Meet Lauran Knight | chef, caterer, mom

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauran Knight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauran, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
this is exactly why I started my food truck! to strive towards life/work balance. the restaurant/food service industry can be a serious out of balance job. all work. with Kaleidoscope kitchen, I am hoping to keeping it more sustainable with in my own life and not just burning out. My husband and son’s help has been an integral part of this and was something I knew I would need to sustain, I feel very fortunate to have their help and support.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started Kaleidoscope Kitchen food trailer this past November. It has been my dream to own my own business. I’ve been professionally cooking for over 30 years.. from delis to restaurants, catering backstage to having my own small mountain catering , I have always envisioned having a small restaurant in Nederland. Having a good amount of experience in the food industry, I’ve always been weary of running my own place just knowing how much time and energy it takes to be successful. The commitment is what was alway my challenge. Though as town grew and restaurants were becoming increasingly better and busier I knew it was time to make the leap. As my life became more available to take on such an endeavor, realized there weren’t a whole of places left in Ned to run as a restaurant,plus with the shut down things have changed quite a bit.. labor has always been hard to find up here in the mountains but now even more so. A food truck was always kind of a jest coming from a more old school restaurant way of thinking. But again the pandemic changed a lot of ways of thinking and looking at one’s lifestyle. I think people in general are more supportive and accepting of new business models that are leaning more towards a sustainable life/ work balance and less of giving everything else up mentality. So when this food trailer that was already Parked on one of the main streets of town went up for sale I decided to check it out and it just kept going from there. We aren’t really even mobile right now. I am treating it more as my Kitchen on first street. That might have been a better name now that I think about it .lol!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well being up in Ned, we try to support our local businesses. Tres Gringos and Crosscut are always fun and yummy places to hang out and get something to eat and drink. Kathmandu has some of the best Nepalese food you’ll find anywhere. And if your from where I am, getting a pork roll breakfast sandwich at Ross’ deli is a must.

Going down the hill…… Hapa is our place for sushi, effrain’s for some classic Mexican and good margaritas. Hotel Boulderado has become an iconic place to enjoy a cocktail, and of course Red Rocks for a memorable show.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could not have made this decision to own my own food trailer without the support of my husband. he has gone above and beyond to learn and work with me. staring a food trailer in Nederland at 8000 ft, going into winter isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Rob has really toughed it out with me. My son has also been there fo me to give me relief and support, working when I need him sometimes just here and there to fill the blanks. I’m not sure I would have made it through the winter without them.

Website: Www.kaleikitchen.com

Instagram: Kaleikitchen

Facebook: Kaleidoscope Kitchen

Image Credits
Rob Zdziebkowski