As a private chef, Ms. Chase has delighted the palates of such notable figures as President Barack Obama, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, NBA star-athlete Jalen Rose, singer/songwriter Macy Gray, comedians Cedric “The Entertainer” and Bernie Mac, and actors Jamie Foxx and Eriq LaSalle, among others. She has even cooked for radio and TV star Steve Harvey who featured her on his top-rated “Steve Harvey Morning Show” on 100.3 “The Beat” in Los Angeles. Kai has also worked as an assistant chef with Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events, Spago restaurant in Chicago, and several notable independent catering companies, including her own, Kai Chase Catering which she started and cultivated at the top of 1997.
Los Angeles native Chase—an alluring beauty of Creole, Cuban and Native-American Indian heritage—naturally reflects her colorful culture within the flair and spice of her tantalizing culinary style. Those who have had the pleasure of tasting her mouth-watering cuisine via her Kai Chase Catering and Kai Chase Private Chef Services companies, or elsewhere, champion the lady as a consummate professional —in possession of as much style as a striking, camera-friendly personality as she has five-star skills in kitchens around the globe.
“My passion resides in the art of food…and the way food makes us feel,” Kai shares.
“I believe that the foundation to good health, wealth and love stems from an internal peace only achieved by succumbing to our desires, passions and the enjoyment of life. Maybe it comes dining in the company of good friends. Maybe it’s in the anticipation of that first mesmerizing bite of a well-prepared dish or the final swallow of a libation made “just right.” ‘Savor all the Flavors!’”
Now, combining her artistic loves of journalism, from her years as a staff writer of a weekly music publication, the Urban Network and the culinary arts, Kai Chalon Chase is preparing two new next-level crossover projects - a cookbook spiced with tales of food, love and passion from her journeys as a chef to the stars, and a cooking show that will find Kai in the company of a who’s who of special guests in a state-of-the-art kitchen whipping up a cross-cultural fusion of food with ingredients from all over the world.
Who is this fetching and fascinating young multi-talent?
Born to a Latin-jazz musician father and a mother with extensive ties throughout the entertainment industry, Kai Chase grew-up in West Hollywood, attending famed Fairfax High School in the early `80s. It was a time when life was good, life was easy, and life was a whole lot of fun. Kai’s star-studded stomping ground was home to Schwab’s and The Candy Store on Sunset Boulevard, Flippers roller skating rink and Fred Segal’s clothing store which sold the chicest of designer jeans on the chi-chi westside of Melrose Avenue. Television and music were at their creative peaks in variety and style, and young Kai had the connections and determination to get in on a piece of the action!
Raised in a family of entertainers, artistes and musicians, Kai was blessed with an abundance of artistic career choices. Her godfather, legendary comedian Redd Foxx, made a point of telling Kai that she could accomplish anything she put her mind to. “Just be careful of the ‘jivers’—rich, poor or indifferent,” he schooled her. “Even yo’ mama could be jivin’ too!” Kai took heed and ventured forward on her joyous life path.
At the top of 1988, Kai contacted her cousin J.J. Johnson, a disc jockey at pioneering Los Angeles hip hop radio station KDAY-AM, expressing her interest in broadcast communications. He assisted her in landing the opportunity to work as a staff writer for the weekly music industry publication Urban Network, where Kai interviewed and wrote short stories on the elite personalities from the realms of radio and records. She then segued into music publishing at Chrysalis Music Publishing, where she assisted in executing her first administrative deal for her uncle: famed jazz musician Roy Ayers.
All the while, Kai was marinating her muse in another more sensual art form…food! Literally falling asleep reading cookbooks, Kai spent her leisure hours dreaming up delectable creations and cultivating a knack for baking. Her love for food, passion for creating beautiful designs and panache for organizing lavish parties led to her enrolling in Los Angeles’ Epicurean culinary school in 1995. She continued to work in the entertainment business collecting more top-flight connections while attending school on alternating days. Kai landed her first job as a cook for Hollywood superstar Pamela Anderson’s trendy, upscale restaurant Sanctuary, where she interned for 6 months.
After graduating from Epicurean, Kai quit the entertainment business and packed her bags in 1996 for Paris, France, where she pursued her desire to accomplish greater knowledge in the culinary field by attending Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy. There she completed her master studies while luxuriating in a world of to-die-for taste sensations and breathtaking sights. Most importantly, Kai developed a seasoned vet’s passion for palatable textures, colors, and the marrying of traditional and exotic flavors.
Independent and entrepreneurial to the core, Kai Chalon Chase is on a fast track to multi-media success, tickling the taste buds of the culinary elite as well as celebrity celestials of all stripes.
—A. Scott Galloway