It isn't chicken to start a new career

After getting downsized from the corporate world nearly three years ago, Nancy Kendrick turned to what she loves: cooking.

A former national sales manager of a home furnishings company, Kendrick has developed a line of gourmet chicken salad and opened on Monday the first of several planned cafes.

"I asked myself, 'What do I love to do?' I love to cook. It all evolved. There was no master plan," Kendrick recalled. "I reinvented myself."

The result was Ms. Cock-A-Doodles, and more recently, The Coop Cafe, located in Knoxville's downtown Visitor's Center. In the time between, Kendrick also started Creative Catering of Knoxville, which caters weddings and large events (Symphony in the Park and Green Thumb Gala, for instance).

There are nine flavors of chicken salad, but it all started with Tarragon (a blend of tarragon, celery, onion and seasoning). Others developed along the way include Basil Artichoke, Buffalo Bacon Ranch, Buffalo Blue Cheese, Chipotle Lime, Curry Cranberry Pecan, Pesto, Southwestern and Spinach Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese.

"It was one of those things. I just started playing with it and one thing leads to another. The more you create, the easier it becomes," she said. "Chicken salad is an all-time favorite for most people."

Kendrick has been selling her chicken salad at the Farmers' Market over the last three seasons to "see if I had something." But she said it was time to grow, so "this is where we are."

She plans to open several Coops in the area as well as sell licenses for others across the Southeast.

Kendrick's niece participated in the Nashville Farmers' Market earlier this year and plans to open a cafe in the Music City next spring.

"We're already spreading our wings," Kendrick said.

Kendrick came to Knoxville in 1973 to study fashion, merchandising and textiles at the University of Tennessee. She never left but she did find herself always traveling with her sales job. She said it's been nice to be home.

"It's been fun to reconnect and make friends in this industry," she said. "It's been great."

At the cafe, Kendrick features her chicken salad as well as cold and hot sandwiches, salads, soups and casseroles like chicken and veggie pot pies, chicken enchilada and chicken spinach casseroles.

Her Kristopher's Special Casserole is named after her late father-in-law, Knoxville preservationist and developer Kristopher Kendrick.

For breakfast, there's coffee and bagels and yogurt parfaits but more offerings are planned.

"It's been a great experience, but we're just starting the big journey," Kendrick said. "A lot of people are having to reinvent themselves. It's been very challenging, but she's my baby and she's very special to me."