Seasonal Celebrity Chef Kayla Greer Perfected Her Taste

In 2009, private chef and entrepreneur Kayla Greer was asked to create a private party menu to celebrate the show on VH1. At the time, he was a week away from graduating from the Los Angeles Trade School Technical College Culinary School and was ready to learn how to prepare and host food for musicians and athletes. Now, 15 years later, he has started his own consulting practice called The Saffron Agency and has developed an all-purpose artisanal spice blend.

Originally from Cranshaw County, LA and now based in Larchmont Village, the 33-year-old chef has worked with numerous clients throughout his career, including members of the NBA (Ryan Gomez, DeAndre Jordan) and NFL (von Miller, Melvin). Ingram) and entertainment figures (Demi Lovato, Big, Dame Dashi, Justin Bieber, Jane Aiko, DJ Mustard, YG, Future and the late Nipsi Hasley).

Greer said a turning point in his career came when Drake posted it on his Instagram account while working for three years and traveling with the rapper on tour. “It was a big moment because I feel like a lot of people started to admit that I was actually doing this.”

Greer spoke the hollywood reporter About the life of a personal chef, the flavor that inspires him and how customer tastes have changed over the years.

How has growing up in Los Angeles and being a member of this milieu affected you and your career as a celebrity private chef?

In high school I volunteered to study at home so I could have a variety of jobs. I had a job at Jamba Joyce and quickly learned that I didn’t mind being in the kitchen and working by hand. This shaped my decision to become a private chef early on; I went straight to cooking school.

As far as working with celebrities, I just [knew] I wanted to be a private chef and work for celebrities, especially musicians, because I was really into music. Honestly, meeting so many different people who live in Los Angeles, word of mouth just traveled.

How would you define your taste and cooking style?

I love that the food is really fresh. I’m very pretentious about the quality of the food. I shop a lot at Farmer Markets, Erewhon and Grove Farmers Market when I’m not local. I think my taste is pretty simple: salt and pepper, citrus, spicy, I mean, I’m from Los Angeles, I love tacos, I’m used to eating Mexican food. We are used to eating fresh and aromatic foods. [here]So I feel that it comes out a lot in my diet because I use a lot of garlic, onions, coriander, fresh herbs. As modern soul food.

What made you decide to create your own universal spice and what was the process like?

The idea behind it was basically him. [I’m triggered] Because of how he went to work in the city every day. I was too slow. I was doing this [job] However, for 15 years I’ve been trying to find many different ways to make this easier, especially for traveling with spices. I started to realize that I always use the same thing, so I decided to mix everything up. And after the second try, perfect. It’s basically dried parsley, chili flakes, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. These are [the ingredients] I believe that salty food should taste good; I feel this is a solid foundation for slowing down food. And it gives the food a very rich and pleasant color, a new look.

I actually made spices to help people prepare dishes and enhance the flavor of their dishes. Many of the pre-mixed seasonings now on the shelves are either too bland or too salty, but this seasoning is the perfect remedy – you really don’t need anything else when you use it.

The plan is to come out with more flavor. The bottle looks like a mini ink pot, so eventually you’ll be able to stack them up once the other flavors come out and each flavor will be a different color. This will simplify everyone’s closets and counters.

How do you balance artisan cooking and spices with your other business, the saffron agency, and your role as Executive Creative Chef H.Wood Group 40 Love in West Hollywood?

I read and test for my agency young chefs and chefs who want to break into the industry and may need help finding a job. I try to help these cooks and these new cooks find work. They call me constantly and ask if I’m available and if there’s anyone I can turn to. And indeed he did.

At 40 Love, I am primarily creative director and executive chef. I am the face of the brand, so I create recipes, menus, and also come regularly to maintain quality control and introduce new items. This is a sports bar so we open after 4pm and [I’m done] At that time I was coaching most of my clients. That’s how it goes.

Where does your inspiration come from when creating menu instructions and creating new recipes? Do you think about the stage and the audience?

I really think about three main questions: where we are, what we are and who our clientele is. And then I wrap all of that in who I am as a person and try to give that to the restaurant. I think about what I like [to eat], which my friends and people around me like. I feel like I had to do a lot of things as a private chef to develop a menu and have something settle. [at 40 Love] Every day is very different because I’m used to going to work and having breakfast, lunch and dinner; I just constantly believe. For some menu items, I’ve selected a few dishes I’ve made for customers that have received great reviews – one of which is my kale caesar salad. I’ve made this salad many times for clients and parties and everyone always loves it; This is one of the things people really know about me.

During your career, have you noticed a change in food trends, especially in terms of the dishes your customers order or the ingredients that appeal to them?

I feel like a city [in general] They are much more interested in food than ever before. And they love to see creativity, they love to start seeing ordinary things. Many people take the main courses and add a special touch.

[My clients] They pay more attention to their health and cut out a lot of things like beef and chicken. Especially as I have worked with many athletes for a long time, from my youth to the present, I always see that they start to cut meat and bread, they lean a lot towards seafood and vegetables. I think that’s definitely the biggest trend right now: more dietary restrictions and more informed people about what they eat.