Kristina Cabañez-Winner, founder of Curate & Plate, has teamed up with Jackie Riddell of Adabelle's Bakery, Ashley Porras of Bleu Flora, and Tara Tolentino of Tara Jane Photography to offer a unique tea party experience.
Together, they combine their skills in event curation, baking, floral design, and photography to create an unforgettable, customizable gathering for any occasion.
Rooted in their shared Filipino heritage and love for family traditions, this collaboration brings creativity, culture, and community to the forefront.
Keep reading to learn how these women are making waves in Louisville with their individual businesses and this one-of-a-kind tea party package. Don't forget to keep scrolling to check out all their positively darling photos!
Curate & Plate - Kristina Cabañez-Winner, Insta
Adabelle's Bakery - Jackie Riddell, Instagram, Facebook
Bleu Flora - Ashley Porras, Instagram
Tara Jane Photography - Tara Tolentino, Instagram, Facebook
LEO: Can you tell us a bit about your background and what brought you to the U.S. and specifically Louisville?
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: I obtained my medical degree in the Philippines, where I was born and raised, and was convinced at the time that the only way I could thrive in the medical field was to practice as a physician. I figured that moving to the U.S. in 2019 with a huge end goal in mind, but no concrete plan, was the best way to go about it. I ended up stumbling upon my true calling in non-clinical medicine, specifically clinical research. Louisville was always my home away from home. My mom's sister Jackie, who is the founder of Adabelle's Bakery and someone I have always deemed as my second mom, lived in Louisville for quite some time. It was the most rational decision for me to be as geographically close to the only close family member I have in a foreign country.
LEO: What inspired you to start your own business in Louisville, Kentucky? Tell us about what you offer!
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: Filipinos love to gather around a table and celebrate with food. If there's no food at the table, then it's not a party. We would belly-laugh, cry, mourn, cheers...and there would always be food. I wanted to create a way to relive those traditions I had growing up - having a table that was beautifully-set and catching-up with family and loved ones. And with that, Curate & Plate was born. I give clients an opportunity to express themselves, while also adding my own creative spin to it. What makes Curate & Plate unique are the tea party experiences I offer and the options to mix and match dinnerware. I have clients who use my services for all types of occasions: birthdays, weddings, gal brunches, bridal showers and even baby showers! I think people are also starting to really see and appreciate color in their table settings. It's whimsical, elegant, and eye-catching!
LEO: How did the idea for the tea party package collaboration come about?
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: When I go through the booking process with clients, I would always get questions like, "Does it come with food?", "What about floral arrangements?" As someone who knows how tedious it is to plan an event, I wanted to make that experience as seamless as possible. In terms of figuring out who would be the perfect fit for this collaboration, it was a no-brainer! My aunt Jackie has baked cakes and desserts for all our family's special occasions in the Philippines, and then she decided to start baking for clients in Louisville. I connected with Ashley through Instagram, as one does, and we started chatting about working together right away. Each of us also grew up in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. at varying points in our lives, and I think that makes this collaboration even more special.
LEO: How does your Filipina heritage influence your business and this collaboration?
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: I will always credit my work ethic to my upbringing as a Filipino. We work hard mainly for our families and we prioritize being able to give back to the people who have raised us, whether that be our grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, etc. I think it is also so important for the Filipino community in Kentucky to be recognized. I am all about forming a strong alliance with people from your home country and value that over competition. There is something very powerful about leveraging your own strengths, and giving your fellow countrymen a platform do to the same. I have never met a Filipino who was not talented, hardworking, works great with people or all of the above. We have so much to offer as a culture, and I know that this collaboration will really highlight that.
LEO: What have been some challenges and successes you've experienced as a small business owner?
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: I think that being an immigrant has served as a double-edged sword for me. I used to think that it was a drawback for a lot of what I was trying to accomplish, but I later on realized that being a foreigner was my biggest "unfair advantage". Immigrants work really hard for obvious reasons - we don't just uproot our lives and leave everything we know and love behind without a clear goal in mind, and that is to succeed. I also think that I am able to offer a fresh perspective on things, ideas, and impart some of the practices and traditions I value.
LEO: What's included in the tea party package and how can people book the tea party package or learn more about it?
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: We offer a full tea party package, which includes tea party sets (tea pots, tea cups, saucers, dinnerware, flatware), desserts, florals, and tea. Clients can choose to opt for a la carte options, and we can also customize the set-up based on their preferred theme, desserts/cakes, and color scheme. More information is shared on my IG @curateandplateshop. To book, please send an email to [email protected] and we can certainly work with what you want to curate the perfect tea party experience.
LEO: Is there anything else you'd like the community to know about your businesses or this collaboration?
Kristina Cabañez-Winner: Yes! If you are looking for something unique and one-of-a-kind for your next get-together, we're the perfect group to bring your vision to life! Sometimes, people get intimidated by these types of set-ups and think they can only book us for large-scale events, but we love doing intimate gatherings just as much. Each of us also serve clients outside of this collaboration, so if you want to book with us individually, feel free to reach out!
