Top Chef Season 18 Headshot Kiki Louya

Kiki Louya

HOMETOWN: Detroit, MI

CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE: Detroit, MI

OCCUPATION/PROFESSION: Chef / Consultant

Detroit native Kiki Louya is a chef, writer, food activist and restaurant consultant. The New York Times named her one of “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America” because of her pursuit for social justice, use of local agriculture, and fight for fair wages at her restaurants. Kiki received critical acclaim for her work as Chef/Owner of Detroit’s Folk & The Farmer’s Hand, two award winning restaurants, before eventually stepping down from leadership in March 2020. The daughter of a Congolese immigrant, Kiki draws inspiration from her own cultural background, often using food as a conduit for deeper discussions around what it means to be Black in America. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, as well as The University of Michigan, and has given lectures about her expertise on food, farming and entrepreneurship with students at Yale and Georgetown. When not in the kitchen, Kiki is tending to her wild vegetable garden alongside her husband and two rambunctious rescue pit bulls.