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."

Chicken owner petitions city to amend ordinance

In the middle of historic homes in one of Spartanburg's most prized neighborhoods, stands a chicken coop.

Dr. Brian Rothemich's Coop D'ville is empty with a sign that reads, “Gone for the summer. See you in September.” It's the retired doctor's hope that when he and his wife return to Spartanburg from their North Carolina lake house that his five hens will accompany them.

At Rothemich's request, Spartanburg City Council will consider amending its animal ordinance to allow hens. Council passed an ordinance in 2009 prohibiting chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants and other domesticated fowl.

Rothemich's son gave his father five chickens, which he and his wife refer to as “the girls,” last year for Father's Day. Rothemich said he was aware then that the city prohibited the chickens, but he tried to sneak them in any way for the fresh eggs they produce.

He didn't try to hide the hens and gave away most of the eggs to neighbors in Converse Heights that he said were supportive.

One of those neighbors, Mayor Junie White, said he supports Rothemich's request as long as the city regulates the number of chickens and prohibits bringing roosters into the city limits.

“I've done the research, and most cities allow chickens,” White said. “Brian takes care of his and has done a good job keeping them. I agree that we need restrictions, but allowing them is worth a shot.”

Animal control officers ticketed Rothemich last winter after an anonymous caller tipped them off. His trial date is set for Sept. 14, and he says he will protest the $234 fine.

Russian police free kidnapped Kaspersky son

The kidnapped son of Kaspersky Lab's founder has been freed and five suspects are in custody in connection with the abduction, according to a Russian media report today.

Russian law enforcement officials freed Ivan Kaspersky, the 20-year-old son of Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky, through a special operation with company security forces, according to the Interfax news agency.

"He has been freed without ransom," a spokeswoman for the Moscow-based antivirus company told the news agency.

The younger Kaspersky, a fourth-year student of mathematics and cybernetics at Moscow State University, was kidnapped Tuesday morning on his way to work at InfoWatch, a company owned by his mother, Natalya Kaspersky, according to the English version of Pravda.ru. Someone claiming to be his abductor later reportedly phoned the father and demanded $4.3 million.

No further information about the suspects was available, and Kaspersky representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.