March 9, 2015 9:17 am Meet Katrina Bischoff, Co-Owner of Back 40 Mercantile in Old Greenwich!
What do you love to do with your children? How old are they? And what is your greatest wish for them?
I love to have adventures with them. We start the day with “what will our adventure be today?” It can be anything from a road trip to a place we’ve never been or a new recipe that we want to cook together. My son Warren is 16 and my daughter Marianna is 13. My greatest wish for them is that they become kind individuals who are mindful, polite, charitable and loving.
When and where are you the happiest?
First and foremost nothing makes me happier than being at home with my family. A warm beach comes in as a close second.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
India. I have been dying to visit India. It has been #1 on my bucket list. I love the colors and the exotic nature of India.
Who has had the biggest influence upon you? And what quality do you most admire in a mother?
My mother. She is never afraid to take chances, always up for an adventure and always keeps me in check. I admire all women who can balance a gentle nature as well as a strong one.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to cook. I find that cooking is a great way to show my family how much I love them. I also find cooking as a great creative outlet. I try new recipes and make up my own all the time. I also love the way exercising makes me feel. Even though I do not consider it to be fun, I find it very rewarding. It also allows me to enjoy cooking even more.
What is one of your favorite books? Movies?
My favorite book is Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder. It was a life-changing book. My favorite movie is a tie between The King’s Speech and Rain Man.
Besides motherhood, what other careers/opportunities have you enjoyed? What are your strongest qualities?
I have always been involved in fashion to some degree. I have worked in designing, styling, manufacturing and retail. I have also worked in Public Relations, Radio, Television and Film. My strongest quality is being intuitive. I trust my intuition and it really guides me through my life on so many levels. I have been told that I am also very loyal, honest.
Our vision for the Mercantile was to provide a community shopping experience, where everyone could buy quality products that had a story. We wanted our customers to feel good about what they were buying, knowing that it was made with the earth in mind, and by real people. We wanted to create an “everyone knows your name” type of store.
What is your favorite type of food and what do you love to cook?
I LOVE comfort food. Anything with cheese in it makes me happy. I love to cook everything! I am Greek, so I do cook a lot of Greek dishes. But I am ALWAYS up for a challenge.
What is your favorite time of the day and why?
4:50am… This is what time I get up to go to the gym. It is my favorite time of the day because I get my coffee and head to the gym. It is really the only time I have completely to myself without any responsibilities. I know the kids are sleeping, so they can’t get into trouble.
Where is your favorite place to Party with Moms and what’s your favorite drink?
I love to try different restaurants with my friends. We rarely go to the same ones more than twice. I love Mill Street (wink,wink).
My brother and sister-in-law are now opening two farm-to-table restaurants in Greenwich. One is the former Organic Planet, which will reopen under the name Back 40 Kitchen and a new restaurant in Byram called Mill Street. Both will be opening later this spring!