You may have known her originally as “the bread lady.” Karen got her start as an entrepreneur when she suddenly became a single mom of 3 little ones under 4 years of age.

Believing she should stay at home with them but needing a source of income, she began making and delivering sourdough bread. Grandma would watch the kids for the hour it took to deliver hot sourdough wheat, cheese, cinnamon raisin, and eventually muffins, cookies and cakes.

The first Christmas in business, a customer asked her to put some of the goodies in a basket. And thus the current theme of The Country Gourmet was born. A contract with the local hospital gave Karen the experience of customizing and working with corporate clients while still being able to take care of the kids and working when they were asleep. By the time the youngest was in kindergarten, God had brought Chris into their lives, and a storefront on Main Street in downtown Murfreesboro was on the horizon. (If you ever have the time to sit down with Chris or Karen and chat awhile, ask them about the miracle of a red Volvo wagon and the part it played in getting The Country Gourmet off the ground- they love to tell this story!)