Queer Women We Love, Red Hot Entrepreneurs, Wonder Women

Workin’ It 2010

November 8, 2010 Cheryle Burke, Kat Long

Some chefs spend years in pricey culinary institutes trying to master natural foods. Deborah Gavito, proprietor of the snazzy NYC vegetarian restaurant Counter, learned the art of cooking with seasonal produce and edible weeds from her grandmothers. Gavito’s early fascination with natural cooking has grown into a long-time dedication to local and sustainable foods: her first venture, an all-natural baked goods business called Body & Soul, debuted in 1993. She sold her scrumptious treats at the Union Square Greenmarket, where she developed an appreciation for family farmers, and earned enough dough (pun intended) to open Counter in 2003. As Counter’s proprietor, Gavito designs fresh vegetarian fare, biodynamic wines and cleverly named organic vodka martinis (one is called “The Angry Lesbian”). “I waited on tables years and years ago, but other than that, I’ve only worked for myself,” Gavito says. “I don’t think I could take orders from any one else.”

45 of 2010’s Red Hot Entrepreneurs

Eileen Kessler founded OmniStudio, a cutting-edge graphic design and communications firm, when she was just 24 years old. It was 1977, and the recent college grad jumpstarted what was simply a typography and print production business in a basement apartment in her native Washington, D.C. Over the years, OmniStudio has grown to a staff of 20 creative communications professionals and now offers a full menu of business services, from website design to branding and copy writing. “Coming out came later in life for me—after a marriage and two great kids,” she says, recalling a time when few professionals were out in the workplace. “But now being out is an integral part of my daily work life. I publish the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s online magazine, Biz, and I work closely with people who are advocating for equality. I would counsel everyone to embrace who they are and gravitate to that natural feeling of authenticity. If you do this, you’re more likely to be content and prosper.”