Born on the small island of Mallorca off the east coast of Spain, Chef Kathy has always felt the warm embrace of the Mediterranean, her heart beating in time with the pounding surf upon the shores of her homeland.

From an early age Kathy has been drawn to food, not just for the nutrition it provides our bodies, but because it symbolizes so much more. “For me, the preparation of food is not simply about creating something that another person can purchase. At an elemental level, creating food is about honoring the ingredients and paying respect to the animal and plants whose spiritual essence sustains us. To prepare food with honesty and love honors the ingredient and those who consume it. To do otherwise is to disrespect both.”

Over the course of her life, plenty of people have tasted the love emanating from Kathy’s kitchen. She has cooked at “Ra Tapas Bar” in Barcelona, purchasing ingredients for an ever changing menu from at the exquisite and world-famous market, “La Boqueria,” on las Ramblas. She has cooked throughout Europe as a travelling private Chef for the Cirque du Soleil, meeting the special dietary needs of 30+ circus performers. And in the late 90s, she cooked at the esteemed Metropolitain restaurant in Charlottesville, where she met her best friend, and future Orzo founder, Ken Wooten.

In 2006, when the dream of Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar was becoming a reality, Kathy agreed to return to Charlottesville from South America to help Ken and Charles with its lift off. She was instrumental to Orzo’s success in those early days, redesigning the kitchen, crafting the first menus, and hiring the original kitchen staff.

Today, Kathy still plays a pivotal role in Orzo’s continued evolution. She not only prepares, in our opinion, the best lunch in town, but she also leads Orzo’s Catering department, adeptly preparing food for offsite groups of 20 to 650, and always with LOVE.