Hometown
San Diego, CA
Chef Bio
As a child, Chef Kyndra cultivated a deep love for cooking via her grandmother. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu (Hollywood), her unique heritage of African, Irish, Panamanian, Jamaican & Native American has created a refined palate developed from a wide variety of ingredients, recipes, and global travel.
Chef Kyndra’s passion for food, coupled with her unstoppable determination to be an impactful chef, has allowed her to work with some of the best chefs in the industry, as well as cook for Hollywood favorites such as Bill Handel from KFI, Halle Berry, Larenz Tate, Kendrick Lamar, YG, Tank, Sela Ward, and top executives with companies such as Oaktree Capital, Microsoft, Bing & PWC.
As a resident of South Los Angeles, Kyndra also strives to pour into her community by hiring local staff and working pro bono for community events providing healthy and tasty food options in an area considered to be a food desert. As part of her mission to unite people through diverse food culture, she also curated the menu for the first ever black owned, woman owned wine bar in Inglewood.
How long have you been working with Big City Chefs?
Since 2010
If I were a spice, I would be…
Mesquite Rub. It’s full of bold flavor… smoky and hot! Or we can just go with spicy, haha.
My favorite local purveyors, artisans, and farmers:
Prosperity Market & Céor Bread
What I love about cooking and hospitality…
I grew up cooking with my Panamanian grandmother. She showed her love through cooking. I saw the joy it gave her and the smiles it put on everyone’s face, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Cooking is art, but it’s also how I show my love to people .
What are your top three go-to pantry items?
SPG (my own spice blend), thyme, and liquid smoke
