154. Trisha Pérez Kennealy, Culinary Arts & Community Building

Show Notes:

Trisha Pérez Kennealy describes her initial stint in New York in commercial banking, followed by investment banking and studying to become a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she lived for three years. She moved back to the United States, settling in Lexington. She has three children and while they were little, she was active in town meetings, became a town official,  and advocated for public education. 

In 2010, Trisha bought a property near the Battle Green in Lexington and converted it into a luxury hotel with 22 guest rooms and a restaurant. It opened in 2014 and has since received four stars from Forbes and earned Michelin Keys status. Trisha still runs the inn today. 

An Entrepreneurial Spirit

Trisha shares that she always knew she would be an entrepreneur, influenced by her Puerto Rican heritage and her father's business. She ran the dance and theater program for Cambridge City School kids during her undergrad years, which was an entrepreneurial endeavor. Trisha admired successful businesspeople who transitioned to public service and felt that her banking experience would be an asset to any entrepreneurial venture. She talks about how her background and family influenced  her love of cooking. She emphasizes the importance of cooking and is a firm believer that food is medicine. She also emphasizes the importance of “breaking bread” as a strong element of building a successful and supportive community.

Creative Pursuits and Community Building in the Kitchen

Trisha talks about how her background and family influenced  her love of cooking. She emphasizes the importance of cooking and is a firm believer that food is medicine. She also emphasizes the importance of “breaking bread” as a strong element of building a successful and supportive community. Her passion for cooking, developed from a young age, led her to pursue professional chef training at Le Cordon Bleu. Trisha explains that her training at Le Cordon Bleu was technical and applicable to various culinary traditions, not just French cuisine. She talks about finding the best ingredients and how to do as little as possible to the ingredients, and the importance of technique. She explains how she is influenced by her passion for agriculture and local products. 

Running a Luxury Inn

Trisha describes the Inn at Hastings Park, highlighting its focus on American design aesthetic and high-touch service and the lengths she went to in the design and decor. The restaurant menu is developed with a focus on New England cuisine and offers a well-curated dessert menu. Trisha describes featured items on the menu and discusses the challenges of running a small luxury inn, including the tech-intensive nature of the business and the importance of data management. She emphasizes the value of hiring well-trained staff and being willing to learn and get hands-on with various tasks. Trisha mentions she was surprised to find that it's easier to run a larger property due to fixed costs, but smaller properties offer more personalized service. She highlights the importance of personalization and making guests feel seen and valued, and explains how they have supported long-stay guests during challenging times like medical treatments or family emergencies. 

Accolades for the Inn

Trisha talks about the impact of receiving a Michelin Key, which brought significant press coverage and increased visibility. She shares her passion for teaching people how to cook through social media, which has led to meaningful interactions with her followers. Trisha describes the importance of making cooking approachable and encouraging people to experiment with recipes. She mentions the success of her social media content, including videos and reels, which have reached a wide audience.

The Value of Serving in Public Office

Trisha reflects on her role as the Senior Class Gift Chair, which fostered lifelong friendships and a deep commitment to giving back to Harvard. She discusses her involvement in various alumni activities, including serving on the Dean's Advisory Council for the Radcliffe Institute. Trisha shares her experience as a representative for town meetings in Lexington, where she worked on appropriations for the municipality and schools including, zoning policy, and capital expenditures. She emphasizes the importance of civic engagement and the value of serving in public office to bring new perspectives and ideas. 

Historical Preservation and Community Engagement

Trisha highlights her work on the town's Tourism Committee, which led to the construction of a new visitor center in Lexington. She describes the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which was celebrated with significant events and community involvement. Trisha shares her pride in preserving the tradition of hospitality in Lexington through the Inn at Hastings Park. She reflects on the importance of historical preservation and community engagement in her work.

Harvard Reflections

Trisha discusses the impact of the Constitutional Law course with HW Perry, which taught her to explore both sides of an argument and think rigorously. She mentions her admiration for Michael Sandel, who encouraged critical thinking and the exploration of ethical questions. Trisha emphasizes the importance of learning how to think and express opinions at Harvard, which has been valuable in her professional and personal life. She reflects on the broader impact of her Harvard education, which fostered a lifelong commitment to learning and service.

Timestamps:

02:46: Entrepreneurial Spirit and Early Influences 

09:24: Transition from Banking to Culinary Arts 

18:00: Challenges and Lessons in Running a Luxury Inn

25:48: Impact of Michelin Key and Social Media Engagement 

29:29: Role as Senior Class Gift Chair and Town Meeting Member 

36:05: Significant Projects and Achievements

39:17: Influence of Harvard Courses and Professors

Links:

Trisha’s Instagram: @trishaperezkennealy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishaperezkennealy/

The Inn at Hastings Park: https://www.innathastingspark.com/

Town Meeting Bistro: https://www.innathastingspark.com/dine/town-meeting-bistro/

Hotel Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/innhastingspark/

Featured Non-profit:

This week’s featured non-profit is brought to you by Somava Saha who reports:

“ Hi. I'm Somava Saha, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is Well being and Equity in the World, or We in the World. We in the World works to create a more just and abundant future for everybody by unleashing the power and possibility of communities experiencing poverty over the last five years. As founder and CEO, I've gotten to watch over 11,572 jobs created in communities that are experiencing the greatest harm, and watched as those leaders then went on to restore 195,000 years of life for birthdays in those communities, supported a million and a half of their neighbors to be safe and well in the pandemic and restored that at a 30 to one return in investment, far better than would have been possible had somebody else come in to rescue them. In this time that work is needed more than ever. Please come and learn more about us at Well being and Equity in the World or We in the World. That's W, E, I N, T, H, E, W, O, R, L, d.org, and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode. 

To learn more about their work, visit: https://weintheworld.org/

 

*Show notes and transcript are AI generated.