Kate Berry is one of those people you always want to spend time with. She is a creative dreamer and an energetic, peerless doer, with a generous heart and infectious enthusiasm that make you slow down and appreciate the beauty in everyday moments.
For years now, we’ve watched Kate take inklings of inspiration and turn them into big, beautiful projects that bring joy and meaning to so many. Her impressive resumé includes stints as a photographer, creative director, event producer and writer. Across all these different projects, the one strong throughline is that Kate is a great connector of people and a huge believer in the power of community.
Kate’s passion for bringing people together is at the heart of Lunch Lady, the exuberant magazine she co-founded in 2015, which has garnered a devoted worldwide readership with its focus on parenting, optimism and fun. It’s also at the core of her 2019 book, Family, Food & Feelings, a collection of simple recipes for families, and candid reflections on cooking, parenthood and life.
Kate’s latest venture, OK Motels, is another expression of her knack for building community. In 2018, inspired by her love of road trips, regional towns, old motels and live music, Kate began organising weekend-long music events in small towns across the country. These events invite visitors to pull up a seat at the bar – introducing them to locals and bringing together likeminded people who may not otherwise cross paths. Over 30 events later, OK Motels has a cult following of music lovers who travel from all over Australia to celebrate the nostalgic charm of roadside motels and engage with the communities and culture that surround them.
We were recently lucky enough to visit Kate for a coffee and a chat. Her home is exactly what you’d expect from someone whose curious brain is constantly seeking inspiration and dreaming up new ideas – beautiful artwork sits alongside found objects, trinkets, disco balls and other treasures Kate has unearthed and collected along the way.
