She’s been working ever since.Īfter high school, she went to Auburn University for two years in the hotel and restaurant management program.
He asked if she had an apron, and when she said yes, he put her to work that day. At 15, she asked high-end Dothan caterer Larry Williams if she could work for him. A culinary foundationĪlways a “go-getter,” she started cooking as a child and was doing catering jobs as a teenager. “The Butcher’s Bite” sandwich is medium rare sliced beef tenderloin, horseradish Dijon aioli, alfalfa sprouts and a Slocomb tomato, served with homemade sweet potato fries. She didn’t know exactly what kind of business she wanted to run, but she knew she didn’t want to work for someone else. But she chose to come back to Alabama after graduating from CIA and working in New York. With training at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and at such high-end New York restaurants as Cafe Boulud and Dovetail, Clark has a culinary pedigree that would land her in any high-end, fine-dining restaurant. Then came the restaurant opportunities: first was KBC Butcher Block, a lunch and brunch place that is also a market for locally-sourced products and her own baked goods then came KBC on Foster, a weekday lunch-only eatery in historic downtown Dothan that also features an event space. She started with Kelsey Barnard Catering, with a focus on high-quality ingredients and dishes that were elevated from the usual reception fare. In a land of fast-food restaurants, Dothan’s Kelsey Barnard Clark is creating food that is sophisticated yet clean, healthy and homemade, with a menu of what she calls “simple, well-done food.” Contributed Dothan native brings New York skills to downhome cooking
Kelsey Barnard Clark at her restaurant/market, KBC Butcher Block, on Westgate Parkway.