Kyle Mendenhall

Executive Chef

Kyle is originally from Southern California and joined The Kitchen in Summer 2008.

As Executive Chef, Kyle oversees back of the house operations for all The Kitchen restaurants. Kyle began his foray into food as a part-time pizza maker during college. At the time, Kyle was studying the oboe and anticipating a career as a classical musician. As he continued to work in restaurants, it occurred to him that the creation of food and his passion for musical performance share common themes - personal artistic expression, passion, pressure and performance. People applaud when they like what you’re doing through smiles, ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs.’ You can see people nodding at the table essentially saying, ‘Oh, I really liked that,’ and of course, if they didn’t like something, you know that right away as well. Either way, it drives the performance today and the passion to perform again tomorrow.

This passion for performance was channeled into a passion for food, and soon Kyle discovered that his skills in the kitchen garnered the performance accolades he had hoped for in music. As a result, he found himself on the path of a culinary career that led to The Kitchen.

In retrospect, Kyle believes his passion for food comes from the simple yet hearty dishes his Grandmother cooked for him as a child. Kyle has clear memories of the techniques his grandmother used in the kitchen, and he still uses many of those techniques is his cooking today.

Kyle holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music performance from the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado, respectively.

Community Through Food Means…

“People must eat food to sustain life. Food alone does not create a sense community. The Kitchen is a vessel responsible for hosting the most important building block of a community, serving others.”