Meet the award-winning female founders

NOT long after launching her boutique catering company Roots Kitchen, owner Donna O’Driscoll invested some of her precious funds in ceramic bowls for her salads.

“I remember loading up the van with them for a delivery, only for the lot to smash when I was going around a corner, and having to go back and do the whole lot again,” she said.

Or there was the time when the folding prep table she was using – because at the time she couldn’t afford an actual chef’s table – suddenly collapsed along with all her soups and salads for that day.

Donna can laugh about that now, particularly as she’s just won two top awards, Female Founder of the Year and Business Owner of the Year at The Club’s second annual awards.

Set up by Cork-based Sian Horn, The Club is a national network for women that work for themselves.

The recognition is testament to Donna’s hard work and the challenges she’s overcome in the past eight years to grow the business to what it is today.

Born in Plymouth in the UK, she moved to Cork when she was eight and now lives in Glanmire with her husband Ian and their two children Elsie (10) and Louis (4).

She’s been cooking ever since she can remember.

“My paternal grandparents lived in India for a while, my grandfather was in the English Navy and they retired to Wales and I remember spending holidays with them and seeing all these different types of foods and spices for the first time. 

My grandfather grew his own chilis and herbs and had his own pear trees.

“My Cork granny, Mary Murray, was really into baking and she was mad to feed you and would be highly offended if you didn’t have anything! I remember coming in from playing outside with my friends on a Sunday evening to watch MasterChef with her, that was our thing. I think my love of food came from them,” said Donna.

Her mother Geraldine Williams is another inspiration: “She worked in restaurants and cafés in Cork and got me my first job in the industry in a cafe called The Usual Place in Paul Street Shopping Centre, after school on a Wednesday and on Saturdays.”

From there, Donna went to the Barn Restaurant in Glanmire as a commis chef, and then to Sober Lane where she spent two years.

“I went to Nash 10 as head chef after that, and stayed for four years and it was fantastic training, and was where I really got to see the importance of food provenance and local suppliers.”

Next stop for Donna was to Market Lane for eight months, which she said was another great place to work, but by that time she had an itch to scratch and took the leap and set up on her own in 2017.

Owning my own business was always on the cards – I worked hard anyway, and felt that it might as well be for myself. 

I’d also learned so much since I started out on my career that I felt confident enough to take the step,” she said.

Donna’s original plan for Roots Kitchen was to make soups and juices for markets: “But I felt that a lot of people were already doing that and I saw a gap in the market for high-end, healthy lunches to be delivered to offices so that’s what I did.”

She started out with a bank loan of €20,000 and rented a kitchen in Sunday’s Well Rugby Club in Musgrave Park, and gradually she grew her customer base, even if she admits she didn’t pay herself for three years!

Her big break came when, through a contact, she secured a breakfast and lunch contract for a newly opened tech firm in 2018. It was everything Donna had hoped for and more, but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

“We got the contract in January, and our son was born in February with a rare genetic illness and spent four weeks in the neonatal unit and I just didn’t know what the future held for us. It was a really challenging time, my grandmother also died, but I felt we had done so much work to get to that part, that we had to stick with it and we did, and the contract changed everything for us really.”

Fortunately, her son’s condition is managed through steroids and Donna now works from a purpose-built kitchen in Harbour Point Business Park in Little Island and has a team of eight.

Despite her obvious success, she admits she still struggled with putting her story out there, and with networking.

To get past this, she joined The Club, a network set up Sian Horn, designed to support female founders and teach them what they need to know to stay in business.

“I absolutely love The Club,” said Donna. “It’s such a supportive environment and members are either going through the same things as you, or can point you in the right direction. I’ve made great friends there.”

Winning the Female Founder and Business Owner of the Year awards, she said, was a huge surprise, but a great one.

“I was shaking! I couldn’t take it in – it was like an early Christmas present. Having spent years in the trenches, I knew the business was successful in that we have customers, and all that, but it’s nice to get recognition from the outside. 

I have to say I was very proud of myself!

Eight years on, Donna says she’s now better able to handle the stress and challenges of running a business: “I don’t really sweat the small stuff any more and I always make sure to take a chance to get out for a run or a walk or exercise class as I know I’ll be better at work, and at home afterwards. That’s something I didn’t realise until this year.”

Her best business advice?

“Get advice from the right people, people who have their own business, and it doesn’t have to be in your sector either. And join The Club or any other network for support and mentoring!”

She met her husband Ian when he worked in the bar in Sober Lane, and he’s now joining Roots Kitchen, after working at Apple.

The couple are looking forward to hosting her family on Christmas Eve and his family on Christmas Day.

“We pull out all the stops and put on a restaurant service. Ian barbecues the ham and makes cocktails for everyone, we dress the table nicely and make it really special, we love it. After all the running and racing all year, we really enjoy spending time together.”

Plans for 2024?

“We’re hoping to expand into pantry services in offices – providing tea/coffee, fruit, snack bars, cereals ,etc,” said Donna.

Her ultimate ambition though is to write a cook book about her passion: salads.

MORE ON THE AWARDS

The awards were independently judged by Loretta Kennedy, entrepreneur; Eilis Mannion, ptsb; Muriel Foley, MGFD Marketing.

Sian Horn, who set up The Club, said: “The atmosphere on the night was second to none. All our sponsors could not get over how everyone in the room was celebrated and the joy, regardless of who won. The Club is a very special place. Everyone involved works very hard to make sure these female founders get the support they need and deserve.”

Other Cork winners:

Most Inspiring Member: Aisling Vaughan:

Skibbereen-based Aisling runs Ayrie, which comes from the Irish word meaning ‘to rise’. Her mission is to help women live a better quality of life through holistic health, lifestyle and mindset coaching.

Newcomer of the Year: Aine Ronayne

Áine is the founder of The Monday Method, designed to bring Monday energy to a business. She provides a range of virtual comprehensive services, including project management, lead generation and podcast production to businesses globally. The Monday Method takes care of the tasks that business owners often postpone, ultimately empowering businesses to thrive and grow.

Contribution to The Club: Lisa O’Carroll

Lisa is a dedicated life and business mindset coach, leveraging experience in the corporate financial services sector. In late 2020, she launched her online coaching venture, a passion she had pursued alongside her full-time job for years. Recently, she made the shift to become a full-time entrepreneur in coaching.

Most Creative Marketing: Pamela Kiely

With over six years of experience in the digital marketing and content creation space, Pamela, from Glanmire, creates content for businesses from a variety of industries. In 2021, she founded PK Marketing. Earlier this year, Pamela also launched Toast.

Most Positive Impact: Stef McSherry

Cork-based Stef McSherry trained at the Italia Conti Performing Arts School in London and worked for many years in the world of performing arts and eventually radio, both in Ireland and the UK. In 2004, Stef created a unique activity programme for younger children called Kinderama.

For more on The Club, see theclubwomensnetwork.com