About Chef Kev

Growing up working in my family’s renowned Kansas City BBQ joint, I have always felt most at home in the kitchen. To me, it’s always been a place that represented passion, creative freedom and family.

After high school, I did what so many young people do: explore a variety of paths – everything from studying Mass Communication and Broadcasting Journalism at the University of Alabama to becoming a successful financial executive within the mortgage industry, and with many academic and professional pit stops along the way. Although grateful for my journey and everything I had learned, I was hungry for more. I could not ignore my true passion. In 2009, I took a leap of faith and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California to pursue my dream of studying culinary arts. It was during this time that I developed my signature style, combing classical culinary training with my down-home upbringing to create nourishing, satisfying food packed with flavor.

Over the years, I have been blessed to work alongside some of this generation’s most well respected chefs, including Emeril Lagasse at e2 Emeril’s Eatery and Wolfgang Puck at Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar in Charlotte, North Carolina – a thriving community I love and the place my two young sons and I currently call home. These experiences, paired with filling every role from slinging fast-paced orders on the line to overseeing the entire operation as Chef de Cuisine at restaurants from coast to coast, have refined my skills and palate while allowing me to collect new, exciting flavors and techniques to add to my repertoire.

Today, I offer Queen City’s most comprehensive personal chef placement services and am privileged to call myself Personal Chef to global pop superstars and professional athletes, including Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers and Lance Stephenson of the LA Clippers. Catering tours for recording artists Justin Bieber, Chris Daughtry and Mindless Behavior have been career highlights for me. It is a true honor to be invited into the homes of people like Brendan Haywood of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Demar Derozen of the San Antonio Spurs, Comedian Jess Hilarious of MTV Show Wildin Out and former NBA player and former Phoenix Suns Assistant Coach, Earl Watson, to cook for them.

My cooking philosophy is simple: healthy eating can, and should, be delicious and satisfying. Feeding yourself and your loved ones nourishing food doesn’t mean feeling deprived or like you’re missing out. Tasty and gratifying meals that accommodate dietary restrictions or preferences like the alkaline diet, organic, Paleo, vegetarian, vegan, sugar-free or local, are opportunities to get creative and have fun.

Whether cooking for an individual or groups of five to 5,000, transforming quality ingredients into delicious, vibrant flavors that exceed expectations is always my goal. I want to teach you how to do the same. Your incredible support and culinary curiosity inspired me to put together this recipe eBook and share some of my winning Chef secrets. Think of The Flavor Playbook as your game plan for hitting it out of the park with every meal. Your family and guests will be cheering from their seats when you serve up these dishes!

 

What is the Flavor Playbook?

 The Flavor Playbook is an eCookbook of 25 quick and easy recipes that my clients and family love. So many of us are looking to enjoy healthy, cost-effective meals and snacks that deliver on taste but don’t require too much planning or time in the kitchen, and my Flavor Playbook contains game-winning dishes that will solidify your status as MVP at your next potluck, cookout or Sunday family dinner.

More than sharing my top recipes with you, the purpose of the Playbook is to teach you the skills necessary for making each meal a homerun. Using simple techniques that I learned in culinary school and throughout my career as a Chef, I will show you how to build an incredible dish without using recipes – even if you only have a small amount of ingredients on hand. The ability to whip up something delicious and nutritious with only a few ingredients is what separates Chefs from regular cooks. We cook based on flavors and pairing ingredients, and you can too. It’s about creativity, being adventurous and trusting your instincts – there is no wrong way!

Look at my Flavor Playbook as your strategy for improving your game in the kitchen. With me as your coach, you will explore an inspiring new world of flavors for breakfast, lunch, dinner and more, get recipes for old comforting favorites made healthier like Chocolate Cake and Breakfast Potato Hash, and gain the tools and knowledge to create amazing dishes from scratch. The Flavor Playbook contains an all-star team of recipes you will make for your family and guests again and again.

 

 Why the Flavor Playbook now?

I grew up playing football and basketball, and many of my clients are professional athletes who rely on delicious food packed with nutrition for staying at the top of their game. The Flavor Playbook was inspired by the idea of sharing my recipes in a unique way that would reach new audiences while still feeling familiar and accessible, but above all, true to who I am.

I felt compelled to write The Flavor Playbook because of my wonderful community of supporters. Over the years, many of you have asked for certain types of recipes, cooking tips or healthier versions of old favorites, and this collection of recipes is for you. I wanted to release a sample of my top recipes to allow my fans, supporters and anyone who loves to cook a sneak peek into my game plan for creating amazing flavors.

If you’re reading this, I know you’re ready to go pro in the kitchen. Game on!