About Our Local Chefs

Chef Allen Nguyen

Born and raised in New Orleans, Chef Allen Nguyen has been in the restaurant industry for over 14 years, beginning in his family's eatery. He graduated from the Delgado Culinary Apprenticeship at the top of his class and was recognized by L'Academie Brillat-Savarin with the "Young Professional Award."

Allen has worked as a prep and line cook at Chinese restaurants and has staged and worked at some of New Orleans' finest joints (Restaurant August, Cuvee). He has also been a banquet and sous chef at Metairie Country Club for several years, cooking for some of the most prominent figures in the city (Sean Payton, Greg Williams). Most recently he's been working as a personal chef and has done catering for many different people, including business persons, celebrities, and pro athletes like Garrett Hartley.

Chef Kyle Makepeace

Kyle started in the restaurant business 11 years ago at age 15. He began cooking at Winner's, a River Ridge neighborhood restaurant. Out of high school, he started cooking under one of the city's top chefs Greg Collier at Ralph Brennan's Redfish Grill. It took no time before he quickly moved up from first cook to sous chef. Shortly after, he expanded his cooking knowledge by working at Ralph's on the Park under Chef Gus Martin for two years.

In 2007, he accepted a butcher's position at Bayona Restaurant. In the three years Kyle was there, he acted as the purchaser and trained as a sous chef under James Beard Award winner, Chef Susan Spicer. He took some time out of the city and traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, to cook in some of the city's finest establishments. Most recently, he reconnected with Chef Gregg Collier to cook as his sous chef at Metairie Country Club.