We are thrilled to introduce you today to Kath, of Kath Eats. A mom who balances a business, a family and her passion for healthy eating, she inspires thousands. And, as you’ll see, she loves Charlottesville!
Kath is a registered dietician and a Charlottesville mom. She began blogging in March of 2006 primarily as a way to document her journey to eat healthier and lose 30 pounds. A year and a half later, at the request of family and friends, she decided to expand and start a photo blog of recipes and meals. In September 2007, the concept of Kath Eats was born. Healthy recipes, real-life solutions, beautiful photography and a lot of hard work catapulted her website to success. Kath has been published in popular magazines such as O and Shape and has appeared on Access Hollywood. Today Kath has two sons (and one dog), still maintains her website and blog delivering healthy recipes and tips, and teaches a course on tackling Digital Clutter.
Kath took the time to answer some of our questions about what inspires her and her favorite things about living in Charlottesville.
Read below!
Q: What prompted you to start your website/business? What did it bring to your life at the time?
After losing 30 pounds, I wanted to share my tips and recipes with friends and family who always asked me “how did you do it!?” I started with a free Blogspot blog, later moved to WordPress and rebranded as Kath Eats Real Food. I journaled my way through my nutrition degree and internship and my blog was the perfect part-time job while I was in school.
Q: Since you started your website, what has changed in your business the most? What do you find challenging and what do you find good about having your online business?
For the first 5 years, I photographed and wrote about every meal I ate (yes, it was a little crazy to publish 3x a day!). But that was before I had kids so I had more time! After having my first son I switched to a once-a-day post and as I’ve gotten older and added a second son to our family, I’ve needed more flexibility in my schedule. Now I write about whatever topics inspire me!
When I first graduated from college I started work in corporate America and knew quickly it was not for me. The flexibility of entrepreneurship called to me, and to this day I am so grateful that I have a flexible job. If I need to take a day (or week!) off to care for a sick child or take a family trip, I can. I am so thankful that I am able to work from anywhere.
I also love that there is flexibility in my business itself. I have pivoted and diversified my income streams over the years, adding a partnership with the clean beauty brand Beautycounter and creating a course for women who want to streamline their devices with a simple system to reduce digital clutter. The creativity I can explore everyday keeps me excited to “go to work” each morning.
Q: Can you share a little bit about your family today?
I have two boys ages 8 and 2, a husband who grew up here, and a yellow lab named Gus.
Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Charlottesville? What are some of your favorite family activities to do locally?
I have lived in Charlottesville for a decade now, and we love all that it has to offer. We live downtown, so on a nice day we’ll walk to the Mall for ice cream cones or on the weekends we’ll take the boys fishing or to one of the vineyards to play. Thomas and I both play on the co-rec adult soccer league, and I play with Charlottesville Women’s Soccer too. My ideal Sunday would be to have a Bodos bagel, play in a soccer game, and then head to Champion for a beer!
Q: Where is your favorite place to EAT in Charlottesville?!
The food scene is what drew me to Charlottesville! We have so many great restaurants that I have to rope in my dining out budget sometimes : ) My favorite restaurant is Zocalo because that Chile Relleno entree is just so, so good. We also love Public Oyster, Lampo, Maya, Bang! and OakHart Social. The kids love a visit to Three Notch’d or Brazos. We also love to have dinner at The Clifton on the porch because that’s where we were married!
Q: What is one challenging thing about living in this area and Charlottesville?
When I moved here 10 years ago from Charlotte, NC (one of the worst cities for traffic) there wasn’t much traffic. That has changed as Charlottesville has grown. No one likes to sit in traffic!
Q: If you could give advice to new parents and families moving here, what would you want them to know?
People here are very friendly, so if you’re looking to make some friends, go where the moms hang out and say hello! I have made so many good friends at ACAC, Bend Yoga (which sadly closed), Fridays After Five, my kids’ schools, and the various pools in the summer.
From the folks at Raising Charlottesville, thanks, Kath, for sharing your enthusiasm and passion with parents in the area!
Connect with Kath:
Follow Kath Eats on Instagram and be sure to bookmark her website katheats.com.
Know a CVille Parent We Should Feature?
We're always looking to highlight parents and families doing amazing and unique things to showcase the diversity here in Charlottesville. Send us the names and contact information of parents you think the area should know!
Raising Charlottesville is a website dedicated to highlighting fun & local activities for families living in the Charlottesville, VA area.