Chef Mike Kelley

AAS Culinary Arts Texas Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu
HarvardX Food Fermentation & Science of Microbial Cooking Certification
HarvardX SPU27 Science & Cooking – Chemistry & Soft Matter Science Certification
SlowFood USA

Michael Kelley is one of the head chefs at Culinary Community Kitchen. With an interest in food beginning in the family home kitchen, Michael has worked with a variety of talented chefs continually honing his skills and passion for creating great food.

After attending Texas Culinary Academy in Austin Texas, Michael worked through the ranks at some of Austin’s finest restaurants, working beside and learning from James Beard/Top Chef/Iron Chef competitors. As Austin continued to grow into a food destination, Michael sought to avoid burnout from low pay and long hours by doing what most chefs do best; travel and eat. Michael took the opportunity to study sustainable farming outside Lyon France for 8 weeks and amidst his travels, fell in love with the city of Munich. Shortly after, Michael & his wife Brooke decided to relocate to Munich and work in the industry they so love.

Working in Munich brought Michael perspective on living as an immigrant as well as finding commonality in “old world” German techniques and elements in Southern cuisine.

Family health brought Brooke & Michael back to the states where they found themselves in Olympia Washington for some time. Here, Michael worked as a chef consultant for a medical nutrition start-up and was a part of the opening crew for an award winning brewery restaurant concept. Soon after, Michael joined an aspiring start-up concept operating as Chef de Cuisine for a member-based pop-up dinner club operating in 31 cities across the nation. Working at a break neck speed, Michael further honed his skills and administrative abilities while orchestrating multiple dinner events in multiple cities.

After this admirable concept closed, Michael began operating pop-up dinners around Dallas with a standing monthly dinner directly supporting local farmers at the Dallas Farmer’s Market. Taking a Resident Chef position at a local culinary education program in Dallas introduced Michael to a new facet of food: education. Now, the culmination of his experience has created CCK!