What’s the secret to preparing delicious, nutritious food rooted in love? In this episode Ruben welcomes Chef Nyesha Arrington, a Southern California native who has been featured on a variety of high-profile media outlets for her accomplishments in the culinary industry. Nyesha owns and operates a full-service Chef consulting and catering business while traveling around the globe for speaking engagements and dinner collaborations. 

“Cooking is 100% my love language. Truly, cooking found me. I’m an artist, and food is my medium of self-expression. - Nyesha Arrington

Nyesha contends that food, aside from being a necessity, is “the ultimate connector”. It is something that brings people together in one space and transcends any notion of race or creed. Food itself carries with it a unique heritage, and one could even say that eating is living history in action.

Nyesha goes on to speak about her passion to cook “food that hugs the soul” and how she is working to make healthy eating more widely accessible. One major way she does this is by educating people—especially People of Color—on how to prepare healthy yet delicious dishes by themselves without breaking the bank.

“How I live my highest expression of love in this life is ultimately through cooking.” - Nyesha Arrington

How do YOU live out love through your strongest medium of self-expression?

About the Guest: Chef Nyesha J. Arrington has been in love with the kitchen since cooking alongside her Grandmother at a young age. The Southern California native has been featured on a variety of high-profile media outlets for her accomplishments in the culinary industry. Nyesha owns and operates a full-service Chef consulting and catering business while traveling around the globe for speaking engagements and dinner collaborations.

During Arrington's tenure as Executive Chef at Wilshire restaurant in Santa Monica from 2011-2013, she was named a Rising Star by Brad Johnson, then the restaurant critic of Angeleno. She has been featured in Restaurant Hospitality, on StarChefs.com and was a guest chef at the popular Test Kitchen restaurant in 2011.

In 2011, Nyesha has appeared simultaneously on two reality cooking shows as a "cheftestant" -- Top Chef and Food Network's series, Chef Hunter,where she won the competition. In 2012, Nyesha was recognized by Zagat.com as one of the 30 Under 30 -– LA's Hottest Up-And-Comers as well as Where LA's top talent under 30.

She was also profiled in the LA Weekly's People issue as one of the most 69 interesting people to watch in 2012. She has also appeared on KTLA and Good Food on KCRW. In 2013 she won the cooking competition show Knife Fight on Esquire Network and later returned to Knife Fight in 2014 as a Guest Chef Judge.

As of 2022 she can be seen on Next Level Chef with Gordon Ramsay and Richard Blais on Fox.