CHERRY CREEK FASHION — Leaning Into the Art of the Pivot, Kendra Anderson and Christine LeMieux Launch Modern Queens Consulting Group

PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH

WRITTEN BY ANNIE BLOJ // CULTURE & STYLE EDITOR

Picture yourself out on the town with your friends on a typical Friday or Saturday night in 2019. No doubt the much-beloved and highly regarded Bar Helix would have been on your list of places to check out. None of us, especially founder Kendra Anderson and her right-hand Christine LeMieux could have foreseen what was coming around the corner. As we know now, Covid not only drastically changed everything for the team at Bar Helix but also the hospitality industry at large. After endless pivots, creating a new concept in the summer of 2020 with Cabana X @ Bar Helix, Kendra and Christine decided to make their professional partnership official with the launch of their new consultancy firm, Modern Queens Consulting Group (MQCG).

Annie Bloj: Christine and Kendra, watching you manage Bar Helix through the pandemic was nothing short of inspiring. After turning the patio into the staycation we all needed so desperately with Cabana X for the summer, you had to make the heartbreaking decision to close. I can’t imagine how hard that was; how were you able to move forward?

Kendra Anderson: Well for me, closing down both concepts was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Losing my businesses represented a lot more than just my work life; it represented my life’s work. However, for both of us at that moment, it was less about being “able” to move forward than needing to keep ourselves gainfully employed. I also knew that I was personally not ready to conceive of my life without Christine being a part of it on a regular, if not daily basis.

Christine LeMieux: The craziest thing about all of this is that if the pandemic hadn’t happened, Kendra and I wouldn’t even be speaking to you today about our consulting firm! I was slated to move last spring as my partner accepted a promotion in California, and I planned on moving with him. When the pandemic hit, those plans were put on hold and, of course, I went into “Save Bar Helix” mode with Kendra and Sam Barraza, our chef! I eventually moved in the fall, after we closed Cabana X, but with the knowledge that we were going to keep moving forward, despite the losses handed to us, and I would come back to Denver as needed to serve our clients.

AB: It feels more and more like people are craving a variety of experiences. How did creating Cabana X crystalize the genesis of your collaboration and launch of MQCG?

KA: It's funny to think about it now, but Cabana X was borne of our desperate craving for a vacation. In May, when the idea first came to me, we had all been locked down for months. We were betting on the idea that everyone else in Denver probably felt the same way; trapped, over the winter weather, and ready for a change of scenery. Looking back, I'm incredibly proud that we leaned into both our creative instincts and our commitment to delivering experiential food + beverage concepts for our guests. While I've always felt passionate about this kind of entertaining, and very much feel like we did this well at Bar Helix, it's been incredible to discover how much Christine also has that passion. Now we use it to guide the way we approach our consulting engagements.

CL: Indeed, the pandemic thrust us into a position of trial by fire! At the beginning of 2020, we had committed to making the year the most profitable yet for Bar Helix -- and we were well on our way to doing so -- when that dreaded day in March brought everything to a halt. We were then catapulted into survival mode and knew that an operation with indoor capacity restrictions and to-go sales wasn’t going to cut it. So, rather creatively, Kendra had a moment of inspiration one night about how to tackle re-opening, and when she shared the vision, I saw it in my mind immediately and instinctively knew how to implement it. When Cabana X came to fruition, that’s when we realized the combination of our unique skill sets and creativity made for a fantastic working relationship!

AB: You are a full-service consultancy group- how do you start working with clients? At the beginning of a concept? As they make pivots? As they are looking for better management options? Where do you step in?

KA: Actually, the answer is D: all of the above! A lot of our clients have been people we’ve worked with previously or got to know through Bar Helix or Cabana X, so the initial conversations were able to happen organically. As we learn about our client's issues or the goals they have for their businesses, we can present new ways of thinking about how they can execute their vision.

CL: What Kendra said is right! We are ready to step in and consult wherever the client is at in their process. For example, we have advised on a restaurant redesign, assisted with branding for a brand new candle company, and consulted on ongoing DEI processes, too.

AB: In a male-dominated field, I love that you are unabashedly bringing your feminine energy to the literal table. How do your experiences shape the mission of MQCG?

KA: For most of my professional career, both in corporate America and in the hospitality world, I've more often than not been the only woman, person of color, chef + sommelier, you name it, in the room. I realized as I got older that I wasn't interested in trying to fit into the norms, and that there actually was no point in making the effort since it wasn't going to serve me anyway. Now I think there's real power in being as authentic as I can be, no matter what the setting. Embracing our unique lived experiences, which is obviously rooted in the fact that we are women, feels like a real differentiator for us in this industry.

CL: From a young age, I was very aware that women worked twice, if not, three or four times as hard as their male counterparts to achieve the same results and to get noticed. In turn, that knowledge created within me the competitive desire to excel toward whatever I put my mind to. That said, we have a certain vision of how we want to approach our work and that includes questioning the status quo and innovating wherever and whenever possible.

AB: At MQCG, one of your core principles is social activism and awareness. How do you weave that principle into your projects? How does that extend to your work with the Clayton Members Club & Hotel?

KA: While these principles resonate deeply with me as a woman of color, for many years I avoided bringing elements of social activism into my work life. I thought it would be perceived by others as distracting. As if I was seeking attention for those causes, rather than my credentials or experience. It's only been in the past couple of years that I've realized making other people feel comfortable by avoiding important conversations is not my responsibility. When we launched MQCG, we both felt a strong sense of commitment to making a real difference by helping our clients improve their business performance, customer loyalty, and even staff retention by making Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion a priority. Clayton has been an incredible project. We've been able to influence (and we hope, improve!) the guest experience by introducing outstanding brands, which happen to be owned by BIPOC or LGTBQIA+ folks whom you might not expect to see featured at a private member's club. In this way, we are striving not only to make a positive impact with our clients but with everyone our clients do business with.

CL: The values I bring to our business are personal to me as I have been an advocate for the causes of environmental and social justice for as long as I can remember! As a result, my business lens is informed by my academic background in the field of ecopsychology. Ecopsychology bridges the disciplines of ecology and psychology and has a variety of applications outside of those two particular fields. One defining principle studied in ecopsychology is diversity. Simply put, we know that ecosystems with greater biodiversity are healthier ecosystems. Applying that to human ecosystems, we believe enhancing and increasing diversity within organizations will reverberate in critical ways you can’t even foresee at the outset.

AB: Christine and Kendra, thank you for taking time out of your epically busy schedule to speak with us. We are all tremendous fans of both of your drive, creativity, and generousness of spirit. We can’t wait to see how you change the landscape of hospitality here in Denver and beyond!

Modern Queens Consulting Group: @mqconsultinggroup

Writer: @theblojreport

Photographer: @estherleeleach