My friendship with Kathleen Mayes began a few years ago when her older daughter was in first grade. I would see her in the halls, and we would always exchange pleasantries. I was thrilled when I got my class list the very next year and saw that her younger daughter would be in my class, not just because her daughter is awesome, but because I would get to have Kathleen as a “parent.” As we got to know each other, I learned more about Kathleen and discovered that she’s not only an incredible mother but an amazing leader, business woman, and true asset to San Antonio.
Born to a Peruvian mother and Mexican father, Kathleen was raised overseas. She spent her childhood traveling and living abroad with her family while her father was working for the United States State Department as a foreign service officer and private sector. A graduate of Saint Mary’s Hall and The University of Texas at Austin, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in history, Kathleen completed her MBA in finance from Saint Mary’s University and held various positions in trading companies, event planning, management, and finance. In July 2007, MaGi Foods was incorporated, and in October 2007, MaGi Foods acquired Louisiana Purchase food brands. Kathleen has been running MaGi Foods and all of its operations for the past eight years.
MaGi Foods derives its name from the unity of two families: Mayes and Gilland. The symbolic union of these families was through the marriage of Charles Matthew Mayes to Kathleen Scott Gilland Gomez de la Torre in 2000. The acronym not only unifies the physical forces of two accomplished individuals but also derives inspiration from the historical journey, discoveries, and wisdom of the wise men of old: the biblical Magi. MaGi foods is on a journey to bring forth to the market, food products that are exceptional in taste, efficient in price, and more importantly, beneficial to personal nutrition. Kathleen’s Foods and Louisiana Purchase Foods are available at your local grocery store. You can follow Kathleen’s Foods on Facebook and learn more here.
Why do you call San Antonio home? My paternal grandfather (Franklin Worth Gilland) moved with his family to San Antonio in the 1880s. My great-grandfather (Benjamin Franklin Gilland) was a Methodist Circuit Rider from Franklin, Tennessee. My grandfather Gilland met my grandmother—Marie Elena Chellet (daughter of French immigrants—while he was working for Rockefeller Oil in Tampico, Mexico around 1919). They fell in love and got married and stayed living in Mexico, where they commuted back & forth visiting family. They moved back to San Antonio permanently in the mid-’50s, when my grandfather became ill.
What do you love about San Antonio? It’s the largest small town you will ever live in! Additionally, it’s a city where I fit in quite well, as I am bi-cultural (South American and American)/Latina and white.
What’s been the greatest joy of motherhood? It’s really defined me. Children are the greatest of gifts given to us by God, and mine are the best thing I have ever done or will ever do!
What’s been the greatest challenge of motherhood? Being a mother—it’s the hardest and most challenging job in the world. You can fail at school or business, but if you fail as a parent, in my opinion you are a failure.
If we peeked in your purse right now, what would we find? A lot of tissues (used & new—Mountain Cedar has gotten me), Essential Oils, lipsticks (multiple colors), crumpled receipts, breath mints, my phone, and stamps (gotta get my Christmas cards out!).
How do you hope your life influences and/or inspires other women? For me, discovering my feminine voice, mommy voice, wife voice, and individual voice has been an ongoing journey. I have come to realize that the phrase “you can have it all” should really be “don’t be in a rush to accomplish all your life’s hopes and dreams, as you might miss out on the discoveries that inspire you to do things that were not in your original plan.” I hope to inspire other women simply by sharing that being a woman in the 21st century is a journey: There will ups and downs, but you will learn your way with a lot of courage, humility, and faith.
Describe your typical weekday. Get up at 6:00 A.M., start coffee, wake up my kids, spouse, and dog, prepare breakfast, get everyone off to school/work by 7:30 A.M., shower, dress, pick up house (if necessary get on a conference call), be on the computer or at the plant by 8:30 A.M. Conference calls, personnel issues, post social media for business. If time permits, sneak out for a lunch with girlfriends or sneak in a walk (my current form of exercise). More conference calls, meetings with employees or husband (who took over as CEO in January 2014), cook, R&D research, review AP/AR, pick up mail, or drive to the bank to make company deposits. Sometimes run an errand for the kids. Stop by grocery store to check store sets or buy groceries. Peel into Woodridge pickup at 3:00 P.M. or 4:00 P.M., depending on kids schedules. Unload groceries if any, start homework, start dinner, fold laundry, pack lunches (5:00 P.M. may be wine time). Sit down for dinner as a family by 6:45 P.M., send everyone off to shower by 7:15 P.M., wash dishes while everyone showers. Family time from 7:45–8:15 P.M., prayers and in bed by 8:15 P.M. After lights out at 8:30 P.M., I fold the last of the laundry while my husband helps dry dishes and put them away while discussing next day’s needs/wants. We both crawl in bed by 9:30 P.M., hoping to catch up on a DVR-ed show like Castle, Downtown Abbey, Madame Secretary, Modern Family—you get the picture!
What four words best describe you? Mom, cook, kind, worker
Where would we find you on the weekends? With our best friends grilling and sharing stories of our week; at a market getting inspirations; at a kids sporting event; at church (giving thanks); at the grocery store; at home finishing up house projects; or doing more laundry
What’s your guilty pleasure? Saturday morning cuddles in bed with my kids watching a cartoon or during this holiday season “Hallmark Channel” movies
San Antonio favorites:
Date Night: Il Sogno, Soluna, Nosh, Piatti, The Monterrey, Arcade Mid-Town Kitchen
Entertainment: Dance party with my kids
Shopping (for you!): Because I am all sizes at different times of the year—The Loft, Adelante, Bevello, and Nordstrom Rack
Relaxation: Getting a pedi or massage or sneaking in a tennis lesson/match with friends
Favorite family friendly activity: locally—going on a bike adventure; family trip—the beach
Beverage: Prosecco or Pinot Grigio
Dessert: molten lava cake, tres leches cake, or flan
