Meet Chef Mayari
Welcome! I grew up loving to watch people cook. It excited me seeing the transformation of raw ingredients to edible dishes. The smells and sounds of the kitchen have been a part of my life since I was a little girl and inspired me as I grew. When time came to choose a career path there was no doubt in my mind that I would end up around food.
I studied at Johnson and Wales University where I also picked up skills in beer and wine. During school I worked as a prep/line cook bouncing from different cuisines and picking up skills like pizza, deli, and breakfast. After graduation I took a break from cooking and studied brewing in Sunderland, England. I gained my brewer’s certification (2016) and drank a lot of beer along the way! Shortly after I also aquired my level 1 wine certification from WSET ( 2019)- an international wine school also based in England.
When I returned to the U.S. I worked in beer for a little but, returned to the kitchen. During this time I worked in multiple bakeries, Mediterranean restaurants, Italian, and my cultural latin foods.
While exploring many aspects of food culture, a common thread started to form. That thread is seasonal eating.
How I started my business
Meals by Mayari started off as Mayari’s Voyage ( 2018), a private chef service that did everything from private dinner parties, catered weddings and of course, weekly meal prep. I wanted to create menus centered around the seasons. I had noticed especially while working in the Mediterranean and Italian restaurants, that customers naturally chose dishes according to the season. This piqued my interest. When in England the only food available was seasonal produce, so it was fascinating to realize that here in the U.S non-seasonal produce was always available, yet somehow, we seemed to gravitate towards the seasonal choices.
When I finally got the opportunity to make my own menus, I decided to focus on learning more about seasonal eating. For over 7 years now, we change the menu monthly to keep up with the amazing bounty available to us here in New England. Seasonal produce offers us so much from nutrient dense foods, peak flavor, and incredible health benefits.
My passion for creating unique, seasonal meals is just getting started and I can’t wait to cook for you!