First Coast Supply is not the first place you think of when someone suggests it’s time for lunch. That is, unless you’ve actually eaten there.
Lunch at First Coast Supply is a treat for the company’s customers and their clients. And, what makes it a special treat is Chef Jessica McMullen. McMullen, 29, claims she has been cooking since she was five years old. A native of North Carolina, she moved to Jacksonville when she was in junior high school and her career in the hospitality industry includes stints with Walt Disney in Orlando, the Hyatt, the Marriott and as a personal chef in Lake Tahoe.
That she loves to cook is evidenced by her glowing smile as she walks visitors through the preparation of lunch. That she’s good at it is evidenced by the smiles on the faces of those lucky enough to be seated in the dining room at First Coast Supply.
But how did a girl like Jessica end up in an unlikely dining area at First Coast Supply?
Stanley Kantor, president of First Coast Supply, knows a good idea when he hears it. One of his clients who was building a home and selecting her appliances told Kantor about a young woman who loved to cook. Kantor had been considering offering cooking lessons to demonstrate the upscale G.E. kitchen in his showroom.
“It’s a good relationship,” Kantor said. “Jessica is such a natural, and our clients just love her. Her cooking lessons are a perfect way to show our customers the qualities of the appliances they are buying.”
Kantor and his partner, W.W. Gay, started First Coast Supply Company, a NEFBA member, in 1984. In 2002, Tim Deck, executive vice president, bought out Gay’s interest in the company and became a full partner. Today, the 62,000-square-foot facility off Philips Highway is home to a showroom and a stone processing shop.
Kantor invited McMullen in to talk and the two agreed on the concept. McMullen would provide cooking lessons for Kantor’s customers and she would cater functions in the dining area just off the kitchen. The well appointed dining area seats 51 inside, and there’s seating outside for about 15. NEFBA Remodelor’s Council used the facility for one of its meetings.
“I come from a long line of women who like to cook,” McMullen said. “My kitchen at home is not very big, so this is like a dream come true for me.”
McMullen’s husband Chris, an attorney, knows his way around the kitchen, too, and their three-year-old son Max likes to cook, according to his mother.
This is only the beginning for McMullen. She is now starring in a cooking segment on TV-4. The segment is “Cooking Right with Jessica Bright” (McMullen uses her maiden name for rhyming) and it is on the Tuesday morning news.
Kantor believes this could be the beginning of something big for McMullen.
“She’s got talent and a great attitude,” he said. “We think she’s on to something.”