Meet Kaia Clark! Kaia is a social media manager and content creator in Oakwood and graduated from Flowery Branch High School and Oglethorpe University. She is currently the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator for The Vallee Team in Duluth. With over five years of experience in social media, Kaia decided to take on an alter ego as a foodie who shares the best recommendations around North Georgia and Metro Atlanta. In 2020, North Metro Eateries was born.
We want to thank Kaia for spending time with us recently and telling us more about her life and love of Hall County.
Question: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
Answer: “I have worked in Social Media since 2018 and have loved learning each of the platforms and keeping up to date. Nothing in particular inspired me to land in this field other than my passion for the craft. However, when it comes to @NorthMetroEateries we had tossed around the idea for several years before we decided to take the leap. Zach came up with the idea while we were dating across distance. Each weekend we would meet halfway or Zach would stay with me in Atlanta and we would go try all kinds of fun restaurants. We would always post food photos on our Snapchat stories and recommend our favorites to friends and family. During the pandemic, we decided now is the time and it was important to help promote our favorite spots so they didn’t go out of business. Since then, we have loved getting to know our community from a new perspective and more intimately than we ever would have.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County, and what do you love there?
A: “I could never pick just one favorite so instead I’ll pick one that I am craving right now, Standard Service. I am a sucker for great branding and marketing which is one of the many reasons I am obsessed with this new Gainesville hot spot. We recently tried their new brunch menu and love the uniqueness and seasonal flavors. With the release of their new fall menu, there are so many new things to try and explore. The vibe and aesthetic of the former gas station bring together so many things I love about Gainesville. The history, the beauty, and the sense of community all collide to create the perfect vibe where you can share delicious food and even better drinks.”
Q: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
A: “I was born and raised in Hall County in 1998. I attended Flowery Branch High School and went to college in Atlanta at Oglethorpe University. At the end of my final year of school, I had lined up a job at Dress Up Corporation and an apartment in Gainesville with Zach. We moved in March 14, 2020 and the world was shut down by the pandemic. Following the shut down, I was laid off and graduated from school. Although, we were going through a worldwide tragedy, we found ways to interact with this new community and fall in love with Gainesville. At the end of our apartment lease, we knew we wanted to stay as close to Gainesville as possible so we bought a home on the border between Oakwood and Gainesville. The area we landed in allows us to stay connected to the Downtown area as well as a direct route to other areas of amazing food like Gwinnett County.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in Hall County and why?
A: “Of all the amazing people we have connected with through @NorthMetroEateries, one of the most interesting people I have met is Ashley Bates. Every time we hang out I am amazed by her drive and ambition. I am constantly learning new things and about this community I have called home for the last two and a half years. She knows everyone and everything about what is happening in Gainesville and if she doesn’t know it right away she knows someone she can ask. That is the thing I have come to learn about the Hall County area, it breeds really interesting people and often the people that leave the area, come back later in their journey to make big change to the landscape of the county.”
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: “One of my favorite childhood memories is my 8th birthday party. We planned my entire party around the premiere of ‘High School Musical 2’ and knew from the trailer that it was set at a pool. We set up a blow-up water slide in the backyard and had my entire 3rd grade class over. There is a photo of Zach and I going down the slide together so it is a memory that continues to pop up over and over again because it was the first photo of the two of us.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “I would travel to Seattle or Portland to see the leaves changing for fall. Fall is my favorite season and I have only seen the PNW through social media and not in person. I would love to feel that connection with nature while enjoying a delicious latte.”
Q: What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?
A: “​The first movie I remember seeing in theaters is ‘Finding Nemo.’ It still sticks with me to this day when I re-watch the movie. Because of this experience, I made sure to see ‘Finding Dory’ on opening night and it was so fun to really channel the inner child.”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “Do something you are passionate about every single day. Even if it is something as small as making a latte, these little acts are how you show yourself love.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “At the top of my bucket list is to visit Chicago and New York in a single trip to decide for myself who wins the pizza and hot dog debate. NYC style pizza versus Chicago deep dish and Chicago style hotdog versus NY style hotdogs. This has always been a debate I want to taste and experience for myself. Plus it would make for such a fun road trip.”
Q: What is your favorite music/ three bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: “My music taste is very specific yet all over the place at the same time. I love a lot of artists in particular across genres. I grew up listening to pop punk and punk rock as well as the Top 100 for pop and country. Over the years, I have always been drawn toward live music and fall in love with every artist I see. However, I still haven’t seen my top three artists live yet. I would see Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Lady Gaga.”
Q: What local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County and why?
A: “The business that makes me the most nostalgic for Hall County is Papa Jack’s Country Kitchen. I grew up eating breakfast there every weekend, then got a job there my sophomore year of high school. I worked there for five years and every one there felt like family. Every time we visit it feels like stepping back in time.”
Q: Choosing anyone (past or present and a non-relative), with whom would you love to have lunch? And where locally would you have this lunch?
A: “I would love to have lunch with Monica Padman at Last Resort in Athens. I am so in awe of her story and the success she has created for herself. Monica attended UGA and knows the area on a level I would love to explore, especially because they have such a fascinating foodie scene. I am a huge fan of hers and Armchair Expert, iykyk. It would be such an interesting conversation discussing her manifestation of success and the amazing experiences that have come with it.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “My favorite thing about Hall County is the constant changing landscape and impressive growth while maintaining the heart and authenticity. It has been so exciting to grow up with this area. I remember when Spout Springs only had stop signs, which makes it even more baffling to see this area attract renowned chefs and business owners.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: “In the next five to 10 years, I hope to work for myself in some capacity. I am not sure what that looks like yet but I know I want to be an entrepreneur of whatever kind.”
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “One thing most people don’t know about me is that I went to university with the intent of being a behavioral therapist. I studied Psychology and loved it but decided that I couldn’t handle years and years of school on top of my Bachelors. That is why I decided to take the Applied Psychology route and use what I learned as a Social Media Manager.”
Q: What three words mean “Home” to you?
A: “Three words that mean ‘home’ to me are authenticity, passion, and grateful.”
Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
A: “If my life was turned into a major motion picture, I would choose Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell to play an older version of Zach and I. With Kristen’s heart and Dax’s innovation, I feel like they could encapsulate us as people and our goals.”
Q: If you had a full-time staff member that was fully paid for, who would you choose?
A: “If I was blessed with a full time staff member that was paid for I would hire a Business Manager for that side of our platform. As we grow, it has been difficult to navigate the transition from doing this for fun to doing this as a business. I would love someone to manage negotiations and contracts as well as bookkeeping. That is not the area I enjoy or excel, I would prefer to spend all my time creating content and being creative.”
