Meet Coral Osborne of First Knives Club

Hi Coral, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

About a decade ago I ventured out on my own and started a recruitment agency, hiring assistants for high profile individuals namely in the entertainment industry.. I found myself resorting to the kitchen as my cathartic release in times of distress. A few years in, I decided to pursue a part time culinary program. It became very clear within the first couple months I needed to pivot my path. By the time I graduated, I ditched my agency and began working as a Private Chef before starting my own catering company, Cooking My Way To The Top. I was getting so busy, I started referring clients to other chefs in my network and taking a finder’s fee, much like my recruiting model. A few months into Covid, I spontaneously moved t0 Austin with no plan, just my dream home secured and a gut feeling things would work out. After being bombarded with requests for chefs and caterers from my clients I left in LA, it hit me. I decided to merge my recruiting background with my culinary experience and build a trusted network of acclaimed chefs, caterers, mixologists, sommeliers, service staff and event rental companies to create a one stop shop for clients, rather than having to approach and coordinate with each vendor and service provider individually or work with a domestic staffing agency who have zero experience in the culinary industry themselves.

Coral, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have loved cooking since I was a little girl, but I really fell in love with it in my early twenties. I started by going to farmer’s markets and exploring fresh produce, then creating recipes and hosting dinner parties for friends. Throughout the various stages of my careers, I found myself defaulting back to the kitchen, where I was truly in flow.

I started First Knives Club because I saw a void in the hospitality space. There were no domestic staffing agencies that specialized in the culinary industry – and no one stop shop where people could go for end to end service. From finding the perfect chef that suits your exact needs to providing event rentals, servers and bartenders, we take care of the full spectrum of needs, be it a one off dinner party, corporate cocktails, meal prep, traveling or full-time chefs.

I am the most proud of the talent on our roster. I take pride that I know what to look for skill-wise and intuitively given my background in recruiting and working as a chef and caterer. I’ve been both the help and the client.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I had three failed partnerships and businesses before First Knives Club. I learned finding a trusted business partner is much like finding a lifetime romantic partner…maybe even harder. You can’t have a Plan B when starting a company. You have to go all in and take equal risk. I left my salary position and started my first company at 24. My business partner stayed with her employer and left me with all the risk. When I co-founded my tech company a few years later, I did so on a handshake deal without having a partnership agreement. Now rather than a 50/50 partnership for the sake of it, I know defined roles are paramount. Know where your value lies and where you have to delegate.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As cliche as it sounds, it’s about the journey, not the destination. Early on, I witnessed an ex boyfriend and two close friends have major exits and wanted desperately to prove I was just as smart and could be just as successful. I wasn’t passionate about my day to day…I just wanted the end result. Now I know you have to live and work in flow and alignment of values in order to be successful…or else you’ll never feel you are.