Kimberly VanKline

​rview Questions:
 

1. Where are you from? I am born and raised in Harlem NYC 
2. What schools have you attended? I attended St Catherine's for grade school & Cathedral All Girls Catholic HS, & Empire State College where I received my BS in Business & Art Institute for Culinary Arts program. 

3.Food, has it always been your passion? Yes food has always been apart of my life as a little girl I helped my grandmother with pies and cakes and then later I was very inquisitive about food and helping her with dinners and parties she would throw. My house was the home where all of our family and friends would come to visit and eat a fabulous meal. My late grandmother was the matriarch of our family she was the 2 oldest of 13 children. She was a personal assistant to a very famous British actress by the name of Margo Graham whom she traveled the world with assisting her and being what we now call a private chef. 

1. What are some of the earliest memories you have from cooking with your family? I mostly remember we sat at the dinner table every single night and ate dinner together as a family something that's not done in this era. 
2. When did you build the confidence to strike out on your own as a professional chef? It took a while for me to become confident and step out of my comfort zone. I just cook from my heart and with love so I began to realize how pleased and happy my friends and now clients were with my dishes. It made me realize food is the center of everything we do as a people and so after tons of raving reviews and a few celebrities and high profile clients Passion for the Palate started to become a household name. Honestly speaking I still get very nerve when cooking for a new client for the first time, I feel that's what keeps me humble and grounded. 
3. Is there a special method of cooking that you feel makes you stand out? I would not say a special method, but I do have a style and I specialize in small bite packed with tons of flavor and I love putting unique twist on old school classics. It's totally my personality. 
4. What specialty food dishes do you personally love? I love seafood and lamb and anything with bacon. My favorite thing is oysters raw or fried & a good cocktail to wash it down. 
5. Who are some of your favorite chefs and why? I love Cat Cora and Alex Guarnaschelli are my favorite female chefs. My favorite make chef's are Jose Andres & Anthony Bourdain 

9.Events, which are best ones you suggest for your client and for what situations?  It depends what the client wants if it's a wedding I don't like traditional weddings with sit down dinners that's so boring I like an extended cocktail hour with trendy stations that are over the top and conversation pieces. 

1. What brought you hear to the Washington, DC area? Just wanted a change from the Big city it's so saturated and these days some chefs feel they put a fresh herb on a plate they're now celebrity chef's it's sickening! My boyfriend and I are both chef's but yet very different in our style of cooking. We thought taking a leap of faith and coming to the DMV we would be big fish in a small pond and our dreams are both beginning to come to fruition. 
2. Do you feel that opportunities are the same for women and if not why? No female chefs never really get their due diligence it's almost as if the stigma still exists that we should be barefoot in the kitchen, but women don't have the ego men chef's exude and we are no as hot headed we bring love to the kitchen and our food. We are beginning to get more recognition than we use to. 

What does the future hold for Chef Kimberly VanKline and her fabulous world of the culinary art. The future holds a couple of cook books, a line of spices & sauces, home decor, and entertainment dining pieces. I working on starting a non for profit organization for young girls and maybe a show if a network approached me! Until then I will still be bringing fine dining to my clients homes, offices, and wedding venues.