Thea M. Mason

Meet the Owner and Founder:  Thea M. Mason

Thea M. Mason is a proud native of Detroit, Michigan, and the third oldest of five children: Langston, Rachel, Thea, Celeste, and Joni’, the baby of the family. She is the daughter of Celeste and John Franklin Mason and was raised with a strong appreciation for family, faith, good food, and bringing people together around the table.

Thea’s love for cooking began at a young age in the kitchens of two very special women in her life: her Aunt JoAnn and her grandmother, Geraldine Croft. Aunt Jo taught her how to bake cakes from scratch and make something out of almost nothing, especially when it came to turning leftovers in the refrigerator into a satisfying meal. Granny Croft taught Thea how to prepare delicious home-cooked meals from scratch and the importance of presentation. “You have to see it before you eat it, so make it pretty!” her granny always says.

Thea combined the lessons she learned from Aunt Jo and Granny Croft with the fun she had experimenting in the kitchen alongside her older brother as a child. Over time, through practice, creativity, and plenty of self-taught cooking experiences, she became quite the home chef.

Although cooking was always a passion, Thea initially viewed it as a pleasurable hobby and chose to pursue a career in education. After earning her degree and spending several years working in education and other professional roles, she realized that the culinary world was calling her back to the kitchen.

In the summer of 2018, Thea opened Thea’s Bass & Biddy Kitchen in Lexington, Kentucky. What began with a purpose, a mission, and a pot of oil has grown into a flavorful catering and event-based food service business known for fresh fried fish, fresh fried chicken, made-to-order meals, and memorable customer service.

Thea’s Bass & Biddy Kitchen proudly continues Aunt Jo’s legacy through our catering and restaurant services by serving food made with creativity, care, resourcefulness, and love. Her lessons about making something special from what you have, feeding people well, and putting heart into every dish remain a meaningful part of the Bass & Biddy experience.



Thea’s Bass & Biddy Kitchen proudly serves fresh, flavorful food prepared with care and a whole lot of heart.

“A Lotta Bass, A Lotta Biddy!”