Chef Kevin Kendall Smith

Growing up in a small town in England, I had a unique exposure to food. Both of my Grandmothers were butchers and they taught me early on that food is to be respected and appreciated. They both used every animal from nose to tail and catered to clients that shared their doctrine. Long before there was such a thing as “Organic” my grandmothers made a point of telling me how important it was that animals got to be outside and eat grass. They gave me an understanding that a happy animal produced better products for clients. I learned at a young age the differences between cuts of meat, which organs produced the best soups, pies, broths, gravy, etc. and in that way I had a leg up as I got older and moved into the culinary world. I began to focus my attention more on vegetables and applying the same ideals to the area of acquiring produce that had been left alone and grown with sun, water, and soil - no pesky chemicals.

At just 16, I knew I wanted to move into the culinary arena but I had a strong inclination towards the sciences and how life was made - Chemistry & Biology fascinated me. Little did I know that those sciences would be the foundation of most of what I learned about nutrition during my years at university and moving forward as I expanded my ability to cook for clients with different dietary restrictions and health conditions. I attained my culinary degree and became certified in food sciences at my university in London.

I began working in hotels and restaurants after college honing my skills and eventually was given the opportunity to move to Santa Monica where I began working in a restaurant in the Pacific Palisades. It was there I cemented my skills in Asian cuisine - sushi was a pure joy to prepare and I began my journey of understanding food history when I stumbled upon real fermented soy for the first time.

Over the next few years, I began to build my knowledge of Mexican cooking and transitioned into a restaurant that I could grow in. I loved the kick and punch of the flavors. It was at this point in my career I found myself cooking for notable people such as Barak Obama, Magic Johnson, Stella McCartney, and many other high-profile clients. I began to take on work for restaurant investors and designed menus for upcoming restaurants that ranged from wine bars with small plates available to boutique pizzerias.

Suddenly amidst what seemed like the height of my career my health crashed. The long hours and stress of opening restaurants had taken a toll on my body and I needed to regroup. I found myself going back to basics, looking for local, clean produce, reducing the amount of meat I ate, and for a time going fully vegan and playing with the culinary adventures that afforded me. I learned so much about nourishment at that time - what it really meant to give the body what it needed. I found that so much of what my grandmothers had taught me about food still rang true. At that point, I decided to go on to become certified as a Clinical Nutritionist and studied at the California University of Health Sciences. I was able to merge my new understanding of what health really was with my joy of being in the kitchen and knew at that point I wanted to take my career in a new direction. I became a personal chef.

I have worked one on one with people now for several years showing my clients how to find sustainable produce locally, where to purchase the best meat, dairy, and advise them on what foods to stay away from based on their health conditions or goals. I now provide home-raised eggs to my clients, homemade kombucha, organic bone broths, and even fermented sourdough bread made fresh in my kitchen. I first and foremost aim to create meals that excite people, meals that really give you more than you bargained for and truly nourish you. When clients find recipes online and want to try them I always go for making it better than it was originally done and that’s the same way I feel about someone’s kitchen - I aim to leave your kitchen better than I found it.