In 2011, Kim McNair Brock encountered a fork in the road when she took a hiatus as owner of Bitty’s Back Porch to care for her family. One afternoon, she experienced a conversation that cleared the path ahead: a nurse practitioner took interest in her culinary skills and passion for wellness, suggesting Kim become a certified holistic health coach. The idea felt like a seamless fit.
“She was asking so many questions, I thought she was just getting into my business,” Kim laughs. “Then, I realized that she cared. Our visit lasted almost an hour!”
Soon after completing the certification, Kim found herself with the opportunity to become a vendor at the Pizitz Food Hall. For six months, she revised and perfected her culinary brand at Pizitz, changing names from Bitty’s Back Porch to Bitty’s Living Kitchen.
“People would check us out because they’d seen me on the news – no one really wanted a salad,” she chuckles. “But every time someone got their meal and sat down to eat, they would say, ‘This is the best salad I’ve ever had!’”
Though the contract at the Pizitz was for six months, the reimagined Bitty’s Living Kitchen was able to pivot. As Kim questioned what to do next, someone on Facebook inquired about prepared meals, then another woman confessed she “hated to cook” and would appreciate the option. “We started meal prepping, and we’ve done it every year since 2018,” Kim says.
At the time, Kim’s parents, as well as her dog – a beloved corgi husky mix named Banjo – were her “guinea pigs” for perfecting recipes, and everyone’s lives changed for the better. Kim’s mother, who was heading toward stage six of Alzheimer’s disease when her daughter moved in, had improved to stage two at the time of her passing in 2022. Banjo, too, lived a better life following a cancer diagnosis, thanks to Kim’s dedication to his health.
“I would fix him salmon, chickpeas, roasted sweet potatoes, and some nutritional yeast – and he loved it,” she says.
Even her sister, initially a skeptic, had to concede that Kim’s way of looking at food seemed to work.
“Lisa eats everything, and she’d have these horrible pains in her ankles because she loved cured meats,” Kim says. “She didn’t believe what I would tell her about food until she stopped eating the meat, and the pain would go away. Now, she believes it!”
Kim’s next venture is a brick-and-mortar business, opening in early spring. Part production space for Bitty’s Living Kitchen and part healing space, the new spot will offer beloved grab-and-go meals and fresh juices, as well as opportunities to learn more about holistic health through infrared therapy, consultations, and plant-based recipe tastings.
“I might put together a few dishes with plant-based cheeses, for example, so people can taste them,” Kim says. “So, different nights might have various themes. If I can get people to taste the food, that’s the key to encouraging a plant-based lifestyle.”
When she isn’t working on her new space, Kim changes perceptions of food through speaking events and retreats in locations such as New Water Farms.
“I tell people about my journey, and I prepare a meal in front of them,” she says. “And it’s interesting – they always say things like, ‘I never eat red bell peppers.’ Then they’re surprised when they love it.”
"If I can get people to taste the food, that’s the key to encouraging a plant-based lifestyle.”