Hi, I’m Emma!
I’m a personal chef and small event caterer serving Washington, DC 🧑🍳. Before moving to DC, I lived in New York City 🍎 for eleven years, where I went to college to study politics and screen writing, pursued a career in digital communications, and ultimately realized that I wanted cooking to be more than a hobby. 🔪
In 2025, I went to culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education 🍳, completed my externship and worked at Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi, staged at some of New York City’s top restaurants, cooked briefly for a health-focused meal prep delivery service, and worked on the side as a private meal prep chef for several families in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.🗽
After working long nights and early mornings🌛 in professional kitchens, I realized one of the things I loved so much as a home cook was getting to know the people 🧑🤝🧑 eating my food 🍝. As a private chef, I love the opportunity to talk to the individuals and families I’m working with so that I can cook people what they want to eat. I’ve worked with both selective eaters 🙅 and families with more adventurous 🦑 palates. One of the benefits of hiring a private chef is that you get to help set the menu; I’m happy to work with you to find the best substitutions for your dietary needs and preference. In fact, I love the challenge! 💃
I started posting food photos on Instagram for fun in 2019 under the username @coolgirlchef. At the time, I thought it was funny and cute.✨ When I finished culinary school I worried it was unprofessional and immature. But at the end of the day, I think it’s pretty cool that I get to cook good, unpretentious food 🥞 that makes my clients feel happy and healthy ❤️🔥. If you’re interested in booking my services or learning more, you can reach out via the contact page 📨 or follow me here on Instagram. 🤙🔥
