Chef Maren

my story

Looking back, my culinary journey began at home. Growing up, I loved being outdoors, running through the patch of woods behind our house and checking the garden for tomatoes and black raspberries ripe enough to pick. To this day, there is nothing better to me than a garden-fresh tomato.

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Some of my fondest memories are of walking miles through the woods before dawn to hunt for mushrooms. I had no idea how lucky I was to find pounds of morels every weekend of the season. My parents would simply dredge them in flour and pan-fry them in butter, and that is still my favorite way to eat them when I can find them.

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Summers meant South Dakota with my grandparents, playing cards and fishing. My grandpa was a master gardener who grew his own grapes for wine, and I spent countless hours in the kitchen with my grandma, reading recipe cards written in her perfect handwriting and learning to make kolaches, potato dumplings, and every Christmas cookie imaginable.

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After school, I watched Café Zoom, a cooking segment on PBS’s Zoom, then recreated the recipes and pretended I had my own cooking show. My mom and brothers were my taste testers, and I am certain they grew tired of tasting the same dishes as I tweaked them toward perfect.

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Between those childhood years, my work at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, and my time at a small, family-owned restaurant, choosing culinary school simply made sense. At Johnson & Wales University, where I earned degrees in Culinary Arts and Culinary Nutrition, a sports nutrition class showed me where I belonged. I loved learning how the food I prepared could fuel the body, support recovery, and help an athlete perform at the highest level.

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An internship with the dietitians at the University of Nebraska put that passion into practice for the first time. I led grocery store tours for athletes, taught cooking classes, wrote weekly recipe handouts for the workout areas, and developed an athletic performance cookbook. Helping feed more than 600 athletes there gave me the mindset behind the university’s motto, “In the deed, the glory.” I still believe honor comes from effort, character, and integrity, and that the goal is never just a plate of food, but an experience.

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After an internship with the Cleveland Indians, I became the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Training Table Manager, feeding 350 players and staff through three to five buffets a day, three snack areas, and recovery stations. I worked with the team’s registered dietitian on menu cycles for the preseason, training camp, and regular season, made recovery shakes for active and injured players, and was trusted to coordinate every meal when the team traveled to London.

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In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, I managed multimillion-dollar restaurants and resort dining spaces at the base of the mountain. A world-class ski town demands the highest levels of service and hospitality, and the refined standards I learned there still shape my work today.

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That path led me to Cleveland, where I served as the Cleveland Browns’ Executive Performance Chef, leading the team’s culinary nutrition program. I prepared individualized daily meals for 15 players and vice presidents, built to specific macronutrient ratios and needs including celiac, vegan, alkaline, and pescatarian, without losing sight of each person’s flavor preferences. I created three six-week menu cycles each season and kept the team curious with ingredients like water buffalo, camel, and shark. Working alongside the dietitians, I learned to cook for athletes whose nutritional needs left no room for guesswork.

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My goal at Chef Kaylee is to bring a personal touch to every client through food. I want the meals I place on your table to reflect the conversations, personalities, and individual nuances we are privileged to learn about. My cooking is driven by fresh, beautiful, high-quality ingredients and dishes tailored to each client, so every meal feels personal, approachable, and exciting.