Caroline Thaxton, a native to Tampa, Florida, Graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy, from The University of Georgia, in 1999. She then went on to receive and A.A.S. in Culinary Arts and Sciences, in 2002, from Kendall College, in Evanston, Illinois. She graduated top in her class from this nationally ranked school. Mrs. Thaxton returned to Tampa and started her own catering company, Creative Dish Inc. After several years of working independently, she went on to work for a handful of restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, before becoming a partner and Executive Chef of Opium Restaurant. Mrs. Thaxton was responsible for spearheading the development of the concept and design of the restaurant, as well as creating and executing seasonal menus. Opium held the title of “Best of the Bay” for the two years that Mrs. Thaxton was on the management team. She then went on to do consulting work for the Outback Corporation, where she created menu items for multiple concepts including: Outback, Bonefish and Blue Coral, to name a few. Mrs. Thaxton also provided consultation for Uriah’s Urban Farms, helping to build the business, as well as implementing the inception of new business concepts for the company.
Volunteerism in the Tampa Bay community has always been important to Mrs. Thaxton. A few of her commitments include High Risk Hope, Inc., where she helped implement and run the Annual Tot trot for five years. She currently packs and delivers backpacks of food to students for End 68 Hours of Hunger.
Mrs. Thaxton is the mother of two children. She sees the challenges of today’s modern issues, and is aware of the impact on our younger generations. She is passionate about supporting the mental and emotional well-being of every individual, in order to create an empowering and positive community in which she raises her family. This is why she is devoted our mission and vision.
