Based in Queen Creek, Arizona, Lauren Chmelka is an experienced chef who began her career as a line cook at Hilton Barcelona in Spain through a culinary externship at Kendall College Culinary School. In 2008, she joined The Joynt in Chicago. As an executive chef, Lauren Chmelka oversaw a wide range of responsibilities beyond food preparation and presentation. She ensured the quality and sanitation of food products and equipment, managed recruiting and hiring efforts, and negotiated prices and ordered supplies with sales reps.
Following her time at The Joynt, Lauren Chmelka entered the private chef space, serving multiple clients throughout the Chicago area. Since 2011, she has functioned in a similar role as a personal chef at Big City Chefs in Phoenix, Arizona. Her duties in this position encompass all aspects of menu planning, from shopping for ingredients to cleaning up after meals, all while adhering to client requests, preferences, and special diets.
Lauren Chmelka holds a journalism degree from The Ohio State University. She completed a culinary program at the Kendall College Culinary School in Chicago.