Hey everyone, I’m Ava.
A Southern girl turned New York City chef, living in Brooklyn with my fiancé Marcus and our two cats, Basil and Pepper (yes, I named them after herbs – I couldn’t help myself!).
I’m a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, and the founder of Ava Chef Life. I love discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants, perfecting classic techniques, and proving that restaurant-quality food can absolutely be made at home.
my story
I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, where my grandmother taught me that cooking wasn’t just about feeding people – it was about showing love. Every Sunday, our kitchen would fill with the aromas of shrimp and grits, buttermilk biscuits, and whatever seasonal vegetables we’d picked up at the farmers market.
After high school, I shocked my family by announcing I was heading to culinary school instead of following the traditional college path. I enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, where I spent two intensive years learning everything from knife skills to pastry arts.
My first job out of culinary school was as a line cook at a farm-to-table restaurant in Charleston. The pace was brutal, but I was addicted to the energy, the precision, and the incredible high of sending out perfect plates during a busy dinner service.
Hungry for more experience, I moved to New York City in 2018 and worked my way up through some of the city’s most respected kitchens. I spent time at a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Manhattan, where I learned the art of fine dining, and later at a buzzy neighborhood spot in Brooklyn that specialized in modern American cuisine.
During the pandemic, like so many chefs, I found myself suddenly without a kitchen to call home. That’s when I started Ava Chef Life in 2021 – initially as a way to stay connected to food and share the techniques I’d learned with other home cooks who were spending more time in their kitchens than ever before.
What began as a creative outlet quickly became my passion project. I realized I could reach more people through teaching and recipe development than I ever could behind a restaurant stove.
After two years of building Ava Chef Life on nights and weekends while working in restaurants, I made the leap to full-time content creation in 2023. Now I get to combine my professional training with my love for teaching, creating recipes that bring restaurant techniques into home kitchens.
A little more about Ava Chef Life
Ava Chef Life bridges the gap between professional cooking and home kitchens. Having worked in restaurants for years, I know the techniques that make food truly exceptional – and I’m here to share them with you in a way that actually works for real life.
This isn’t about complicated recipes or hard-to-find ingredients. It’s about understanding the fundamentals that transform good food into great food, whether you’re making a weeknight dinner or hosting a dinner party.
Every recipe comes with the kind of professional tips and troubleshooting advice you’d get if you were working next to me on the line.
You’ll find:
Restaurant techniques made simple: Learn the secrets behind perfect pan sauces, properly seared proteins, and vegetables that actually taste like something – all adapted for your home kitchen and schedule.
Elevated comfort food: We take the classics you love and give them the restaurant treatment, from the world’s best mac and cheese to short ribs that will ruin you for all other short ribs.
Dinner party showstoppers: Impress your guests with dishes that look and taste like they came from a five-star restaurant, but are totally doable for the ambitious home cook.
Professional fundamentals: Master the building blocks that every chef knows – stocks, mother sauces, and knife skills that will change how you cook forever.
Quick professional tricks: Sometimes you need dinner in 20 minutes, and I’ll show you how to make it taste like you spent all day cooking.
Seasonal sophistication: We follow the seasons like restaurants do, creating menus that celebrate the best ingredients at their peak.
Ready to cook like a chef? Start with my famous Perfect Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs and the Five-Minute Restaurant-Style Pan Sauce that will change your weeknight game forever.
my work
My recipes and techniques have been featured in Food & Wine, Epicurious, and Serious Eats. Ava Chef Life has been spotlighted in Bon Appétit, where they called my approach “the perfect marriage of professional technique and home cook reality.”
I’ve had the privilege of partnering with professional-grade brands that I actually use in restaurant kitchens, including All-Clad, Wüsthof, and KitchenAid Pro Line, creating content that shows home cooks how to get the most out of quality tools.
I also work as a private chef consultant, helping restaurants develop menus and training home cooks who want to take their skills to the next level.
Want to dive deeper into my chef journey? I’ve shared my story and professional insights on podcasts including:
- The Chef’s Table Podcast
- Line Cook Chronicles
- From Culinary School to Content Creator
- The Professional Kitchen
- Restaurant to Recipe Developer
- Behind the Apron
I was also featured on the Food Network’s digital series “Chef Techniques at Home,” where I demonstrated professional knife skills and sauce-making techniques for home cooks.
For aspiring chefs and culinary school students, you can find my career advice and industry insights featured in Culinary Professionals Magazine and The Chef’s Life blog.
keep in touch
I love connecting with fellow food enthusiasts, whether you’re a home cook looking to level up or a culinary professional navigating your own path! Here’s how we can stay connected:
Leave a comment: Tried one of my recipes? I want to hear how it went! I read every comment and love troubleshooting techniques or answering questions about professional cooking methods.
Instagram: Follow along for daily technique tips, behind-the-scenes glimpses of recipe development, and plenty of Basil and Pepper content (they’re surprisingly good sous chefs). I love when you tag me in your cooking adventures!
TikTok: Quick technique videos, professional kitchen hacks, and the occasional cooking fail (because even chefs mess up sometimes). Perfect for when you need a fast tip while you’re cooking.
YouTube: This is where I get to really dive deep into techniques. Join me for longer tutorials, knife skills workshops, and full recipe walkthroughs that feel like having a chef right in your kitchen.
Newsletter: Join the Ava Chef Life community for weekly recipe drops, seasonal menu ideas, and professional tips that don’t make it to social media. It’s like getting texts from your chef friend who always knows exactly what you should cook.
Keep cooking with confidence!
Ava xx