Andrea Cagle’s dad was a cook in the U.S. Army, so did he influence her career aspirations?
“He certainly did and was very supportive of my going to culinary school,” says Cagle, a local caterer. “He encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a chef.”
But it wasn’t something she pursued immediately after high school. First, she went to nursing school in her hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, following in her mother’s footsteps. She was a lab technician and phlebotomist in a pediatrician’s office, then worked in a medical business office for 14 years before realizing “that wasn’t for me,” she says.
At age 38, Cagle entered Le Cordon Bleu in Tucker, Georgia, and pursued a career that came naturally to her, receiving an associate’s degree in the culinary arts.
She worked in several restaurants following graduation, among them: Steak & Ale, Ruby Tuesday, Blue Orleans, Porter’s Steakhouse, St. John’s Restaurant and Alleia, all in Chattanooga. In 2005, however, she transitioned into catering and started Kozy Cooking Catering. In addition to catering, Cagle is president of the Chattanooga chapter of the American Culinary Federation and teaches a culinary class at Chattanooga State Community College.