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Pampered Chef Maven Promotes Hospitality

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By DEREK MAUL | The Brandon News

Published: March 20, 2007

PROFILE
Lynn Hamlett Wilks
Born: Orlando, 1960
Education: Lake Brantley High, Orlando; University of South Florida
Married: Winton Wilkes, 1981
Children: Ashley, Buddy, Skylar
Faith connection: BayLife Church

Pampered Chef independent executive director Lynn Wilks believes in hospitality.

"If we're not careful hospitality will become a dying art," she said.

Simply, Wilks believes that a welcome facilitates social healing.

"Learning enough about each other that our doors are always open," she said, "and that we're not so afraid to have people over. I can only impact my little community and I do that by encouraging hospitality. Getting people together and feeling great about what they're doing and reaching out to others – what a difference!"

Mind you, she should know a little something about hospitality – she's turned it into a career, thanks to the business The Pampered Chef.

"Our mission is to bring quality kitchen tools to every family in America," she said. "To inspire guests and hosts to continue that mealtime tradition, supporting and building up the family unit. It's a lot more than utensils."

Sharing great ideas quickly evolved into a serious business. She started simply by giving parties. Fifteen years later, she now finds herself an executive director.

"Basically I offer training to my consultants, provide answers, and provide recognition," she said of her job. "My main focus is service to customers and getting products into people's homes. As a director I help other consultants grow their businesses. It's working for yourself, but not by yourself."

Wilks' team comprises several hundred of Pampered Chef's estimated 70,000 consultants.

"I have people all over the country," she said.

The nationwide business was started by entrepreneur Doris Christopher in 1980 and performed well enough to catch the attention of investment guru Warren Buffett. Buffett must have kept his eye on the top-performing company for a while, for his Berkshire Hathaway group acquired The Pampered Chef in 2002. But instead of basking in her company's success, Wilks is more proud of the corporation's commitment to charity.

"People have the opportunity to round up their order to the nearest dollar and that change goes toward our 'Round-up from the heart' hunger program," Wilks said. "Then May is our 'Help Whip Cancer' emphasis."

Wilks was raised in Orlando and attended the University of South Florida, where she earned her degree in health education and worked with the YMCA.

"We established the Brandon Y in the Limona Village Chapel closet," she said of her days working for the YMCA, "and ran a day camp at Alderman's Ford Park."

She married insurance representative Winton Wilks in 1981. The couple settled in Brandon.

"We love this area," she said. "It's always been in us to be here. We've watched the community grow and I've got my brick at the Chamber of Commerce. We're pretty much planted here.

"Everybody pulls together and takes care of each other," she added. "And I believe it's a strong faith-based community. When you're not just powered by yourself it makes a huge tremendous difference."
Fundamental to life together has been a mutual commitment to family and the importance of raising children.

"We've done the best we know how to raise our kids as our priority," Wilks said. "We've been deliberate. We've paid a price to concentrate on family."

And a large part of that price has meant arranging family schedules to emphasize the importance of mealtimes at home.

"I think those families who don't eat together need to get back to it," Wilks said. "It's a huge plus. To me the primary place to nurture and feed and develop your family is at home. We think it's simpler to grab food on the go - but if you add it all up it's not true."

Mind you, her children were raised in a food culture.

"When I began, the older children were in elementary school," Wilks said. "My youngest grew up saying things like, 'Mom please hand me the all purpose spreader.'"

It's the kind of thinking that made a career with The Pampered Chef such a natural fit.

"The pleasure and the privilege of being able to stay at home and work and run a balanced life," Wilks said. "Most of the rewards have come from feeling like I'm honoring my commitment to God of what my life-plan is. Then Pampered Chef is unbelievably generous. They have wonderful incentives and the business has grown in leaps and bounds."

Most of all Wilks enjoys the interaction.

"Every aspect," she said, "But definitely the people. And my shows are always an adventure. It always involves a cooking demonstration and recipe sampling. You're going to fix dinner anyway so at least have tools you can enjoy and use efficiently."

In a sign of the times, Wilks feels that men are playing a growing role in the food industry.
"It's a huge industry now for men," she said.

Is there still room for expansion in organizations such as The Pampered Chef?

"Room to grow is the understatement of the century," Wilks said. "There's huge room to grow."
Contact Lynn Wilks at (813) 661-4049 or www.pamperedchef.biz/lynnwilks

Derek Maul of Valrico is a freelance writer. He can be reached at Derekmaul@Gmail.com

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