For Dawn Lemaitre, food is about nourishing the body as well as feeding the soul through family.
That philosophy is at the heart of Dishin’ with Dawn, her Chattanooga-based business that blends catering, private dining, family-style meals and hands-on cooking classes into something more personal than traditional food service.
Her journey to becoming a professional cook began in a family garden, with a childhood curiosity about flavor.
“I’ve always loved creating new dishes,” Lemaitre says. “Even as a child, I’d go into our garden, pick fresh vegetables and start experimenting.”
From garden curiosity to global influence
That passion would eventually take Lemaitre across the Atlantic, where a life-changing chapter shaped both her cooking style and her outlook on food.
At 22, while still in college, Lemaitre met a young man from Normandy, France, through a chance connection. What began as a brief encounter turned into a whirlwind romance, letters exchanged across continents and, eventually, marriage.
Lemaitre moved to France, where she lived for two years, learning the language, culture and culinary traditions that would later define her cooking.
Living in France exposed Lemaitre to a food culture centered on freshness, seasonality and intentional preparation. Open-air markets, held multiple times a week, offered access to local produce, meats and cheeses – ingredients that encouraged the experimentation and creativity that had guided her earlier efforts.
It was also there that she learned directly from her brother-in-law, a trained chef and baker who had studied around the world.
“He taught me a great deal,” Lemaitre says, describing those years as foundational.
The couple later returned to the United States, raised two sons and eventually moved back to France – this time to Paris – so their children could be immersed in French culture.
Through it all, food remained central: a way of grounding family life.
Loss, healing and a new calling
Cooking didn’t become a vocation until much later, following a profound personal loss.
In October 2021, Lemaitre’s husband died unexpectedly. The loss was devastating, leaving her searching for direction in a life that had revolved around family and shared experiences.
“I was in shock and lost, alone and devastated,” she says.
In the midst of that grief, she turned to what she’d always known: cooking. It became both an outlet and a calling.
“I needed to cook for people, to love people through my gift,” she says. “I believed that by starting this business, God would bring people into my life to cook for and care for.”
From that conviction, Dishin’ with Dawn was born.
Today, Lemaitre offers a range of services – from intimate family dinners to elaborate multicourse private chef experiences. She caters events, including weddings, which she describes as particularly meaningful, and hosts cooking classes designed to enable others in the kitchen.
Lemaitre’s menus reflect both her Southern roots and her French training. Clients often request a mix of comforting, crowd-pleasing dishes and refined, European cuisine.
For casual gatherings, one standout favorite is her Aunt Wilma’s Meatballs, a nod to family tradition. For more formal dinners, she might serve a sous vide steak finished with butter and fresh herbs, or French-style au gratin potatoes layered with Gruyère, Swiss cheese and cream.
Desserts, too, carry a touch of elegance – like poached pears filled with mascarpone and adorned with gold leaf.
At home, Lemaitre gravitates toward hearty, approachable meals that bring people together. A Greek-style baked chicken with lemon, garlic and vegetables or a classic pot roast are examples of simple, satisfying dishes she sees as ideal for families.
Teaching confidence through food
While the food matters, Lemaitre’s deeper mission is to help people feel confident in the kitchen.
That’s where her cooking classes come in.
“I love loving people through food,” she says. “People will say, ‘This is amazing. I could never do this.’ But in my mind, I’m thinking, ‘Yes, you can. Anyone can.’”
Lemaitre’s classes prioritize confidence over rigid technique. Students often request instruction on foundational skills – cooking steak, preparing seafood, mastering sauces or making soups. But Lemaitre emphasizes intuition over strict measurements.
“I usually don’t measure things. It’s all about taste, and everyone’s taste is different,” she says. “I encourage people to start with a little, then taste as they go.”
This philosophy reflects her broader approach to cooking: personal, adaptable and rooted in experience rather than perfection.
Still, running a food-based business comes with challenges – particularly in an era of rising food costs.
“The biggest challenge is helping people understand the cost of my services,” she says. “Groceries are expensive, and the time I put into creating menus and developing custom recipes is extensive.”
For Lemaitre, each event is customized, requiring not only shopping and preparation but also creativity and attention to detail. While clients consistently praise both her food and presentation, she says there’s often a gap in understanding the true cost of that level of service.
Despite those challenges, the rewards remain deeply personal.
When asked what a great meal means to her, Lemaitre talks about people.
“A meal is all about community to me,” she says. “Being together with friends, taking time to slow down, enjoy each course and getting to know each other better.”
That perspective comes directly from her years in France, where long, multicourse Sunday meals were a cherished tradition. Those gatherings – filled with conversation, laughter and unhurried connection – continue to shape how she approaches her work today.
Through Dishin’ with Dawn, Lemaitre is recreating that experience for others. Whether she’s catering a wedding, leading a cooking class or preparing an intimate dinner, her goal remains the same: to use food as a way of bringing people together.
In a fast-paced world, her work offers something increasingly rare: a reason to slow down, share a meal and connect. And for Lemaitre, that’s the true purpose of cooking.
“This is how I love people,” she says. “Through food and time together.”