our people
Great people make the difference between an average and a phenomenal catering experience. Basikneads takes pride in the quality and dedication of our team. From our event planning and service teams to our culinary design team, everyone at Basikneads is committed to delivering you the high-quality expertise and personal attention you deserve, ensuring that your vision for the event is realized.
Cornell Coulon – executive chef/owner
Chef Coulon is the creative force behind Basikneads' culinary team. He develops the menus, designing each dish with personal attention to your tastes as well as the flavors and colors of the season. He, or one of the other members of the team, will be at your event to ensure that the food has been staged to perfection. Chef Coulon is a native of New Orleans and, like most people from the Big Easy, grew up with food being an integral part of his soul.
He has cooked for as long as he can remember, at first mainly by hanging onto his grandmother’s apron strings. Chef Coulon’s dream of becoming a chef was born during his summer vacations from high school. The Great Chefs series on PBS began to open Chef Coulon’s mind to his own culinary potential as he attempted to refine techniques learned on the show in his mother’s kitchen. He subsequently took a job in a local restaurant working as a busboy initially, but quickly (and happily) made the move to the kitchen. After a brief interlude as a major in Biochemistry at LSU, Chef Coulon returned to his boyhood dream of becoming a chef and decided to attend the Culinary Arts Institute of Louisiana. While in school he worked with local chef Greggory Payne at the Country Club of Louisiana.
After graduating, he continued to develop his skills as a protégé of the renowned Emeril Lagasse at Emeril's in New Orleans. He then spent the next few years traveling extensively throughout Alaska, Mexico, Texas, and South Florida, honing his unique style. Chef Coulon came to Washington DC in 2002 as the executive chef of Mendocino Grille in Georgetown. He was then invited to open the Dupont Grille restaurant at the Jury's Doyle Hotel as their executive restaurant chef. Chef Coulon continues to refine his trademark style here in Washington DC. A typical Chef Coulon entree blends culinary influences from around the globe such as Pan Asian, Mediterranean, and Central American, carefully assimilating them with a French flair. And, true to his Louisiana upbringing, Chef Coulon imbues each one of his creative entrees with Southern flavor and soul.
Kristen Coulon – vp marketing/co-owner
Kristen Coulon works behind the scenes at Basikneads to make sure Washingtonians know about our creativity, attentive service, and high quality cuisine. She also strives to improve and expand upon our existing services to ensure Basikneads is effectively accommodating all our clients.
Kristen has lived in the Washington D.C. area since 1996 when she arrived from Seattle, Washington to pursue a B.S. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Before graduating in 2000, she worked for international business professor, Dr. Michael Czinkota, as a research assistant, where she learned basic principles of business and marketing. She expanded upon that knowledge in her position as a manager at Plan Document Systems (PDS) of Thompson Hine LLP and then as the co-owner of Chef Coulon's private chef company, Au Dela.
Trained Staff – from PBS Inc.
We will leave nothing to chance when it comes to your event. Which is why we use Professional Bartending Services (PBS Inc.) to staff our serving and bartending teams. The servers and bartenders at your event will be professionally trained, highly qualified, courteous and fun.