Personal Chef in DC: Kerrie’s Story of Care, Food, and Service

A Values-Driven Beginning

Kerrie is a personal chef in DC whose connection to food wellness, and sustainability began growing up in a town of fishermen along the South Florida coastline. Kerrie has always been deeply connected to nature. Beach days, long walks, and quiet moments spent bird watching and identifying trees were part of everyday life. At the same time, she witnessed the gradual degradation and neglect of the land and waterways around her, as local and state officials prioritized development over environmental protection. The 2016 election deepened her interest in politics, policy, and environmental justice. She went on to study international relations and environmental science at American University and she is now in law school pursuing a career in environmental and civil rights law.

From Environmental Advocacy to the Kitchen

So how does a future lawyer end up as a personal chef? For Kerrie, the two are more connected than they might seem even though her clients are surprised to learn she’s in law school, just as her classmates are often surprised to find out she’s a personal chef. Food has always been a constant for her—watching Food Network as a kid, hosting friends, and exploring new flavors—and it has now grown into a career that supports her studies while letting her combine creativity, practicality, and care in every meal. She’s intentional with the ingredients she chooses, shopping at local farmers’ markets, and recognizing how her choices as a consumer make a real impact.

Intentional Ingredients, Thoughtful Cooking

Nutrition and wellness are equally central to Katie’s approach: with a father who was a bodybuilder and a mother who is a physical therapist and personal trainer, healthy eating and fitness have always been part of her life, and they continue to shape both her cooking and personal habits. She focuses on meals that feel good to eat—nothing overly heavy, fried, or oily—favoring soups, stews, pastas, and seasonal dishes that hold up well over the week. Garlic, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and fresh herbs are her kitchen non-negotiables. She loves cooking for families, especially kids, finding ways to “healthify” familiar favorites while keeping them comforting and satisfying. Chef Kerrie wants her clients to feel good, satiated, and energized after eating her food and she hopes her food makes her clients feel closer to their family and to themselves.

Ultimately, what drives her work—both in food and in law—is care and service. She hopes her cooking helps take stress off people’s plates and that her future legal work as an environmental and civil rights attorney will support communities navigating the realities of climate change. In both spaces, her goal is the same: to show up consistently, do the work well, and make a tangible difference.