“Kicking the Cubicle” is a weekly interview series on The Blonde Abroad featuring women around the world sharing their inspiring pursuits of dream-worthy jobs, how they got where they are and what a day in their shoes looks like. This week, restauranteur & mother of two, Kimberly Roussel, 43, shares her story.
Kimberly Roussel resides in Los Angeles California and is a founding partner of the popular 24-hour Restaurant & Bar concept kitchen24 – with locations in Hollywood and West Hollywood. Kimberly also runs a catering and private event company that launched in 2002. Over the past 15 years Kimberly has provided food, bar, entertainment and production services for a wide arrange of entertainment and corporate clients including Chase Sapphire, Bacardi Limited/Grey Goose, CAA, William Morris Endeavor, Insomniac, Playboy, Details Magazine, LVMH, Microsoft, Reebok, Remy Martin and many more.
Kimberly created her first hospitality called Cinespace – an upscale Cinema/Restaurant/ Lounge/Event Space nearly two decades ago while she was a student in Business School at San Francisco State University. When she moved to Los Angeles in 1999 she realized that Hollywood was the perfect location for this unique concept. She teamed up with partners Errol Roussel and David Dickerson and launched Cinespace on Hollywood Blvd in 2002 where it enjoyed a 12-year run as one of Hollywood’s most popular entertainment destinations.
Kim and I met nearly 5 years ago and I owe much of my experience in events and nightlife to her. When I was just getting my feet on the ground in Los Angeles, I helped bartend countless events that she hosted in Hollywood and even the Grey Goose Blue Door at the Sundance Film Festival. As a woman that has translated her passion into a successful business, Kim is exactly the sort of female entrepreneur I am excited to hear from.
Kimberly, you have successfully built a restaurant empire. Where did your journey as a restaurateur begin?
I didn’t originally set out to be a restaurant owner/event planner but I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. After receiving a business degree in college I decided to return to graduate school to get my MBA at San Francisco State University. I attended graduate school during the early to mid 90s internet boom which was a very inspiring time to be in SF and the Silicon Valley. I landed a marketing internship at Sun Microsystems while attending graduate school. During this time I wrote several business plans – one being for Cinespace – the “dinner and a movie” concept that I eventually launched with my partners in Los Angeles in 2002. The original concept was a non-traditional movie theater/event space that incorporated film, music and cocktails.
The restaurant component came into the picture because our liquor license required us to serve food. My partners and I had very little experience with restaurants besides working as servers/bartenders. We literally had to learn as we went. We ended up running a full-service restaurant as part of our cinema concept. After four years we were offered another retail space in Hollywood which we developed into the 24 hour Restaurant/Bar concept called kitchen24. Two years ago we opened the second kitchen24 concept in West Hollywood.
You have also worked with a lot of high profile events and clientele. Where did your journey into event management/catering begin?
My event management/catering experience came from overseeing the special event department at Cinespace during its 12 year run. During this time I worked with a wide range of clients including film companies, indie filmmakers, tv production companies, record labels, fashion brands, tech companies, and other lifestyle brands. Just before Cinespace opened in 2002 I had the opportunity to sponsor the food for the Reebok House at Sundance.
This launched my catering career which is now my primary focus. As I write this I am finishing my 13th year catering film premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. I ran two venues this year and handled the food and beverage for 33 events over a 7 day period. This was definitely the most challenging week of my catering career to say the least!
You’re also a mom of two. How do you keep a balanced work & life schedule?
Keeping a balanced work/life schedule is one of my biggest challenges as I have 9 year old boy/girl twins! I’m up super early every day and spend the first half of the day working and the second half of the day doing homework and hanging out with them. It is a serious case of multi-tasking. Fortunately my job is very social and I love what I do so I don’t mind spending every spare second working. I incorporate the kids into my work as much as possible. I just brought them to their first Sundance!
You are constantly jet-setting to events around the world. Your life seems so glamorous, but at the end of the day, you’re also running a business. What is a typical day-in-the-life of Kimberly?
It’s definitely not always glamourous. The event business is one of the most stressful and demanding jobs out there. You are really never off the clock and you have to do whatever it takes to get the job done. My typical day involves tons of emails, creating proposals, doing walk-throughs with clients and preparing for events.
You are on-call 24/7.
On event days I often work for 24 hours straight without sleep. Its a physically demanding career to say the least. The upside is that every day is completely different which I love. And I get to work with some of the most interesting and talented people in a variety of industries. Its a very social job which I love.
What have you found most challenging about working in the restaurant and events industry?
The uncertainty of the event world is the most challenging part of my job. No matter how well you prepare, there are always unforeseen things that can happen that can threaten the success of an event. An event planner constantly puts out fires behind the scenes. It’s incredibly stressful.
On the flip-side, what do you love most about what you do?
What I love the most about my job is that every day is completely different! I get to work with some of the most interesting and talented individuals and I get to travel and attend some of the best events in film and music. It’s a very social job which I love. I also love to entertain and show people a good time. I really enjoy coming up with new creative ideas. Nothing makes me happier then hosting a party for my friends.
What advice would you give someone hoping to start a career in the restaurant industry?
You have to be willing to start at the bottom and work your way up. I always recommend internships as the best way to enter an industry. If an internship is not available I would recommend finding a mentor or a company you want to work for an offering to work for free to learn the ropes. Nearly every intern I have ever hired has either landed a permanent position with my company or another entertainment/hospitality company.
There are ups and downs with any business. What inspires you, and what motivates you to keep going?
Just a few days ago I questioned whether or not I want to continue this career because I was in the midst of the most stressful gig of my life. But I made it through and I am over that thought and ready to conquer the next challenge. The challenge and excitement motivates me along with the opportunity for growth.
What does success look like to you?
Success for me has nothing to do with money. It is how I spend my days and who I spend them with. Success is doing what you love.
Lastly, what are you working on now that you are particularly excited about?
For 2015 my goal is to set up an event booking service that handles events for a wide variety of bars, restaurants and clubs. I plan to use my 15 year client database to connect event clients with venues throughout the city.
Lastly, a few fun questions!
What did you want to be when you grew up? A business woman/entrepreneur
Where in the world is #1 on your travel bucket list? Thailand
Song that has you dancing: “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars
Quote that keeps you smiling: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
HI,
Amazing interview, it’s very motivational interviews, and best part your this article is your the way of you write.
Great work Keep it up
Thank you!
Kimberly’s journey, starting from entrepreneurial concepts in her school days to becoming an official restaurateur and busy mom, is an informative one. Catering film premiers at Sundance must be an awesome experience.