Creative Personal Chef in DC: The Journey of Celeste

Chef Celeste’s journey to becoming a creative personal chef in DC began not in a kitchen, but in an art studio. She studied visual arts in college—painting, mixed media, and sculptural work. She discovered that what she loved most was creating with her hands. Working at a desk was never going to be an option. Cooking gave her the same sense of physical engagement and creative freedom, but with flavors, textures, and aromas as the medium.

Roots in Sustainability

Celeste grew up just outside of Chicago, in a household where growing food and sourcing it thoughtfully were core values. Visits to her grandmother’s farm in North Carolina meant gathering fruit and nuts straight from the trees, while at home her family grew their own produce. Her parents’ passion for sustainability instilled in her a deep respect for knowing where food comes from. She learned early on that every ingredient carries a story long before it reaches the plate. This philosophy of thoughtfulness continues to guide her cooking today.

Learning Through Experience: Lessons from a Creative Personal Chef in DC

Instead of culinary school, Chef Celeste built her education in restaurant kitchens. She learned through trial and error, grateful to her mentors who gave her the chances to fail and try again. Smaller, independent restaurants– where quality mattered most and skills were always on display–became her preferred workplace. At Chicago’s Salero she was granted the role of pastry chef. Afterward at Mango Pickle, an Indian-inspired bistro, she thrived in a creative environment that celebrated bold flavors and inventive combinations.

Her most enduring lesson came when a chef reminded her that a dish she was overthinking “just needed more love.” That moment shaped her cooking philosophy–she learned to ask herself: does this food feel generous — full of flavor, warmth, and soul? “Technique matters, but what makes the food delicious is  heart, soul, and intuition,” she says. “That’s my mantra, for food and for life.”

Life in kitchens also gave her a broader perspective. Celeste observed how a restaurant kitchen is like a microcosm of democracy–people from different backgrounds working side by side, each finding their own voice while contributing to the whole. “If more workplaces operated that way, I think we’d be living in a very different world.”

Life on the Road

Celeste’s career also took her far beyond restaurants. For a time, she worked as a roadie, cooking backstage for touring crews of artists like Kelly Clarkson and BTS. Demanding and unconventional, the experience sharpened her adaptability and ability to feed people under any circumstances.

A Personal Approach

Today, Celeste brings her craft directly into people’s homes as a personal chef. What she finds most rewarding is the close connection—being part of people’s daily routines and creating meals that fit seamlessly into a client’s lifestyle. She hopes her food feels generous and comforting. However, when clients are open to bold flavors and contrast, she loves depicting the sense of excitement, fearlessness and freedom that can be present during the cooking process. She loves a layered, slow cooked one-pot dish like a gumbo, curry, ciopinno, and tagine. For Celeste, cooking for clients, friends, or family all comes back to the same purpose: taking care of people through food. 

Beyond the Kitchen

A year ago, Celeste moved to DC with her partner, drawn by the city’s greener pace of life. She spends her free time hiking trails like Annapolis Rock, Shenandoah National Park, and the Billy Goat Trail, or heading to the coast at Ocean City. More often, though, she can be found in her art studio where she creates abstract mixed media painting and sculpture.

From art to restaurants, Celeste has always been driven by creativity, connection, and care. Now, as a personal chef, she brings all those influences together—crafting meals that are soulful, thoughtful, and designed to be shared.