Chef Kim’s life has been defined and shaped by food. She is a second-generation Chinese-American and spent many childhood weekends and summers working for her father, who owns a food production company. Although her parents cooked primarily Chinese cuisine at home, her mother’s baking was inspired by Mrs. Fields’ cookie books. Kim clung to this love of Western desserts. After graduating from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2012, she entered the culinary industry and began working as a pastry cook at Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago. Her time there solidified her decision to attend the French Pastry School the following year. From there, she spent time at many Chicago restaurants learning from her incredible mentors, Greg Mosko and Meg Galus, before becoming the Executive Pastry Chef in 2021 for both Boka and Alla Vita in Chicago.