The Builders
“One of my favorite wines is this rose, Lemonade,” Kathryn Mathis begins and pauses. “Oh yes, Lemonade by Day Wines,” says Marina Rabinovich, finishing Kathryn’s thought. Kathryn goes on to tell the origin story of Lemonade: After the devastating West Coast wildfires of 2020, award-winning Oregon winemaker Brianne Day took her smoke-tainted Pinot Noir grapes and turned them into what would become Lemonade Rose. “Making lemonade from the lemons life gives you, that’s what women do,” Kathryn says.
Chef Kathryn Mathis has grit and determination developed from four decades in the kitchen. “It was always loud … go faster, jump through the hoops!” She watched less talented cooks and chefs be paid more and climb faster because they were men. Restaurants in general, and kitchens specifically, are male dominated. Among all industries nationwide, businesses owned by women are on the rise, but restaurants lag behind. Pizzeria Gusto and a handful of other Oklahoma City restaurants are bucking that trend, and the women in charge are ardent supporters of each other.
Early this year, Pizzeria Gusto became a majority women-owned restaurant when Kathryn, a chef, and Marina, a pastry chef, purchased original owner Chris Lower’s shares. “Most probably won’t notice anything has changed; some might,” Kathryn says. Kathryn and Marina — partners in business and life — pay close attention to details. Among the minor changes, Marina lists fresh paint, new cocktails, an expanded happy hour, and wine dinners featuring woman-owned wineries. The little details add up. A visit to the restroom offers a lesson in Italian with an audio track repeating common phrases. “I jokingly told our staff to not leave the restroom without learning something in Italian,” Marina says. “The rest of that week, staff would come up to me and deliver a phrase in Italian, and I’d have absolutely no idea what they were saying.” They go on to explain this as an example of the culture at Gusto: serious about food, while retaining a sense of humor.
“There is no yelling in my kitchen,” Kathryn says slowly, emphasizing each syllable. “It just stresses people out.”
“Our leadership is mostly women,” Marina says, and explains that each woman is uniquely equipped for her role. A look at the bar menu confirms the commitment to supporting their own. Wine and spirits owned by women are noted and the cocktail menu attributes each signature drink to the mixologist who created it. In the same way, Kathryn and Marina attribute their success to the women and others who stand with them, supporting them.
As often as they can, Marina and Kathryn gather with Andrea Koester (owner of Red Rooster, Holey Rollers and 30th Street Market) and Kim Dansereau (partner at Picasso Cafe and the Other Room and spirits director for HumanKind Hospitality). They talk about the neighboring businesses, life, and wine. They are all fans of orange wines, which are white wines with extended grape skin contact. Orange wines can be found on all their menus and on the retail shelf at 30th Street Market — just one example of the influence these four women have on the palates of local diners. They support each other and together raise the standards for quality and for common kindness in the industry. The women frequently share customers and even staff, when they find themselves in a pinch. Pizzeria Gusto uses woman-owned Elemental Coffee and partnered with woman-owned Boom Town Creamery for a limited-time cacio e pepe gelato in celebration of Gusto’s 10th anniversary.
The new owners are trying to influence the culture of the restaurant business in more substantive ways as well. “There is no yelling in my kitchen,” Kathryn says slowly, emphasizing each syllable. “It just stresses people out.” This chef doesn’t put up with the things she was told to tolerate or get over. “We are committed to Gusto being a safe place for everyone,” she says, telling stories of mean things said in kitchens at other restaurants; of watching the extreme stress and pressure result in mental health issues, substance abuse, and even the deaths of her former coworkers. They do their best to be accommodating of schedules and the ebb and flow of life. Marina adds, “We take care of our own and they take care of us. We let our team have freedom and we see them thrive.”
Pizzeria Gusto’s domed brick oven, hand-built in Naples, has produced a decade’s worth of Neapolitan-style pizza in Oklahoma City. Gusto imports tomatoes, flour, and other ingredients from Italy, “… but this chef is from Oklahoma!” Kathryn says with a laugh. Kathryn, who is the chef and co-founder of both Big Truck Tacos and Gusto, reserves the right to be herself.
Just as wine takes its character from the soil and from the treatment of the grapes, the character of a restaurant is influenced by its owners. Diners may not know Gusto is a woman-owned business, but Kathryn and Marina’s values spill over into everything they do.
