Life & Work with Kim Paladino of Cumberland

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Paladino.

Hi Kim, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story has a lot of ups and down and twists and turns but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Although I don’t always share this part, I’d say my story really started when I found myself in the world of blogging and social media in 2011. It was something I enjoyed spending my time on truly – never seeking it out for money or compensation. While juggling my recipe blogging, Instagram, and beginning to find partnerships online in 2013, I graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in biochemistry and began working full-time as an analytical chemist at the CDC. Meanwhile, my “hobby” work also quickly became a full-time job. So, I decided to leave my job at the CDC in 2015 and pursue my passion full-time. I published a cookbook and worked with several different companies as a freelance recipe developer and food photographer. I even started a protein brownie business. But, I was so young and found it to be too overwhelming to navigate.

Fast forward a year, I decided to return to my comfort of working as a chemist, and I found myself back at the CDC. Eventually, I decided to go back to school at the same time in order to pursue my passion another way. In January 2019, I started a master’s program in Food Science & Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois. This is where I really found my stride. Meanwhile, I continued my hobby work as a food photographer and recipe developer for companies to help cover the cost of school.

In fall of 2020, I couldn’t help but feel that pull back towards my passions & entrepreneurship. This time, I had a really great support system of family & friends who had been encouraging me to open up a bakery, because I started baking elaborate cakes for coworkers and friends in my free time. While I didn’t know if a bakery was the right idea…I eventually decided they were right, and I just needed to take the leap! I didn’t know exactly what I would do, but I knew that I could always fall back on my food photography and recipe development work. So, I did it! It was weird leaving work without knowing exactly what my next step was, but I had faith that I would figure it out.

That was a little over a year now. I did start baking cakes, cupcakes, and macarons, but now I only offer macarons because I love the process so much and they keep me busy as it is! I would have never guessed that a french macaron business is where I would land, but I’m so happy to have found my niche.

So, the name the The Food (Kim)ist comes from my passion & experience with food as a food chemist. Actually, my final presentation for my master’s degree is an extensive review of the macaron development process since I make all my macarons vegan (I think they’re better that way).

For the longest time I felt like I had abandoned my past and I had regrets on that, but now I realize that all of my experiences and “failures” have made me wiser today to move forward as a business owner.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely was not a smooth road! If you think anything in life is going to be smooth, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment & failure. I didn’t even know what I was going to do with my business! I think the beginning 6 months were the hardest, just trying to understand the mindset of being a business owner. The most important thing that I’ve learned, I’d say, is that sometimes showing up is what matters most – being able to continue through adversity. The biggest struggle for me (and the same struggle I faced & succumbed to the FIRST time I tried entrepreneurship) is just understanding that things will be hard, you will be met with many “failures”, but what matters is that you learn from them, appreciate the learning lesson, and then keep going rather than wallowing about it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself an artist (even though business intel comes first usually). I specialize in french macarons with a luxury appeal. Everything I create (macarons, food photos, my website, my social media, etc), I create with the expectation of a close to perfect as possible. I think I’m great at visual appeal, and I have an eye for design, especially when it comes to food & how it makes us feel. My macaron displays stand out because everything is custom with lots of personalized focus, I incorporate florals to create something really special, and I also do custom logo printing as well. I’m really proud of how I’ve created a product/service that you can’t really find anywhere else around the city.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Keep going 🙂 Sometimes you just need to sleep on it (sometimes for a few days even), but make your work sustainable so that you can pick things back up and keep going in the midst of adversity. And then also don’t be afraid to put yourself out there – find local connections and events. You’ll find partnerships as long as you try.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.thefoodkimist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefoodkimist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefoodkimist