About Karla

Karla’s great love of food and travel leads her on frequent gastronomic adventures where she studies the relationship between food and culture, feeding her mind and her soul. Although she has been awed and inspired by several countries, her special affinity for the likes of Italy, France, Spain, and Greece is perhaps most often reflected in her cooking. Visits to the aforementioned countries include everything from a summer spent working as a private chef on an ecological olive estate in northern Mallorca to a 3-week food tour of Calabria where she worked on farms, cooked with locals and visited agriturismi, restaurants and artisanal cheese makers. A love affair with San Sebastian, a visit to Athen’s oldest and best known pita shop – memories such as these and the beautiful people met along the way help to shape what Karla happily shares with everyone she cooks for.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY (1998 & 2000), Karla has been cooking in professional kitchens since the age of 16. Throughout her restaurant career, she has worked under some of the country's most highly recognized chefs. A background in upscale catering and working in private homes rounds out her culinary experience. Since 2008, Karla has been freelancing for various clients predominantly in Fairfield County, CT and the greater NY metropolitan area. While she specializes in intimate meals prepared in private residences, she also offers catering for all occasions and parties. She prides herself in developing and maintaining long-lasting relationships with her clients, many of whom call upon her season after season to entertain their guests.