Madeleine Dee, whose personal chef business No Place Like Home has been pleasing clients with her preparation of elaborate private dinners for several years now, is planning to open a specialty grocery store at 2520 Frankfort Ave. in Crescent Hill.
Her goal is to offer appetizers, baked goods, sauces, soups, baby food and even whole heat-at-home meals. Everything she plans to sell will be freshly made, with as many local ingredients as possible. Dee plans on selling local produce and products from companies like Art Eatables and Bourbon Barrel Foods. Fond will also offer monthly cooking classes and weekly 5-course private dinners. Menus will change each weekend.
In an email, Dee explained, “The original plan was to start in the Highlands and then expand to Crescent Hill, but I will now be doing the opposite because it will give me a more solid foundation. I couldn’t have asked for a better location, and I am thrilled by how overwhelmingly supportive the people of Louisville have been throughout this process.” (She waged an on-line capitalization campaign to get her startup funds).
“I can’t wait to focus my passion into this little shop,” she said. “It’s truly a dream come true to be able to bring handmade food, local products, cooking classes, and private dinners into one tiny place I can call my own.”
Dee explained the concept behind the name of her new business. In the chef world, “fond” (with the French pronunciation “fohn”) refers to the flavor base that sticks to the pan when you brown food in a heated pan. Adding a liquid–wine, beer, vinegar–and stirring it all up creates the base for sauces and gravies.
But Dee parsed the etymology further: “In French, ‘fond’ means foundation, base, heart, and soul–each of these meanings represent the core of what my shop is all about. In my 5 years working as a personal chef, I have grown tremendously both as an entrepreneur and as a cook. This is an exciting time in my career, and I cannot wait to bring something new to the Louisville food scene.”
