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

A fashion-forward hairdresser, stylist and all-around rock star, Wendy Kidd wields the scissors at her eponymous East Village studio. Kidd’s entrepreneurial streak first manifested itself in 1999 with Dandie, her cutting-edge hair salon on the up-and-coming Lower East Side. In 2005 she sold the salon to focus on personalized service in a more intimate atmosphere, and Wendy Kidd Studio was born. Her haircuts, styling and customized treatments, which have won her a loyal following, have landed her in the pages of Vogue, Nylon, Out and other media. “I always go by my intuition, and I genuinely care about helping people feel good about themselves,” Kidd says. “I put 100 percent of myself into whatever I’m creating, whether it’s a haircut or a hair salon.” Like any real New Yorker, Kidd plays as hard as she works: she’s the drummer in several New York bands and is currently co-executive producing a new reality TV series based in part on her studio.