OWNER

Kimberly Thompson, the owner of The Grateful Gourmet Co., surprised even herself years ago when she discovered, after taking a job with a catering company, how much she loves to cook. Originally from Davenport, Iowa, and a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in English, cooking wasn’t always what Thompson had in mind. It was while working for a catering company in Iowa City, though, that Thompson found her niche. She worked her way up the ladder to a supervisory position, and after moving to Galena worked for a time at Galena River Wine & Cheese. Twenty-three years ago, Thompson was ready to branch off on her own.

When Thompson set up shop, she ran across a quote that she holds close still today. She now has it written on cards to inspire her when she needs it. “Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, hard work and dedication.” Thompson is honored to live that quote every day, doing the work she loves.

Susan is not only Kimberly’s mother but has also been her right-hand woman from day one. An expert on tea, customer service, and being a mother hen to the staff, she is the glue of the business.

Working with all of the younger women keeps her busy and constantly on her toes. She enjoys welcoming out of town visitor to the store, always remembering that they are on “vacation time.” Customers continually make a point to ask if Susan is working, or stop in to have a chat with her.

Along with customer service, Susan is an expert on tea, always educating staff and customers, testing and ordering teas, and keeping abreast of the latest tea gadgets.

Although Susan is Kimberly’s right-hand woman and mother, she always reminds everyone that Kimberly is her boss. Karma.

Ashley has been with The Grateful Gourmet since 2012. She is in charge of accounting, keeping track of inventory, ordering, and training employees. She is the calm force at the shop.

Originally from the area, she moved around to Colorado and Missouri, then returned to settle here permanently. She lives with her husband Aaron, sons Seth and Oakley, and rescue dog, Sam.

In her free time, Ashley loves to cook, read, and spend as much time as possible with her boys. She is a real foodie and loves experimenting with dishes. Her favorite food is pizza and anything to do with pizza. Did we mention that she LOVES pizza?

Becky has been with The Grateful Gourmet since 2009. She is our super busy and hard worker, always able to find a task to keep her moving. You can count on her to keep items on the shelf lined up perfectly and everything spic and span! She is great with customers, and often has locals come into the shop and visit with her. Her passion for the shop shows through her hard word and initiatives.

A native “Galenian”, this is where Becky grew up and raised her family. Her passions are her three children, seven grandchildren, and many rescue animals, who somehow always manage to find her. Becky loves riding Harleys, getting tattoos, and cheering for the Chicago Bears. She also loves the outdoors, gardening, and canning the produce that she grows. Hot peppers are her specialty! She loves trying foods of all ethnicity, but her favorite is anything spicy! Yep, she likes it hot!

Jennifer (Jen) is a Galena native who has worked for The Grateful Gourmet since 2014. She has fantastic customer service skills and is warm to everyone arriving in our door. She is also the artist of the group, continually surprising us with her creativity. Many of our beautiful signs and displays are courtesy of Jen’s amazing skills.

Jen loves to learn about how and where good food comes from. A devout butter worshipper, she loves to cook and experiment with different herbs and spices in her effort to eat healthier!

Jen would love to have someday a hobby farm where critters and bountiful gardens grace her front yard. She is an avid outdoors woman and in her spare time can be found frolicking in the woods or by the river with her four-legged crew.

Rita is from Long Island, New York and now lives in East Dubuque with her husband and two Italian Greyhounds. She is a retired New York City teacher who misses her students, but enjoys the slower pace of Galena and Dubuque. Rita is an avid reader, equestrian, artist, and great cook! She enjoys working at The Grateful Gourmet Co. because it provides opportunities to share cooking techniques and ideas, as well as learn from our customers. She works hard and tirelessly. We are lucky to have her!

Anne-Marie and her recently retired husband, Tracy, moved from Chicago to the Galena Territory last year. After spending a few decades out of the workforce while raising their children, Anne-Marie is excited to get back to her customer service roots by joining the creative & energetic team at The Grateful Gourmet.

In addition to Chicago, Anne-Marie has lived in Houston, Atlanta, Dallas and St. Louis. She appreciates the small town feel of Galena. She loves to travel, play mahjong and pickleball with her friends, and visits her children as often as possible.

Anne-Marie & Tracy enjoy trying new restaurants and unique foods. Tracy is the home chef while Anne-Marie enjoys baking. The holidays are her favorite time of the year to create yummy desserts and culinary gifts.

Being Kimberly’s daughter, Liv has pretty much been at the business since birth! From sleeping in a baby carrier while her mom worked, to now waiting on customers, Liv has always been a part of The Grateful Gourmet. Now a freshman in college, you may see her on school breaks.

Liv has a gift for talking to customers, usually about sports if she sees a jersey that she likes! She works hard and enjoys hanging out with her co-workers (especially her grandma) and making fun of her mom. While Liv’s dream is to become a sportscaster, Liv’s mom is not going to give up her own dream of one day passing the torch to her daughter.

Josie is the creativity behind our social media posts. She has a great eye for detail and is witty with words. She can make a displays into works of art. She is also our “graphic artist,” making clever and funky signs, or beautiful newsletters.

Josie, her husband, and her perfect kitty moved to Galena in 2002 from the Chicago area. Her Sicilian background has led her to visit her extended family in Palermo throughout her childhood into adulthood, happily eating gelato and prosciutto along the way. For this, she loves to cook Sicilian inspired food.

When Josie isn’t working or cooking, she enjoys listening to her daughter sing, drawing, playing with her cats, perfecting her arancini recipe (approved by dad!), and spending time with her family.