About Me

A Texas native with Korean restaurateur parents, Los Angeles-based Chef Kelly creates a unique cultural mesh of bold Korean flavors, robust Texas BBQ sizzle and fresh California cuisine. By bringing her signature style to delectable perfect bites, she explores the complex and often surprising interplay of flavors, textures and colors.  Chef Kelly has honed and shared her craft through her experiences at five-star restaurant kitchens and private cooking instruction and on her food blog, chefkelly.com. No matter what the cuisine, she believes all food should be all made with two tablespoons of love: love for food, love for life.

How I got here:

I’m venturing out to the unknown.  Kinda like a sports fanatic, a car enthusiast, or a straight-up drug addict, I have this sickness.  I love everything about food.  I hate the term “foodie” that is so overused…but rather consider myself to be a food lover, sustenance that feeds your body and your soul.  I geekly read (that’s right, read) recipes in a book/magazine/blogs like I’m reading a novel all day long.  I love the delicate and complex melange of how all the flavors can artfully come together but overdue it and it can become bastardized and overpowered.  I love the crashing and melting of different cultures and flavors, the always adventurous search for great and different food.  I love the challenges of wanting good food with great flavors but keeping it healthy and simple.  I love the quiet few moments of silence when plating your labor of love.  And most of all, I love the look on everyone’s face, the ymmmms and the smiles when they’re nourished with something good all the while surrounded by white noise of people chattering away, enjoying food, catching up and just having a good time.  It’s not just food, guys.  It’s emotional, tactile, sensual.

A former (still) corporate employee by weekdays, an aspiring chef at night and weekends – I still am torn between making my passion my living and wondering if it’ll stop being such joy if it becomes work so I tread carefully.  Growing up with a dad married to the restaurant where it was lucky that we saw him two days out of the year – I love to cook but do I love it more than love itself?

Don’t know where this will take me but continue to adventure into new dishes and flavors every day. Let’s see where it takes me!  After all – it’s the journey and not the destination that matters in life, right?  So – enjoy the ride~

Chef Kelly

3 Responses to About Me

  1. Andrew says:

    You are so talented. What a wonderful surprise to see you creations in vivid color.

    -Andrew K.

  2. Sandy says:

    Love your website. Your enthusiasm and passion for cooking mixed with your talent and love for cooking will lead you to that restaurant.

    • chefkelly says:

      Thanks, Sandy. It really meant a lot to get your email today as I struggled with living corporate life and my secret-closet-chef-life. Please check back often and thanks for reading my posts!

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