Our story

Chef Marlene Faulkner was born in Brooklyn and grew up between two grandmothers and two kitchens.

Her father's mother raised fourteen children in South Jersey. Her kitchen ran on what came off the farm that morning, and on baking that never seemed to stop. That is where Marlene learned to cook.

Her mother's mother lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and set a refined city table. Soul food, served properly, with Flaum's pickles from down the block and company that stayed late. That is where Marlene learned to entertain.

She did not plan to make a living at it. In college she studied journalism and wanted to anchor the news. But New York's restaurants kept pulling her to the table, and the cooking followed her home. First it was cookie baskets for friends. Then their parties. Then parties for people she had never met.

So she went back to school for it, earning a culinary arts degree in hospitality and restaurant management, then a bachelor's in business. She ran banquets and corporate dining rooms, then spent years leading teams and operations in healthcare, and kept catering on nights and weekends the whole time.

When she and her family moved to Texas, the side business became the business. She calls Knife & Faulk a boutique for culinary experiences. No single cuisine, a menu written for each event, and a table that looks as good as it tastes.

Two kitchens, one standard. Food with real roots, served the way a great hotel would serve it.