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How culinary inspiration and a positive work culture share equal billing at Freight House

Chef-owner Sara Bradley created a restaurant in Paducah, Kentucky, that’s a mecca for both guests and staff.

Patricia Cobe, Senior Editor

March 21, 2024

Sara Bradley, chef-owner of Freight House in Paducah, Kentucky, worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and Chicago, but always wanted to return to her hometown and be her own boss. She opened Freight House in 2015 with the mission to create a technique-driven yet accessible restaurant where all guests would feel comfortable dining and all team members could experience true work-life balance.

Sara Bradley

Sara Bradley

Bradley knows all about balance—she juggles her job as restaurant chef-owner with her role as mother to two young children and a contestant on multiple chef competition shows, including "Top Chef: World All-Stars." During the "Top Chef" filming, she made headlines for pumping and shipping breast milk from London to Paducah for her youngest daughter.

Listen as Bradley describes how her locally inspired menu gives her the opportunity to tell her culinary story, how she’s built a popular and profitable restaurant while creating a compassionate work environment, and why Paducah is the perfect place for Freight House.

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About the Author

Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

Pat plans and executes the menu sections of Restaurant Business and FoodService Director, covering food and beverage trends, Menu R&D, profiles of chefs and restaurateurs and Technomic research. She also contributes to the digital content of both RB and FSD and is editor of two weekly e-newsletters, Recipe Report and On the Menu. Pat’s weekly podcast, MenuFeed, covers a wide range of menu topics through interviews with chefs and operators.

Pat came to Winsight from Hearst, where she was an executive editor. She is the co-author of the Mompreneurs series of books as well as two cookbooks. She graduated from Cornell University and earned a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. She is active in several professional organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC), and serves as a judge for the James Beard Media Awards.

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