Meet Kim Gandhi | Chief Operating Officer

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

Hi Kim, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
Showing my children how to be resilient. There are many paths to a successful life and career and no one has the crystal ball of which one to take. When the path you are on has a bump or mountain in front of it, figuring out the next step and not being afraid to fail and have to back up a bit to try a new path is still a way forward. Life and career are always full of pivots and my children know that there is not one job or career out there that will be pure nirvana. Finding the joy in key part of your role make up for some of the drudgery work that is required. And if the role/career makes you overall unhappy, go explore a new one. My career has not been a single one but all of them built upon the last and made for a fulfilling life-find the one that makes you wake up before the alarm in the morning and can’t wait to get started on the adventures of the day.
 

What should our readers know about your business?
Food Fire + Knives is a premier network of private chefs and personal chefs for an in home dining experience. Our mission has always been to support local Chefs through freedom of creativity, schedule flexibility, and deserved pay for one of the toughest and lowest paid industries.

Covid was a pivotal time for our company. Everything was shut down and no one was going anywhere. Most of our private chefs stayed with us during that very slow time and we came out of that with a mission to grow. And we have. We are now in 43 states plus multiple cities in those states and their surrounding areas. We have over 230 chefs on the marketplace across the US and will continue to grow in 2024.

Getting to where we are was definitely challenging but also really rewarding. Our chefs get amazing reviews from our customers and the experiences bring home how important personal human interaction is. The stories from our events are heartwarming and fun to hear about. On the tough days, those stories are what move me forward-I can’t wait to hear the next one!

Lessons learned happen every day. I continue to interview potential private chefs for the platform daily. Having the chance to interact and talk with them gives me a pretty good indication if they will be a great fit for customers to book them. I love that we continue to interact often and have met so much amazing talent along the way. It has opened up so much of my network and build trust in what we are missioned with .

I am passionate about the local private chef experiences and always encourage our chefs to connect with their hosts as soon as they are booked-I feel this is the start of where a 5 star experience comes from. Our company works very hard on promoting the chefs-we showcase them as well as their craft both nationally and locally -the experience is all about the chefs and having an amazing food experience. I believe this makes Food Fire + Knives stand out from our competition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh wow-compacting that into a week-so much to do and so little time.

First of all, I definitely would book a private chef experience with one of our local chefs. I’ve done this numerous times when I have guests come to the area and we really enjoy the intimate dining experience along with great stories and information about where the ingredients come from.

Being a foodie, I’d also take them out to the Farmer’s Markets within a day or two of arriving. Love the variety and there are so many items to choose from. Definitely would recommend the Truffle Sourdough Bread if you can find it!

I love going out to Tybee for sunset walks on the beach-great relaxing time to end a great day.

If you love breakfast, Cahill’s is the way to go-I am never disappointed or hungry when I leave there!

I’m a huge fan of Wilmington Island as a place to find a rental to stay in. So much that you can walk to and visit. Lots of small local restaurants and pubs to visit.

If you love history(and I definitely do), going on one of the many Ghost walking tours and heading over to the National Mighty Eighth museum for a day can’t be missed.

A downtown stroll of Savannah cannot be missed either-the parks, the riverfront shops and all of the tasty treats to try are a must for a stay here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Jigar Gandhi. He is my rock and partner in a life that has been amazing. His support and belief in me has allowed me to explore careers that I could never have imagined. Jigar is a man that is there for anyone that asks and does his utmost to be supportive of their journeys. I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.

Website: www.foodfireknives.com

Instagram: foodfire_knives

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food-fire-knives/

Twitter: @food_knives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodfireknives

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/food-fire-knives-savannah

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@foodfireknives9487