Photos by Jeff Schear
Kira Novak is a personal chef living in the great city of Chicago, by way of Youngstown, OH. She was a contestant on FOX’s hit show MasterChef. Her love of food and cooking started at a very young age. Being fortunate to grow up in a large Italian family, she had the privilege of watching relatives prepare culinary masterpieces from scratch. Her Grandmother and Mother specialized in everything from homemade pasta to wedding cakes. No matter what they were making, they instilled in her the importance of learning the many diverse cuisines from her background and cultural experiences. Kira has traveled to 13 different countries, and plan to travel more. Her Italian cooking roots have expanded by mingling at local street markets, an invaluable experience that has taught her some of the best food traditions from real local cooks across the globe. Her journeys have also taught her that the best food, no matter the kind, comes from only the freshest ingredients. She prides herself on creating a healthy eating environment in a balance of tradition and nutrition. She feels that cooking should be a fun experience and that everyone should make it what they want. “Food isn’t just what keeps your body going,” says Kira, “it is a celebration of culture and sharing.”
Chef Kira Novak