Meet Dena Fisher | Private Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dena Fisher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dena, what do you attribute your success to?
Without my clients and community, I simply wouldn’t have a brand identity or success. With every visit to my website or “like” on social media, each Dinner In order, private dinner booking, retreat scheduled, I feel more and more connected to the supportive community we are all building together.
I am lucky to be supported by my family as well – from setting the table to building and maintaining a garden to washing countless dishes, my husband, our kids and our close friends really help to keep Dena’s Table moving forward.

What should our readers know about your business?
Our little North Ridge Farm continues to evolve as a business. Since we are family-owned and quite small, we really pour over each detail. I think (hope!) that this is evident when you visit us for a dinner experience, a retreat, or a workshop. It is always surprising to see the reaction of our guests to the aspects of the farm that we might take for granted. The tall trees, the quiet night sky, even the sister cats who roam the property…it is this simplicity that makes the farm pretty darn magical!
While the farm is certainly, instagrammable, it definitely takes a lot of work behind the scenes to create a carefully curated space to visit and host. The garden, for example is a full-time endeavor and when Cory takes a day off from doctoring, he spends hours as a steward of the land here. The pool, while lovely, requires much regular maintenance while the chicken coop is never not in need of a cleaning.
The biggest gift is that most days, these farm chores don’t feel like work – it can be quite therapeutic, even when it is exhausting!
Either way, we are always learning. Challenges keep us on our toes and teach us a lot about our land and ourselves. I think if you visit us you will discover that we put our heart and soul into everything we do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Incidentally, my best friend lives cross country in Utah so when she has an opportunity to visit, I am none short of places to explore. Our region in Ohio is home to bountiful orchards, farms, beaches and amazing shops and cafes. We would certainly visit our friends in downtown Vermilion at SOS Wine Shop before heading to Woodstock Cafe for a little lunch. After, we would grab a sweet treat from Brummer’s Chocolates and walk to Main Street Beach to hunt beach glass on the shores of Lake Erie. A stop at Erie & Anchor is a must too where she can pick up some thoughtfully designed gifts for her crew back home.
Our week would have to include a visit to Quarry Hill Orchards to pick fresh peaches and have a Quarry Cone (real fruit blended with Mitchell’s vanilla cream!) plus a visit further West to the Lake Erie islands.
Of course, she would have the week to relax by our pool at the farm, eat well and return home rested.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to shoutout my family for this one – they are the real deal, particularly my husband, Cory Fisher. When we moved our life to our little farm, we had no idea what was ahead but we continued to say “yes” to the many changes. We rely on one another’s intuition and, sometimes those instincts pay off, other times it feels more of a challenge. Either way, he reminds me never to take myself too seriously – that progress takes time and, at the end of the day, we have each other and our kids. This is who we ultimately do any of this work for. And these kids of ours, amazing. Straight up patient, kind and willing to get their hands a little dirty.
My family is willing to welcome tens of strangers into our home and farm nearly every weekend during the high season and they do it with such flexibility and grace.
And a note about our guests – by no means are they strangers. We are also lucky to continue to meet the most amazing folks who inevitably become friends. Talk about encouraging!

Website: https://denastable.com/

Instagram: @denas_table. @northridgefarn

Image Credits
Stephanie Sheldon