In 2023, Frida Southwest received a James Beard Award nomination for Outstanding Beverage Program, but it would be more accurate to say that under Kim Dansereau’s leadership, Frida’s bar program was recognized as one of the best in the country. Dansereau is no longer at Frida, nor are other key personnel who helped earn that nomination, but she is applying that same level of bar genius, combined with a stellar palate, to Picasso Cafe.

As one of the partners in Humankind Hospitality, she helps operate Picasso Cafe, The Other Room, Oso, and Flamingo. The Bethel Acres native has been in hospitality all her adult life, except for a brief hiatus she mentions in this episode. Humankind has over the years been a safe haven for hospitality pros who didn’t always fit other places, and that ethos has made places like Picasso deeply beloved by people who don’t always align well with the idea of “typical Okie.”

Before it was Picasso, the Paseo District restaurant was Galileo’s, a popular spot for poetry, live music, art, wine and food, and it was a gathering place for the community. Dansereau helped continue that legacy when she and Shaun Fiaccone purchased the concept and then opened the newly renovated Picasso Cafe in 2009.