With the help of her family, Kai Bookwalter has achieved her dream of opening a catering business of her own after spending more than 15 years in the industry.
Board + Blade has been in the works since June 2015, when Kai and her husband, George, bought the house at 120 W. Temperance St.
“We gutted the building and then basically rebuilt it piece by piece,” Kai said. “We contracted out the plumbing, HVAC and the electrical work. Then, the rest of it, we just learned as we went.”
For 13 months, they did the work of demolishing the insides, repairing the walls and foundation, and building the best commercial kitchen space they could. They went through four semi-bed trash bins doing the work. At the end of it, all that was left of the building, which was built in 1898, was the structure and the doors.
“My husband did a majority of the physical work,” Kai said. Later, she added, “I’m super, super proud of him because he is not a builder by trade.”
George worked a full-time job during the build process, and Kai took on a part-time job. Their two children, Katja and Madeline, mostly stayed home.
“It was every weekend,” Kai said. “I think our kids were just as excited for it to be over as we were. I think they’d be okay if they never watched TV again.”
Kai worked 15 years at the Bloomingfoods grocery co-op’s east side store in Bloomington as deli and catering manager, then co-manager of the Bloomingfoods Commissary. Before that, she worked in several of Bloomington’s local kitchens.
She attributes her time in those positions to the diversity of cooking styles she employs.
“I like to think that I don’t make any particular style, other than the majority of it is made from scratch, and I’d like to consider it healthy food,” she said.
Board + Blade has a goal of using local and seasonal ingredients when they are available. Though the business is too small to establish working relationships with local farmers, Kai has already started planting the seeds. For now, she buys smaller quantities from the Farmers’ Market when she can.
Kai said she is inspired by good food, which, to her, means “that it’s healthy and the added benefit is that people enjoy it.”
She said she wants to introduce people to foods they have not tried before in a way that is not intimidating for them, and, though a menu is listed on Board + Blade’s website, she is always ready to collaborate with people.
“I tell people (the menu) is kind of a starting place,” she said. “Let’s talk about it and see where you want to go.”
Board + Blade will continue to be a family affair as it develops and grows. Kai and George’s youngest daughter, Madeline, 10, has already asked about her work station.
“I think food is a really powerful, healing thing,” Kai said. “I like the fact that my family wants to be involved.”
That desire to build the business together as a family is an integral part of Board + Blade’s story. They worked together to prepare the business’s home and will work together to ensure its success. But the foundations were laid long before those cold January days when they were pouring the footers to re-support the floor in their building.
The website puts the family mission front and center, stating, “Our family revolves around food and the memories that are created during time spent in our kitchens with our family and friends.”
Board + Blade can be reached by phone at 812-340-8367. For large orders, a two-week window is preferred.
“I come in here and I’m really proud of what we’ve done,” Kai said. “I’m looking forward to putting the good will out there and getting it back.”
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2016. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.