KIMI MICHELLE
The Official Site for Kimberly Parris
The Chef...
For many, becoming a chef felt so out of character for me as an emerging change agent.
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For me, it felt like the beginning of a novel series that would lead me to my purpose.
I continued teaching during the day, and went to culinary school at night. Fresh out of school, I was featured on the pilot of Bravo’s show Rocco’s Dinner Party, and I was a contestant on Food Network’s Chopped.
I got to cook for Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams and the cast and crew of Chicago: The Musical.
The culinary aspect of my career took off with a bang.
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The Trailblazer...
Since then, I’ve worked on the opening team of numerous Whole Foods Market stores, before spearheading my own as the Prepared Foods Team Leader.
I worked on Marcus Samuelsson’s concept at JFK Airport, implementing a recipe systems overhaul that resulted in a 600% uptick in revenue, winning us an award.
I started as a sous chef at the Flatiron location of Eataly, helping craft and implement a new inventory system for their restaurants, finishing my tenure there as the first Black woman Chef de Cuisine ever.
All of this was done while nurturing my own business baby, The CaribDiva Company, part-time. Entering into business full-time during the pandemic, our company netted two 6-figure years and grew from two to a company of 10.
The Change Agent.
Never fully leaving my nonprofit roots behind, I started an organization for preteen girls of color based in NYC & Georgia called herDIVASpot. Our organization wrote and executed a year-long curriculum for our girls that taught self-esteem, entrepreneurship, and leadership as some of the core tenements.
We then culminated the program in a historic trip to South Carolina to commemorate the year’s experience in a Rites of Passage ceremony, as well as experience some of the cultural history learned through the year.
Over my 20+ year career spanning two varied paths, my core values of community, authenticity, passion & service have remained consistent, and have brought me to where I am today.
My current landmark idea for Food.Noire by ‘Cuterie, my latest business venture, started as a joke amongst friends - but my commitment to championing the historically disadvantaged, especially in the food industry, is no laughing matter.
My strengths lie in using a combination of my divinely gifted empathic intuition, and my developed skills of leadership, organization, systems fixing, and writing, to help others realize & execute their dreams.
