Lisa Boyle, owner of Chocolate Café. Credit: Courtesy of Lisa Boyle
It takes more than a delicious menu to survive in the restaurant industry as a woman — it takes extra resilience. For the women behind local spots Katalina’s and Chocolate Café, building a successful restaurant has meant overcoming challenges while taking the lead in their businesses.
While these woman-owned restaurants offer Columbus residents unique culinary experiences, more importantly, they serve as a testament to what women in business are capable of. To build and sustain a successful restaurant, it takes navigating workplace challenges and supporting others in the industry.
“Most restaurants are funded by investors, and investors still do not fund female-owned businesses as much as they do male,” said Kathleen “Katalina” Day, the owner of Katalina’s. “No pity party here, we just need more female-owned businesses and more high-profile businesses so that changes.”
Katalina’s opened at 1105 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2010 with what Day describes as a “Latin-leaning, Southern-slanted” menu. The restaurant draws inspiration from Day’s Southern upbringing, and is fundamentally shaped by her time living in France as an au pair and working as a cook.
While living in France, Day said she was immersed in a food culture built on fresh produce and local farming. She quickly noticed a contrast between the culinary attitudes in Europe and the United States.
“When I was over there, the United States was a lot different — you couldn’t really get a lot of fresh vegetables, [and] most food was frozen or canned,” Day said. “It really taught me the importance of that food culture — going to the market every day, fresh, local, ripe produce, supporting local farmers and all that kind of thing.”
Before opening Katalina’s, Day worked in corporate fashion advertising for major brands like Victoria’s Secret and Nordstrom. She said those spaces were largely female-dominated, so her experiences in the restaurant industry came as a surprise.
“It was a really big shock to me to experience that sexism,” Day said. “And then also with a lot of male cooks they didn’t like having a female boss, so I had to overcome that really strong, classic hierarchy in both kitchens and with vendors.”
Despite those challenges, Day said she felt supported by the Columbus community.
“I used to have lines down the street, four blocks long, so I love Columbus,” Day said. “A lot of people ask me all the time if I would open in any other market, and I might eventually, but I’m so glad I started in Columbus. I think Columbus is a very unique space in that way in embracing local businesses.”
Day also supports other women-owned businesses by sourcing black beans and corn chips from Shagbark Seed & Mill and tortillas from Koki’s Tortillas, now owned by its founder’s daughter.
The restaurant’s most popular item is “Katalina’s Original Pancake Balls” followed by “Award-Winning Breakfast Tacos” and a rotation between “Ms. Katalina’s Migas” or “Classic ‘Hens-In-A-Basket.’”
There are two other Katalina’s locations, in addition to the original in Harrison West, with one at 3481 N. High St. in Clintonville and another at 2741 E. Main St. in Bexley.
Kathleen Day, owner of Katalina’s restaurant. Credit: Jen Brown
Day is not the only Columbus restaurant owner who has built a career in the industry while navigating its challenges. Lisa Boyle, the 51 percent owner of Chocolate Café at 1855 Northwest Blvd., took a different path into the restaurant industry after studying journalism at Ohio State with minors in women’s studies and theatre.
“When I went to Ohio State, I thought I wanted to be a psychiatrist, so I majored in psychology,” Boyle said. “I went to work for a psychiatrist for a year, and she was dynamite, and I was like, ‘I could never do this for a living, so I’m out.’ I switched my major to journalism because I loved TV news.”
After her graduation in 1995, Boyle worked for Channel 4 where she met her husband Phil Wolfe, the 49 percent owner of Chocolate Café.
When approached about opening a Chocolate Café franchise in Columbus, they recognized the changing market and embraced the idea.
The couple celebrated 19 years of owning Chocolate Café on Sept. 26. Since purchasing the franchise in 2006, they have continued to provide for the Columbus community with signature dishes and fluctuating menu items inspired by current trends.
Chocolate Café has an additional location in German Village at 730 S. High St.
Boyle said the café’s menu has evolved with changing customer preferences while maintaining some of its original offerings.
“We have a lot of items that we’ve had since we started, but you got to keep up on stuff — you got to go where the trends are,” Boyle said. “People change, they like different things.”
The café has expanded beyond treats and sandwiches to include heartier meals, such as their new protein-rich “Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.” They’ve also adopted current drink crazes, like cold foam and dirty sodas.
Like Day, Boyle sources from women-run businesses like April’s Flowers & Gifts and Madelyn’s in Granville, which supplies vegan pastries.
Boyle said that during their 2006 start, the term “woman-owned” hadn’t really surfaced yet, but now, she is glad that it has.
“You did not hear that [term] at all when we started, and I think it’s important,” Boyle said. “I think when you have different types of businesses run by different groups here, I think it’s great. Columbus is very open, I think this is such a progressive city in a positive fashion.”
