Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Kelly.
Denise, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today
Though educated as an artist, most of my career has been in the travel and tourism industry. What I found is that people are often wary of another person’s culture until they understand that other person’s culture. Travel—guiding people as they discover the food and wine of another culture—is something I enjoy doing.
Since I am already part of the tourism industry of the Sedona-Verde Valley by owning Tours of Jerome, my next step was to combine an idea I came across in Denver—a painting party venue—with a restaurant which would introduce locals and tourists alike to the culture and culinary arts of the Mediterranean. Working with my chef, I created a tapas-style menu which is world-inspired: empanadas and stuffed Salamanca pickles from Spain, avocado salad from Zurich, bruschetta from Italy, gyros from Greece, a charcuterie board loaded with meats and cheeses reminiscent of France, exotic flatbreads, house-made hummus from around the Mediterranean Sea, and a lamb recipe from Africa! When guests taste the food, savor a Belgian craft beer or a wine from Portugal, they are traveling the world and hopefully becoming friends with that culture. You might say I have created a mini-United Nations of food!
My other dream was to start a painting party venue where people could come, have fun, and be guided patiently through creating their versions of the teacher’s painting. We supply all the art equipment (and the libations) for our guests.
Cottonwood is a small town of about 12,000 people in the heart of Arizona Wine Country and is close to the tourist mecca of Sedona which attracts up to 6,000,000 tourists each year. I searched, sketched out possible designs, but couldn’t find the right location. After looking at five other buildings on Main Street through the heart of the Old Town entertainment/tourist area, I found a mid-century modern church and school building tucked away 1 block off Main across from a beautiful park. Considered a local, historic landmark, this was perfect! I bought both buildings to repurpose them. Now, the painting party venue is in the sanctuary and the restaurant is in the former school. In homage to the previous purpose, all religions have some piece of art on the walls or throughout, including the 3 Kings (the Magi of the Christmas story) The ‘vision’ I saw of the restaurant and expansive patio space was a Mediterranean décor with somewhat eclectic nuances. You can see right from the firepits outside through the open window to the copper bar and lounge seating! Now, 3 Kings Kasbar is a hidden gem with its setting just one block off Main Street which meanders through the heart of Old Town Cottonwood.
We make ALL of our food in the house (except the seafood and the meats). We make the dough for our empanadas, the fillings, and the sauces from scratch each day. You can taste the fresh herbs—the herbs warm the flavors so that you can learn more about each culture in every bite.
My other goal was to blend the restaurant with a fantastic selection of wines, craft cocktails, craft Belgian beers on tap, as well as bottled craft and Irish beers. Our wines hail from all over the world: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa, and right here in Arizona! We have created a restaurant where guests can taste the myriad of flavors the world offers!
And I still dabble in the travel business. I’m friends with two local wine makers. Every other year, I design a wine cruise along a different river or oceanside in the world. On the cruise, we discover new wines, new foods, and small, quaint towns nestled between amazing historical destinations. Next year, we travel to the exotic destinations in Hungary, Romania, and who knows where else!! Who knows what recipes I’ll find next and bring back to 3 Kings Kasbar!
My goal is to create a restaurant and bar where people can share food as well as travel and friendships and learn to appreciate other cultures one bite or one sip at a time. Then, we might understand each other a little better.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I had to jump through hoops at Planning & Zoning and then discovered this location is in the flood plain. A flood plain in a dessert??? We are hundreds of feet away and uphill from the Verde River which has never even flooded anywhere close to our location. Then there was the hurdle of getting financing. A local bank that invests heavily in the community became our partner in building this business by giving us access to the capital that we needed to bring globally-inspired cuisine to Cottonwood.
Another struggle is getting noticed. Cottonwood is the closest town to the tourist mecca of Sedona—which attracts up to 6,000,000 tourists per year. The goal was to attract a mix of tourists and locals to support the business. My business counselor was able to write articles about upcoming Paint-N-Party events and musicians playing at 3 Kings Kasbar. That brought in additional customers! Now, I’m working to get the marketing more active—which takes time to work with experts.
The other challenge is that we are in a tight labor market. As unemployment falls, more people are working and fewer people are available for hire. In a small town like this, the larger enterprises which pay higher wages can attract the best talent. To balance that, I offer perks such as a clear sense of community and teamwork which allows my employees to feel like they are part of our shared success.
Please tell us about your business.
3 Kings Kasbar is a globally-inspired restaurant that hopes to build bridges of understanding between people as they savor a bite of food from a country they might not ever visit or savor a wine from a nation they don’t yet understand.
Epiphany on Pima is the home of Paint-N-Party and is right next door to 3 Kings Kasbar. At Epiphany, an experienced, patient professional artist leads the guests through a series of easy steps to create their painting, their acrylic masterpiece. While the artist creates the original painting, each guest creates their version of that original painting. To coax the creative process a smidgen, each guest can order one craft cocktail, beer, or other non-alcoholic beverage from the paining venue menu. We have people who book the venue for birthday parties, bridal showers, family reunions, and other gatherings because it’s a fun way to unleash your creativity. It’s a judgement-free zone” we don’t expect our paintings will ever hang in the Louvre, but we had fun creating art and that’s all that matters. It’s for two hours, it’s fun, and you get to take your canvas home. (If you can’t think of a present for your parents this year, attend Paint-N-Party! You’ll have a painting from you. While they can’t put it up on the refrigerator (like they did when you were six), they can proudly hang your painting in their living room or den for all to see.
We supply the canvas, the paints, the brushes, the teacher, and most importantly—the smocks so our guests aren’t wearing paint when they leave us!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have conducted even more due diligence than I did and Round 1 was very extensive. If I had a Round 2, I would ask more questions of Planning & Zoning to find out how to make the process smoother and I would have asked if there were any remedies for being in the flood plain.
Contact Info:
- Address: 102 E. Pima Street
Cottonwood
Arizona 86326 - Website: http://3kingskasbar.com/
- Phone: (928) 639-4433
- Email: info@3kingskasbar.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3kingskasbar/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/3KingsKasbar
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