Driven by her dedication and ambition to get up every single morning to tend to her clients’ needs, Marla J. Oden has excelled in juggling her passions for hairstyling, cooking, and catering. Commencing her career as a hairstylist, she worked at salons for more than 30 years before she decided to switch gears and pursue a new profession. She flew back and forth from Toledo, Ohio, where she worked at the salon on weekends to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she attended the culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu, between 2011 and 2012, knowing all the effort and sacrifice would be worthwhile. At the school, she not only sharpened her skills in the kitchen but discovered she wanted to contribute more to her community as a cook. From there, she became determined to open up a catering business.

Serving as the executive chef and chief operating officer of Whisk Takers Catering for five years now, Ms. Oden is in charge of daily operations, creating quotes for customers, and ultimately providing fresh food for numerous events—be it corporate, labor unions, business, or personal—and parties. Gathering whatever is left over from the function—meat, potatoes, and other foods—she makes it a priority to donate it to local soup kitchens, helping to feed those in need. In addition, she and her colleagues frequently donate clothes to shelters. Remaining active as a hairstylist, she has lent her expertise to In The Kut Hair Studio since 2014—a venture she relied on during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was a halt on catered events.

A mother of two, Ms. Oden enjoys traveling and spending time in nature. In her day-to-day operations, she loves meeting people and seeing their reactions when eating her prepared food. An honest, committed, and professional businesswoman, she strives in the next five years to own and operate a restaurant.