Joy Nowlin

Kitchen Manager/Event Planner at Horseshoe Hill Cowboy Cafe

I have learned firsthand that if circumstances have knocked you down, Fort Worth will wrap their arms around you and pick you back up as long as you remain dedicated, motivated & passionate.

Meet January’s Fort Worth Woman!

Joy Nowlin initially began her career working from the ground up at a mortgage business, eventually becoming a Senior Loan Officer. Amidst the 2008 financial crisis, Joy was left without a job (and considered ‘overqualified’ for others she was willing to take), eventually without her home which was foreclosed on in 2014, and without a single chance to begin a new career.

While bouncing through a variety of different jobs over the years, Joy found other ways to bring food to the table for her three kids via the Tarrant Area Food Bank Mobile Food Pantries. There was one day where Joy needed food so badly for her family that despite the fact that she was broke and barely had enough gas, she drove 26 miles to the mobile food pantry that was open that day.

That was the day that changed everything.

While waiting in line for food, Joy noticed a flyer about a culinary training program called ‘Community Kitchen’ put on by the Tarrant Area Food Bank. After competing for one of the twelve slots, Joy was accepted into this 16-week intensive program. This past October, a local guest chef, Grady Spears (owner of Horseshoe Hill Cowboy Café in the Stockyards) came to visit the program and Joy had the opportunity to be his sous chef.

By the end of the training that day, Grady himself asked Joy if she wanted a job assisting with the events, planning, catering, training, and serving as kitchen manager for his restaurant. Despite the odds over the past few years, Joy has created a future for herself that is now full of endless possibilities!

Joy loves that “Fort Worth is a city full of caring and amazing people! I have learned firsthand that if circumstances have knocked you down, Fort Worth will wrap their arms around you and pick you back up as long as you remain dedicated, motivated & passionate.” Her word for her impact as a businesswoman on our city is all too fitting given her story: dedicated.

To contact Joy, visit her Horseshoe Hill Events Planning Facebook page or stop on by the restaurant for a bite to eat! Joy, thank you for who you are and for never giving up! Fort Worth loves you!

“Since its inception in 2007, 283 students have successfully completed the program. On average, more than 80 percent of Community Kitchen students have continued to be employed at least one year after graduation.” For more information about Tarrant Area Food Bank’s Community Kitchen program, please visit https://tafb.org/services/community-kitchen/.

If you or someone you know would like to see the TAFB Mobile Food Pantry schedule, please visit https://tafb.org/services/food/mobile-pantries/.

Fort Worth Woman

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