 000.

President Zak: What an amazing community that come together like that to support you and,

Jen: and your late husband. Absolutely. I mean, that, that was one of the most significant life experiences I have that I carry forward with me because of what it did and, and, and I think more importantly of what he showed of himself to people.

Jen: Um, he stood on the stage in front of many friends, but many strangers and, you know, And literally declared his cancer diagnosis a gift because of what it had done to bring people together and that's, that's a remarkable opportunity to be so self aware and accepting of the journey that's put in front of you to allow other people to just be inspired is such a gift and that is really, I think, [00:13:00] um, Just the joy of what has now become Giving Kitchen.

Jen: And how did this then evolve into Giving Kitchen after that? It was really just a couple of days later. Um, Ryan Turner, as I mentioned, there's a lot of Ryans in this story, but, uh, he ended up writing a very late email one evening, um, saying what if we could turn this Um, communion of sorts of what came together into something for greater purpose.

Jen: What if Staple House, this idea of what you were creating could be a um, you know, a restaurant still, but maybe it's a for profit subsidiary of something bigger. And the something bigger ended up being a non profit Giving Kitchen, which was born in a couple of months time. We received our 501c3 in May of 2013, just a few months after.

Jen: The idea came to fruition, um, and there it was, just this lightbulb moment of a pay it forward opportunity, number one. And number two, nothing existed to take care of food service workers in their time of need. [00:14:00] And so something needed to happen.

President Zak: Well, this has been an amazing trajectory because you took this from that one evening to when we started, you mentioned it's now in 50 states.

President Zak: So let's step back a little bit and talk about you. Did you ever think of yourself as that kind of leader?

Jen: No, not really. Um, I had an opportunity as a young married couple. So Ryan and I met when I was 17 years old. He was 22, he was 5 years older than I was. And at this point he was diagnosed at 34 and I was 29.

Jen: And we were able to spend the last 13 months of his life together. I ended up leaving my job, being his full time caregiver, and really paid attention to him. To not only being a caregiver and what that means for you as an individual and for someone else and what a privilege it is to be a caregiver. Um, but also when, you know, seeing Giving Kitchen come to fruition through that first year while in such infancy, knowing what it was already doing to help [00:15:00] change people's lives.

Jen: several stories I could tell from there. Um, you know, there was this kind of an opportunity and a responsibility that I, I personally feel like was given to me. And not in a way that I had to say yes, but it, I mentioned this pay it forward kind of opportunity that is, when your late husband stands on stage and declares this, you know, life situation a, a, a victory already and you don't know that, you know, The person that you love the most is going to pass and you're faced with all of this and you still have community who constantly checks in and backs you up and supports this mission and just so much kind of came together that it just became my complete passion and my, my inspiration to just be able to give back to those who gave so much to me.

President Zak: You have so much strength. You give so much. Where did you learn this?

Jen: I'll say thank you to my mom and dad. Tell us more. [00:16:00] So my mom is Spanish. She grew up in Spain. She's an immigrant that moved to the United States when she was

President Zak: 24. Okay, you have to tell me where in Spain. I studied in Valencia. Oh, wonderful.

President Zak: there at Christmastime. I love it. So beautiful.

Jen: So my mom, she was born in Madrid, but grew up in Hain in the south end of Lucia region. Yes. And I very, very blessed, lucky little girl to grow up every summer. My family of four would be able to go to Spain, um, and to be able to see my mom's side of the family up until I was around 13.

Jen: My last visit was, um, Maybe 2014, so it's been quite a while, but every summer in, in my youth, and in fact, to answer that story, or that question very directly, I have a very short story. When I was little, one of my first life lessons, um, was, I was probably about four years old. We were in Spain visiting my, my, my family, and I remember I was, we were at a stoplight, Blight getting ready to cross the road, and there was an ant on the ground, like walking through the [00:17:00] cobblestone the brick, and I remember it was carrying something and I was gazing on it and just really intently looking at it.

Jen: My dad had caught my glance and he kind of studied me and then he said, Jenny, you know, do. My dad calls me Jenny. Um, do you, like, do you understand, like, how amazing that is for this little ant to be carrying something so big? And, of course, at four, you're just kind of, you sit there and listen. And he had explained how ants are so important in their colonies and in their communities, and they do so much to help them.

Jen: Everyone else and how they can carry so much. Um, you know, so many times their weight and just how to a powerful kind of Notion that is in the light turns green. And so my very first step was directly on the ant and I killed it And I still I tell the story so many times and it's it's it's it's It, what it, what happened to me at such a young time in my life and I wasn't able to unwrap it fully, truly until probably till Ryan really passed and I went through this just life, you know, journey in a such a different way, [00:18:00] but it was the first time I recognized my, my power was something so new.

Jen: Significant and small, though, um, and for me to take its life away was just a first realization that I had. And I think, um, there's a lot of what you take from your family and from your mom. My mom is very vibrant and energy, just all of it. And my dad is very nostalgic and sensitive and it's a really interesting combination because I'm, I'm equal to both of them.

Jen: Very much so. I'm extremely sensitive and I can be very emotional but I'm also, um, I'm that introvert, extrovert, at any given time. So I definitely attribute everything I am to my mom and dad.

President Zak: That is so, so wonderful and such an inspiring story to think about learning your power from a little aunt. Have people inspired you?

President Zak: Clearly mentioned your former husband. I mean, who's

Jen: inspired you? I love this so much because I think about my mentors frequently. Um, in [00:19:00] fact, I think, you know, having a mentor at any age that we are such a vital opportunity for us to continue to live and to learn and, and, um, and to be checked. To be honest with you.

Jen: Um, my first, uh, mentor, I would say, was my fifth grade teacher. So, just to all the educators out there, thank you for doing the work that you do. Um, We all appreciate it. Thank you. You're very welcome. For that shout out. Highly deserved. But my fifth grade teacher was a powerful influence on my life. Um, he taught the class every year, um, you know, that one person's drink is another person's poison.

Jen: And, um, it just, not everything is. The way that you think it is, and there's always other perspective, and he just was a constant, constant reminder of that, and that was really influential to me as a young person. Um, I have one of my, one of my dear friends today, she owns a children's store actually in Atlanta, um, and she's one of my, she's one of my best friends, but she's also a mentor, and she taught me the [00:20:00] art of editing.

Jen: And simplicity in such a significant way that I am, I constantly redo what I write or how I, you know, interact in that way. I try to really pause and as for as much public speaking as I do today, even though I was deathly afraid of speech and whatnot in, in, in college, I am, I'm really an exceptional listener and I take a very long time to process.

Jen: So if you interact with me on like a, a normal occasion, um, that's kind of, that's typically how I. How I am.

President Zak: What about mentoring others? Has this inspired you to think about how you interact with others?

Jen: What about women? Always. Women first. Um, I have a little boy, as I mentioned, and this is actually a conversation I've had many times over the past few years, um, is, you know, with the, the schedule and, and whatnot.

Jen: And I'm, I, I, I put myself out there, I, I, you know, I think as a leader, you, in my opinion, you have to be. Approachable, [00:21:00] um, accountable the follow up. Um, but you, you do have to be available to people. Um, and, and boundary setting is really important within that. I think this is kind of this perfect art, right?

Jen: Um, and. People will often ask, well, how, if you travel so much and it's not that much, but if you travel so much and you know, how do you, you know, maintain your boundaries at home? And I, I say I do, you know, there's a couple nights a week that I, or several nights a week that I make sure that I don't block the calendar.

Jen: But I think I really appreciate my son seeing mommy. Go somewhere to do something that she's really passionate about and I don't I'm not afraid to say this is what I'm doing Even though he's young and that I always come back And I think that's a really valuable lesson and something to showcase my child for other women At giving kitchen.

Jen: I am extremely proud to say that we have a very diverse staff The clients that we serve it is the fabric of food service. So it's about that the most diverse [00:22:00] sector of people that you can imagine. Um, from a leadership perspective, we are, um, the majority women at Giving Kitchen. And I think, you know, to be accessible, again, it's about leaving your door open and just reminding everybody that no question is, you know, off the table and being, again, just available for everybody.

President Zak: It's interesting you mentioned that at Giving Kitchen, the leadership is majority women, but the hospitality industry is dominated by men. How do you see

Jen: that? I think it depends on the role. Yes, you do see a lot of male Maybe in the executive position, but the industry is there is a there is actually a majority women In fact at least with the clients that we serve at giving kitchen the majority of clients that we help are women who are caregivers and caretakers and are oftentimes suffering from a reproductive health issue So it's a balance right I think in order to [00:23:00] meet it at least for giving kitchen to meet the group You the sector of people who are in crisis at any given time, um, who are within this industry.

Jen: We have to look and work for those people. And I'll give an example. Uh, when Giving Kitchen first started, you know, we're in our 11th year this year, um, We served full service restaurant workers right inside Metro Atlanta. Um, and, you know, It, the majority of people were, again, it was just like this kind of almost like a friend group until we really started offering our services out more.

Jen: Um, and, Today, we have, and we worked really hard to concentrate on our technology, you know, investments and the people that we bring in. We hired our first Spanish speaking social worker several years ago, and by doing so that increased the number of Spanish speaking clients that would come to us and ask for help.

Jen: Today, we have a multilingual call center. We [00:24:00] offer, um, we can speak. to clients in over 180 languages. There's no barrier to entry of coming to Giving Kitchen and asking for help. Our website and everything that we, uh, showcase public facing is in Spanish and in English, so it's a, it's a fully, um, immersive Spanish speaking experience.

Jen: And I think that's just an opportunity to, the trust, That was built at the very beginning is one of our core values. I mean, we will, we will never let that go and we will always uplift that. And in order to do that means you really have to be available and accessible to, you know, again, the fabric of food service by doing that.

President Zak: One of your favorite quotes is anything long lasting or worthwhile takes time and complete surrender by Ryan.

Jen: What does that mean to you? It means a lot of different things. There's a lot of perseverance and persistence. Um, and there's a lot of long game kind of notion in that, that nothing is going to just be on a whim.

Jen: [00:25:00] Um, I, you know, Giving Kitchen is the best it's ever felt and looked and worked. It's a, it's a, it is a well oiled machine, but we're still at the very beginning. Um, I think that is a testament to, um, believing and surrendering, truly letting go to absolutely anything and having just fierce focus on exactly what you want to see happen, um, and put everything into it in order to succeed.

President Zak: What has surprised you about yourself

Jen: as

President Zak: a leader?

Jen: Uh, well, the fact that I don't mind speaking to thousands of people. And you're very good at it, by the way. I don't know. I think, um, that's a great, it's always a great question. I don't know. I probably changes every single year, but, I don't know. I think being, um, knowing that I am that kind of introvert, I'm, again, I really am an exceptional listener and I'm a big, big processor.

Jen: Um, [00:26:00] so to be in a setting where, um, I feel confident in voicing opinion or, um, or thought in, in that type of a work setting, um, can be really empowering and it's something that I've really had to kind of hone in on myself as a human, um, over the many years.

President Zak: So tell us, how can people get involved with Giving Kitchen?

Jen: I would say if you're interested in Giving Kitchen, if you know a food service worker out there who needs help, if you want to advocate for food service because you love food service workers, please connect with us at Giving Kitchen on social media or at thegivingkitchen. org and we're always here to help.

President Zak: You've provided so many life lessons here today. Do you have any last words of encouragement to our listeners? Oh my

Jen: goodness. Um, I would say for anybody who is interested in the nonprofit atmosphere, um, be. a courageous, empathetic leader at the start and hone in [00:27:00] on your mission. What is it that absolutely drives your heart and your soul and focus in on that?

Jen: Um, and I think just as a human interaction, um, leaning with kindness is my favorite thing to teach and to remind everybody of.

President Zak: Jen, thank you for sharing your story with us. To our listeners, thank you for listening. I hope you are encouraged and inspired. Jen Heidinger Kendrick's journey is one of many we are thrilled to share with you.

President Zak: Thank you to our producer, Sydni Perry, for making this podcast possible. I am Leocadia Zak, and this is Journeys to Leadership.