ABOUT THE CHEF

Baylei is a private chef that helps on- the-go families experience life more freely through food.

Hey there,

My name is Chef Baylei Yancey,

My ongoing chef career has so far reached 9 years. I started professionally training in the kitchen at 16 years old. My interest spiked quickly & my discovery for the industry did as well. I've obtained professional culinary skills experience & education in Los Angeles, CA & New York. In 2022, I graduated culinary school achieving an Associates Degree in Savory Cooking. In spring of 2026, I will have completed the Baking & Pastry Program earning my second Associates Degree & another  in Restaurant Management Training. I am fluent in 2 languages, English & Spanish. I mastered Spanish at the age of 4 through a bilingual program & continued with it for my entire grade school years & high school. Shout out to my mom making that spectacular decision. Ironically, I am a chef that works alongside many Spanish speakers in the kitchen & it helps boost my communication skills heavily.
Now for the fun part, my experiences as a chef varies. I have worked in multiple positions in the kitchen in between years & have worked with many cuisines. Up & down the lines I have been a prep cook, sous chef, line cook, hiring manager, barista & more. A few restaurants & businesses you may be familiar with are Whole Foods, Starbucks, Benihana’s, Ruth Chris Steak House, & Facebook. My first Job was building sandwiches & scooping ice cream at the same time literally for Togo’s & Baskin Robbins. 
Additionally, my chef journey continues in working in weddings, banquets, bat mitzvahs, & general celebration events. I’ve done so by working along side Fox Studios, Beverly Hills Hotel, Bel Air Hotel, Paramount Studios, Sofitel, Hilton Hotel, & more. Catering / cooking side by side with these businesses, I've trained in cuisines like Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mediterranean, Italian, Latin-American, & American foods.
More about me, I love to travel & being outdoors. I enjoy hiking, bike riding, playing in the snow, & hanging out at the beach. I love to dance & sing. I took dance classes all throughout high school so I'm pretty great at it, & I have a good singing voice besides not taking singing lessons. Equally, I love to cook & eat that is my most favorite hobby. With cooking, I aim to continue my education in Food Science to study the Microbiology of Food. 
I am inspired to continue my chef journey to educate other communities, seek laughter, and bring out the youthful memories in people. My life wont stop here, I have built Kettlebees LLC to continue to find my roots & guidance with food and serve others the best meals they can get in the comfort of their home. I am bringing creative, nutritious, & delicious foods to bellies without the hassle of booking last minute reservations. I am talented in my field & I am looking forward to what the food industry has in place for me. My goal as a chef is to continue to push myself & attain evolution in the food business in all its aspects. 
Thank you Chef Baylei for teaching me how to make certain foods, & also how to be patient when it comes to cooking because it can take a while. Overall thank you for being a great teacher.
- Para Los Niños Middle School Student 
Thank you Chef Baylei for helping us learn how to cook, you are a great chef with lots of talent. 
- Para Los Niños Middle Schhool Student

Current Events 

In addition to my experiences crafting in the kitchen as an emerging chef & personal adventures, my success continues. Since the beginning year of 2024, I have created a few avenues for my skills to be shared & utilized. For starters, I am currently on a platform called “Shef.com”. Shef is a unique website where hundreds of home cooks & chefs can upload their menus on their profiles & sell ready-made meals to anyone interested in home-cooked meals for purchase. These meals are delivered to your door at your convenience, & packaged by the home chefs with consuming & reheating instructions. The food is delivered at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below. The meals are prepared & packaged the day before the scheduled delivery time. Entree meals are typically advertised, & snacks, desserts, & small plates are available.
Simultaneously, I also work with children part-time as a culinary instructor through a nonprofit organization in LA. As an Instructor, I demonstrate to kindergarten, elementary, & middle school students how to prepare wholesome meals from start to finish. These classes are hands-on & taught at their schools. The students get to read & follow recipes while learning to cook & try new things. These classes usually run for 10 weeks at a time & we cover many international foods. These classes are expanded to adults & family courses as well.   Here's a cool article about one of the courses with 3rd graders.     
Between 2022 and 2024 I have had the opportunity to host some private parties for clients as well. Private catering work such as cooking for birthday parties, baby showers, & PUPU platters for bride & groom. 
As mentioned before, I am currently still studying in culinary school for baking & pastry. While obtaining my education, I was able to participate in my first cooking competition on October 29th, 2024, with the PepsiCo Foundation. This competition was based on a Flaming Hot Cheeto-inspired dish. I developed & created a recipe of my own & showcased it in the competition. Joyfully, I was the 1st place winner. I created a Flaming Hot Cheeto lobster corn dog stuffed with mozzarella cheese. This Lobster Dog was a deep-fried lobster with a hot Cheeto batter coating, Flaming Hot Cheeto dust, & a sweet chili aioli sauce. My winning prize was a large sum of cash, marketing advice for 6 months, & a short-term agreement with a restaurant to serve my creation on the menu.
Last but not least, my most current project that I am finalizing is called Baylei’s Comfort Kitchen. This project is a Home-Based Restaurant that is fully legal in Los Angeles County & permitted / inspected by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Los Angeles County now has a permit called MEHKO (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation) which allows home kitchens to be used & run like commercial kitchens. Giving opportunities to home chefs or home cooks to sell food safely. With this permit, I have the legal right to offer in-home dining restaurant style, to-go pick up options, or delivery only. This home-based restaurant will be fully ran by me (Chef Baylei) & all food items will be prepared, packaged, priced, & sold by me as well. For more information about the restaurant, please reach out to me during appointment hours with Kettlebees LLC.

Schedule Your Free Consultation

During your free zero-commitment consultation, we discuss your desired amount of meals per week, food likes and aversions, allergies and dietary restrictions, health goals, and grocery budget.