D Magazine

A Finger in Every Pot

What does Wendy Krispin love most about catering? Everything!

WENDY KRISPIN BELIEVES COOKING IS INSTINCTUAL. Except for some classes she took in France, her training has been on the job.

While supporting herself as a butcher at Michigan State University, Krispin read an article in Vogue about Marty's Gourmet. She packed her bags and moved to Dallas. Since then, she has worked at the Mozzarella Company, Kitchen Privileges Catering, Simon David, and Daryl's by Design.

In the mid-'80s, Krispin went on a working vacation in Europe, taking classes at La Varrenne where she studied the cuisine of France, Spain, Italy, and Great Britain. In 1992, she started Wendy Krispin Caterer, which now includes two restaurants -- Krispin in the Dallas Design Center and Table Five in the Trammell Crow Decorative Center.

"I always liked to cook," she says. " In catering, you could do at least 10 or 15 jobs every day -- baker, chef, salesperson, the florist. I love all the different aspects. I never wanted to specialize in just one."

When she isn't cooking, she's still creating. Houses, to be exact. Sometimes from scratch, sometimes a renovation. It's not such a far stretch from what she does in the kitchen.

"I take things down and build them back up, all day long. This seems natural. It's a list, an agenda, a schedule, I can build a house using wood and nails or buildup a table with fruits and vegetables."