#WomensWork Feature: Karen Widrick

“The only person who can hold you back,” says Karen Widrick, general manager of downtown Bethlehem restaurant Edge, “is yourself. Always go into a meeting, an interview, or just your daily life with the confidence that you own it.”

She speaks with the experience of years in the hospitality business, a field she entered not knowing she would grow to love it. Widrick worked her way up from hostess to her current role as general manager, taking a variety of positions over the years so she could learn every aspect of the industry. She grew; she got great at her job; and she kept learning and growing. She’s sacrificed time with family and friends, on holidays and weekends, but now she works side by side with her husband, Edge Chef Timothy Widrick.

It’s Karen Widrick’s job at Edge to manage all the moving pieces—to create an atmosphere that allows the chef and his team to think outside the box and bartenders to break from traditions, to create a space where ‘fun’ and ‘casual’ go hand-in-hand with fine dining, all without compromising quality. Edge has been a part of the downtown Bethlehem restaurant scene for years, through hard times and good, and Widrick sees the restaurant as a positive staple that will continue to grow and contribute to the community.

“I believe a legacy should not be the physical things you leave behind, but the lives you touch,” she says. “I would hope those who have worked with me or for me can look back and know I was a fair but firm manager. I gave my best and only ever expected theirs in return.”