Our Team
Bailey Foster - Founder
Bailey Foster is the founder of Real Good Kitchen and Real Good Foundation. She believes in the power of food to build community, break down barriers and make lasting change. A Knoxville native, Bailey grew up in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. She spent more than 20 years away in New York and San Francisco, where she worked in book publishing, retail grocery, consulting and software development, while eating all the food and exploring food cultures from around the world.
When Bailey returned to Knoxville in 2013 she found a thriving downtown scene and a growing local food and beverage culture. Drawing on the work of other shared kitchens, she conceived of Real Good Kitchen as a facility and a community that would make it possible for more people to share their food stories, that would foster greater equity and opportunity in the local food economy and that would help us all eat well.
Bailey is an avid home cook, vegetable lover and dedicated food geek. She loves hosting meals for family and friends. When she’s not cooking or eating, she enjoys spending time with her wife and two kids, reading, jogging and exploring outdoors.
Bailey serves as Chair of the Knoxville-Knox County Food Policy Council and is on the Board of the East Knoxville Business and Professional Association. She serves on the Mayor’s Maker Council and is a member of the Leadership Knoxville class of 2024.
Alhen Drillich - Kitchen Manager
Alhen brings a wide range of professional and restaurant experience to Real Good Kitchen. Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, he worked for a fast casual restaurant called EVOS for 9 years- starting as an hourly dishwasher/night-time cover and making his way up to the executive team. He worked as Lead Corporate trainer, opening 10 locations around the country and developing restaurant policy and procedures.
Alhen is passionate about Real Good Kitchen’s community based mission. “I believe in the resources we are providing to ALL,” he says. “We’re creating an avenue for anyone to make their dreams come true by owning their own food business.”
As Kitchen Manager, Alhen is responsible for all the day-to-day operations. He is a resource for general kitchen needs, encouragement, and overall positivity, as well as food manufacturing safety and processes. He also facilitates cleaning, equipment maintenance, preventative maintenance, and more. He is GMP and PCQI certified.
Outside of the kitchen, he enjoys outdoor activities and the therapeutic qualities of nature. Alhen is an avid hiker, rock climber, and eater. His favorite foods are ramen (and other soup noodles) and pizza, and he loves trying new local foods.
Jordan Smith - Sales & Marketing Manager
Jordan Smith is a writer, editor, and piemaker who brings over a decade of experience to her role as RGK’s Sales & Marketing Manager. She hails from Austin, Texas, where she worked in advertising, publishing, and nonprofit management before moving to Knoxville in 2019. All the while, she felt pulled to change careers and work in the food industry, but was held back by a diagnosis of celiac disease.
While working toward her master’s degree in library science at the University of Tennessee, she took summer jobs working for Real Good Kitchen alums The Donut Theory and Inny’s Bakeshop, both of which are entirely gluten-free businesses. This experience opened her eyes to what might be possible for her in Knoxville. She rerouted her life plan and launched her own pie business, Small Comforts Kitchen, in November of 2022.
Jordan has completely fallen in love with Knoxville and feels energized by Knoxville’s active and supportive food community. She is passionate about helping other food entrepreneurs thrive while they build sustainable businesses that contribute to the diversity of our city and region. As a small food business owner herself, she brings a unique perspective to her work with RGK.
In her spare time, Jordan enjoys hanging out with her rescue dog Annie, visiting local farmers’ markets, and attending as many musicals as she can at the Tennessee Theatre. She is also passionate about mental health advocacy and awareness.
Veronica Cates - Kitchen Manager
Veronica Cates is a baker and restaurant professional. After completing her culinary training in the bread and pastry program at Escuela de Hosteleria Hofmann in Barcelona, Spain, she moved to the San Francisco Bay area to continue her education in sourdough bread baking. During that time, Veronica served as Bread Manager for Northern California at Tartine, overseeing bread operations at The Manufactory. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she is fluent in Spanish and English. She is also currently pursuing a degree in Crop and Soil Science at Oregon State University, to combine her culinary expertise with a passion for sustainable agriculture.
She brings more than 17 years of experience in food service, restaurant management, and professional baking and is excited to support member businesses in reaching their full potential at Real Good Kitchen.
Photography by Jalynn Baker & Kara Hudgens