I am a chef with my own business called Beyond the Table. I have served as a caterer, cooking instructor, and personal chef. I believe in the sustainability, culture, religion, history, and science behind food. There is more than what is "at the table". I live to serve others in that mission and cannot wait to cook for you!

For me, cooking is...

living. I live and breathe food. It is my passion and my obsession.

I learned to cook at...

I am primarily self taught, but I have trained under various professional chefs (including a French pastry chef).

A cooking secret...

if you need to cook with a substitute (tofu, almond milk, etc.), don't treat it like a foreign object. Apply the same cooking method to the substitute

My menus

Firenze

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Fritto Misto - Crisp and Airy Fried Market Vegetables served with a Roasted Tomato and Red Wine Sauce

Stuffed Cherry Peppers - goat cheese stuffed sweet and subtly spicy little peppers with a drizzle of arugula oil

Ricotta and Asparagus Crostini - roasted garlic crostini, lemon ricotta, fresh asparagus, toasted black peppercorns

Pesto and Potato Flatbread - a light and airy flatbread with a rustic pesto, russet potatoes, creamy burrata, and a zippy lemon seasoning

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Cavoletti - charred Brussel sprouts with pancetta and pecorino romano cheese

Jeweled Roasted Broccoli - roasted broccoli with ricotta salata, golden raisins, and pine nuts

Farro Arugula Salad - peppery arugula, tender farro, toasted pistachios, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, with a pesto vinaigrette

A New Caesar - tender shredded kale with a homemade Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan, and croissant croutons

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Mandilli de Seta - silky handkerchiefs of pasta tossed in a Ligurian Pesto

Mushroom Risotto - creamy risotto with wild mushrooms and braised rosemary short ribs

Spaghetti alla Carbonara - homemade spaghetti with pancetta, toasted black peppercorns, and a velvety rich sauce

Chicken Vesuvio - Roasted chicken, lemons, and potatoes with artichokes over a bed or sauteed garlic-spinach

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Chocolate and Pistachio Tart - served with malted whipped cream

Albicocche Ripiene - tender apricots with a creme anglaise, amaretti, and whipped mascarpone cheese

Passionfruit Pavlovas - chewy pavlova nesting a passionfruit sauce, muddled raspberries, and dark chocolate shavings

Limoncello Olive Oil Cake - served with muddled blueberries

San Miguel Feast

STARTER

All inclusive

Hearts of Palm Ceviche - Fresh heirloom tomatoes, zesty lime, hearts of palm, jicama, pickled red onion and cilantro over crisp zucchini blossom tostada

Camotes Frita - crisp layered sweet potato crusted with pepitas served over a bed of jalapeno sauce and rich black bean paste

Mango Aguachile - sweet mango, habenero aguachile, crisp radish, fresh mint, cilantro oil

(VEGAN) Tlayudas - Mexican flatbread with shredded chipotle mushroom, roasted pepitas, almond crema, micro herbs

Shrimp Aguachile - fresh shrimp, sweet mango, bright habenero, micro cilantro, avocado oil

Tostones - slow cooked pork marinaded with pineapple and chiles over a fried green plantain

Buñuelo - cassava, queso fresco, black beans, chicharron

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Papaya Arugula Salad - farro, peppery arugula, tender papaya, and jicama tossed in a lime vinaigrette

(VEGAN) Kale Elote - shredded tender kale, charred corn, roasted bell pepper, avocado, creamy almond, queso fresco in a creamy lime-garlic dressing

Kale Elote - shredded tender kale, charred corn, roasted bell pepper, avocado, queso fresco in a creamy lime-garlic dressing

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Mole Verde - pistachio green mole, roasted summer squash, micro greens served alongside corn tortillas

Mole Enchiladas - potato and poblano enchiladas with a deep warm mole sauce, pickled onions, cashew crema, cilantro, almond queso fresco

Huaraches - masa cake with black bean paste, charred onions and bell pepper, citrus-herb salad and avocado crema

Hongos al Sarten - sauteed wild mushrooms with garlic and onion, cauliflower puree, and a deep umami green mole sauce

Mole Negro con Pollo - deep rich mole sauce, chicken breast, cilantro rice, pickled onions, fried plantains

Chipotle Salmon - Quinoa, sweet potato, avocado, pistachios, smoky chipotle salmon

Braised Pork - chile pork, sweet corn cake, tomatillo salsa, pickled beets

DESSERT

All inclusive

Xurros - Cardamom Churros with a Almond Creme Anglaise, Salted Caramel, Maracuya Drizzle, and Spiced Dark Chocolate

Pina al Horno - roasted pineapple in a sauce of agua panela served with coconut ice cream and caramel wafers

Spiced Chocolate Lava Cake - Spiced lava cake with coconut creme and vegan dark chocolate ice cream

Citrus Capirotada - Rum and Orange bread pudding with golden raisins, almonds, rich caramel, and malted whipped cream

Spring Blooms

STARTER

All inclusive

Ricotta and Asparagus Crostini - roasted garlic crostini, lemon ricotta, fresh asparagus, toasted black peppercorns

Pesto and Potato Flatbread - a light and airy flatbread with a rustic pesto, russet potatoes, creamy burrata, and a zippy lemon seasoning

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Farro Arugula Salad - peppery arugula, tender farro, toasted pistachios, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, with a pesto vinaigrette

Apricot and Radicchio Salad - served with champagne dressing and roasted pepitas

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Springtime Salmon - crispy salmon with a fresh fennel and radish salad over a bed of creme fraiche and roasted carrots

Roasted Citrus Chicken - Roasted chicken with sweet clementines, white wine, and thyme over a bed of ancient grains

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chocolate and Pistachio Tart - served with malted whipped cream

Limoncello Olive Oil Cake - served with whipped vanilla bean mascarpone

Oishī

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Spring Sashimi - red snapper with a chili lime dressing and spring onions

Togarashi Scallops - seared scallops with chili oil, traditional Japanese 7 spice togarashi, and micro herbs

Tempura Prawn - crisp shrimp skewers with yuzu aioli and fresh chives

Spicy Tuna Ichiroll - sashimi tuna, fresh asparagus, thai chilis, ginger, toasted sesame

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Bitter Green Salad - bitter escarole, creamy avocado, tangy sesame dressing, toasted hazelnuts, and dried seaweed strips

Miso Soup - deep umami broth, tofu, spring onions, bok choy

Broccoli Rabe Salad - sauteed leeks, crisp broccoli, fish sauce

Snow Pea Salad - sweet snow peas, bright kumquats, crisp radishes, edible flowers

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Kombu Salmon - cured salmon cooked to perfection and served with yuzu kosho, a bright yuzu sauce

Sticky Glazed Chicken - whole roasted chicken, fresh ginger, toasted sesame, spring onions with cucumber salad

Miso Pork Ribs - Slow cooked umami pork ribs served with chili honey glaze and carrot ribbons

Roasted Aubergine - roasted eggplant, sweet and sour crusted tofu, radish yogurt

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Sesame Pesche Ripiene - a Japanese take on an Italian nonna's favorite - roasted peaches stuffed with a sesame cookie filling, drizzled with a miso caramel and served over a creme anglaise

Satsuma Cake - sweet orange cake, mascarpone cheese, pistachios

A Spanish Affair

STARTER

All inclusive

Patatas Bravas - Crisp Layered Potatoes with a Smoky Red Sauce and Garlic Aioli

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Green Goddess Salad - Mixed Greens with Cherry Tomatoes, Queso Fresco Cheese, Red Onion, and an Herbed Dressing

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Steak Paella - Chimichurri Steak with Market Veggies in an Aromatic Rice

DESSERT

All inclusive

Xurros - Churros with a Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel and Spiced Chocolate

Chef Kayla's reviews

5

•

3 services

Kayla provide us with an amazing experience. All her dishes were OMG delicious and her lovely, thoughtful, and attentive service was the icing on the cake. She was very attentive to my dairy restrictions - so wonderful! There were so many chefs who offered delicious looking menus but I got so lucky with choosing Kayla! You should pick her too - you won’t regret it!

Professional! Fantastic at communicating and planning, and a real pleasure to be around. We hung out in the kitchen all evening and were amazed by her cooking techniques. The food was out of this world. 10/10 and would recommend to anyone.