Skip to content

Our Chef Angels

unnamed (1)

Christina Ng

Chef and Programs Lead, Berry Good Food Foundation
unnamed (8)

Jennifer Felmley

Personal Chef and Culinary Content Creator, Chef Jenn Cooks
Chef Scott bio pic Medium

Scott Ingenito

Executive Chef & Owner, Sweet Devil Culinary
chef jillian

Jillian Fae

Chef & Owner, Jillian Fae Chef Services
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Tommy "The Fishmonger" Gomes

Owner, Tunaville Market & Grocery
Lety Bio pic

Lety Gonzalez

Brujas Cocina LLC Fox Point Farms / Huerta Taco Stand / Harvest Cafe
Shelly Bio pic

Shelly Velez

Chef & Owner, Miss Shelly’s Shack
Jess bio pic

Jess DeOcampo

CHEFJESSDE NFL Private Chef, Neuroscience Retreat Chef Auto Immune (AntiInflammatory) Paleo Diet Specialty

Join the Team

Chef Angels is on a mission to ensure every youth in San Diego has access to food, education and community. We can’t do this by ourselves. Join us in our mission to bring good to our city and get involved with our team.

Contact Us
Play Video
unnamed (1)unnamed (1)
unnamed (4)unnamed (4)
Peach pie!

Christina Ng

Chef and Programs Lead, Berry Good Food Foundation

Q. How did you hear about us?
A. I found out about Chef Angels through my friend, Lena. Lena and I have known each other for over a decade through food of course! When she invited me to be a part of the Chef Angels program, it was an easy yes for me.

Q. Why Chef Angels?
A. I am passionate about cooking and even more passionate about educating young minds about the possibilities of food. It was a great fit for me and has given me the opportunity to work with communities in need that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to reach.

Q. Favorite class?
A. Scratch made pizza!

Q. Why pizza?
A. Pizza is such a unifying food, and class attendees at multiple Chef Angels sites had a great time making their own pies. I think the familiarity of the food as well as a resounding positive vibe surrounding its flavor profile really helped each of the kids get way into the pizza making process.

Q. Favorite ingredient?
A. I love fresh figs. Figs are a Southern California favorite and have a limited season, so when they are around, there’s even more motivation to use them and snack on them as much as possible.

Q. How do you use fresh figs?
A. I love them on salads, on pizza, and even in jam form on top of toast.

unnamed (8)unnamed (8)
unnamed (6)unnamed (6)
Tomato and Peach Salad with Pickled Red Onions, Fresh Herbs, and Whipped Fennel & Lavender Goat Cheese

Jennifer Felmley

Personal Chef and Culinary Content Creator, Chef Jenn Cooks

Q. Path to chefdom?
A. My journey into the culinary world began with a deep passion for food and cooking, nurtured by my grandparents. Spending long summers in my grandmother’s kitchen, who loved to cook.

Q. First job?
A. My first official job in the culinary field was at a bakery, where I learned the fundamentals amidst long hours and the heat of the kitchen, instilling in me a strong work ethic.

Q. Next steps?
A. I pursued formal culinary education and then gained hands-on experience. It was during this time that I discovered my calling as a chef—realizing the joy and satisfaction that comes from creating dishes that bring people together and make them happy. Eventually establishing my own business as a personal chef.

Q. What now?
A. I recently began marketing my services for culinary content creation (constantly evolving as a chef). Cooking for me is not just about the food; it’s about finding joy and happiness in every meal shared with others.

Q. Advice for younger self?
A. If I were starting in the culinary industry self-employed, I’d advise my younger self to prioritize financial literacy and business acumen alongside culinary skills.

Q. Favorite ingredient?
A. Fresh herbs and edible flowers; from fresh thyme flowers and rosemary, to lemon verbena and lavender.

Q. How to use them?
A. From sauces to salads, and even in desserts. The vibrant, aromatic quality adds a fresh and invigorating flavor that can elevate any dish. They not only enhance the taste but can also bring a burst of color and freshness to my culinary creations.

Chef Scott bio pic MediumChef Scott bio pic Medium
Chef Scott bio food MediumChef Scott bio food Medium
Grilled shrimp with sweet corn medley

Scott Ingenito

Executive Chef & Owner, Sweet Devil Culinary

Q. Fantasy class location? Why?
A.  Specialty Produce or a local farm for access to amazingly fresh local ingredients.  I think people get either overwhelmed with the amount of great ingredients we have here in San Diego, or they get pigeonholed into using a few of the same things they are used to using. It would be amazing to highlight some of these incredible places and products to show people how easy it can be to make fresh food with just local ingredients and a little bit of elbow grease.

Q.Path to chefdom?
A. I started over at the age of 30, after working as a federal officer for the department of homeland security and working as a musician. I took some adult education courses, being inspired by the early days of Food Network and the celebrity chefs.

Q. First job in culinary?
A.  When I moved to San Diego after taking the culinary courses, I left the government and started working at a place called Great News! Cooking School in Pacific Beach. This was an amazing experience, meeting local chefs and vendors, and getting into the local Chef scene in a very fancy way. 

Q. What came next?
A.  From there, I worked in a lot of restaurants, launched food trucks, launched restaurants with the biggest food and restaurant groups here in San Diego.  Worked for some of the biggest catering companies as well, after gaining all that knowledge and experience I launched my own company in 2018.

Q. Top life lesson?
A. The one valuable thing I will tell people is always work for amazing people, and learn and take those skills with you.  Be a sponge. I still work closely with a lot of those companies to help them out when needed.

Q. Advice for your younger self?
A.  If I was starting at a young age like I did with music, I would tell people to forgo culinary school, and try to travel and learn from some of the best chefs in the country or the world. If you can’t put money together, at least learn from some of the best chefs in your city.

chef jillianchef jillian
chef-jill-foodchef-jill-food
Green herb cavatelli, San Marzano tomato sauce, calabrian chile, burrata, Parmigiano Reggiano

Jillian Fae

Executive Chef & Owner, Jillian Fae Chef Services

Q. How did you hear about us?
A. Chef Lena and I met as we are both private/freelance chefs and were using the same staffing company. When she started Chef Angels and reached out to me to see if I would like to be a part of it, my answer was a quick yes.

Q. Why join?
A. Having ties with foster youth in my own family and brothers and sisters going through the system, I know that bringing light into the youth’s situations through food and cooking is something that I can contribute to.

Q. Favorite recipe?
A. Fresh pasta is a specialty of mine, the possibilities of shapes, sizes, sauces, accompaniments make it a great one to share because they are endless!

Q. Youth reaction?
A.  I find it to be a very fun item to work with for all ages. I believe many of the youth prefer to be hands on and a pasta class is a great way to offer this.

Q. Ideal field trip location?
A. Any of the small local farms would be great. It’s important to know how food is made and it starts at the farm.

Q. Favorite Ingredients?
A. This is a tough question because I immediately want to categorize:

Salt: Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Sweet: real maple syrup

Acid: lemon 

Savory: eggs (the most versatile ingredient!)

Spicy: Calabrian Chile

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
TunaVille Seafood Salads

Tommy “the Fishmonger” Gomes

Owner, Tunaville Market & Grocery

Q. Fantasy class location?
A. My idea of a field trip and teaching a class for Chef Angels would be in the name itself because Angels fly. So it would have to be the Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Q. Why there?
A.They’ve got a great pizza oven and they’re building these iconic, nutritional sandwiches. [Also,] It’s just an area that most inner city children aren’t going to be able to go and see adults who are apparently in their “right mind” go and run off a cliff with a glider connected to them. 

Q. Why join Chef Angels?
A. It was Lena. She came in and she hit me with this idea. I was like, “yeah, sounds good” cause I was super busy and didn’t really think about it. And then she called me up and I said “what are we doing?”. [Chef Angels was putting on one of its first classes]. I went “Yes! That’s right!” Pretty much it.

Q. Favorite class?
A. Fish Tacos.

Q. Youth reaction?
A. They loved it! We did it in a different twist, we showed them how to chop it all up, sauté it all up in a pan, throw the pico de gallo in with it, mix it all together, put it in a taco shell and then build your taco from there. It was super simple, easy and every kid loves tacos and everybody loves fish tacos.

Lety Bio picLety Bio pic

Lety Gozalez

Brujas Cocina LLC / Fox Point Farms / Huerta Taco Stand / Harvest Cafe

Q. Favorite class(es), and why?
A. Ceviche is one of my favorite things to teach. It’s an easy dish. Simple 5 ingredient ceviche using local rockfish. This is a good introduction to eating “raw” fish if this is the first time. Making tortillas allows me to speak on the creation of the Mesoamerican creation of man and why “maiz” is an essential part of the American diet. The Origin of corn, the migration of the people based on the trail of corn, how corn, beans and squash are grown as a part of a micro ecosystem that produces positive agricultural practices.

Q. Why join?
A. I met Chef Jenn first who introduced me to Chef Lena. After she mentioned her ethos on the non-profit I knew this was the program that I wanted to start teaching and giving back to the community. Our Ethos on youth, community and life were very similar.  I knew from there I wanted to be part of Chefs Angels.

Q. Favorite ingredients?
A. Epazote is my favorite ingredient. It’s a Mexican herb, like hoja santa. It reminds me of my roots and where I come from. Epazote is a “quelite” wild herb. It has so many Medicinal properties and in every state of the plant it changes [as it grows].  You can steep it for teas, the ash is used with black beans and you can blend it fresh into salsas. [From a nutrition standpoint, it is] high in Vitamin A, B complex, and Vitamin C. [It is known to help] boost immunity and promote good digestive health.

Shelly Bio picShelly Bio pic
Shelly food picShelly food pic
Signature smoked Cubano, with sliced Canadian ham and a house Dijionaise

Shelly Velez

Chef & Owner, Miss Shelly's Shack

Q. Favorite ingredient? 
A. Garlic is probably my number one go to. It’s very hard for me not to use it in everyday life even if I’m eating a simple sandwich. Whatever aioli I am using I add a bit of fresh garlic to it. I love how fresh or roasted garlic just gives a dish that extra level of flavor that I personally love. 

Q. What recipes have you taught?
A. My first one was teaching the class how to make homemade mac and cheese and chicken nuggets from scratch. Second class was making chili from scratch.

Q. First job in culinary?
A. I started out working in the industry late, not til I was around 26 yrs old. My first job was working at Wendy’s fast food, from there I went to a real restaurant as FOH but was always in the back learning and hanging out with all the prep cooks and chefs.

Q. What came next?
A. When our head chef got fired, I was given the opportunity to pass to the kitchen to learn how to be a prep cook. They gave me 3 months to learn prep and be comfortable enough to get on the line and be able to give the cooks breaks.

Q. Path to Chefdom?
A.  I knew I wanted to be a chef when I decided to tell my boss that I wanted to make a special dinner. I planned out the dinner, wrote the menu, went shopping. I came back and cooked all the food, went on the line and showed the night cooks on how to present it. Then I was still a server two nights a week so I would get on the floor on those nights and sell my customers the special for the eve. The satisfaction I got from selling out a full meal that I had prepared was so amazing, I wanted to do it all the time.

Q. Advice for younger self?
A. I would probably tell myself to pay attention just a bit more. Be more creative with my taste buds so that I wouldn’t limit myself to what I like and what I don’t like. When cooking we should be open to all cuisines. Research and more research because everything has already been done, you just need to find that way to make it your own.

Jess bio picJess bio pic
Chefjess foodChefjess food
Black Tea Smoked Steelhead Trout, Rice and Herb Vinaigrette, Purple Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Wax Bean Bouquet. Garnish cucumber blossoms.

Jess DeOcampo

CHEFJESSDE NFL Private Chef, Neuroscience Retreat Chef Auto Immune (Anti Inflammatory) Paleo Diet Specialty

Q. Favorite class?
A. My first class with Chef Angels was a ceviche class, where we break down fish (Local Red Snapper) teaching the steps of safety and fish fabrication.

Q. Youth reaction?
A. The youth were at first apprehensive about ceviche being the class, but when I had shown the kids the fish we would be breaking down they all had excited or indifferent reactions to the class. There were a handful of volunteers that were excited to chop, slice and mix. Seeing their willingness to help and take initiative was motivation to teach another class.

Q. Fantasy location?
A. I would love to take all the kids from Chef Angels to the only certified organic farm in San Diego. JR ORGANICS is a multigenerational family owned farm, located in the hills of Escondido. 

Q. Why there?
A. [They have] 100 Acres of fresh, sustainable, varietal vegetables and fruits. Their produce changes with the season, and can be found at local markets like the CoOp, Farmers Markets and Commercial Stores. They could tour the rows and rows of abundance and even pick some produce to gain appreciation for agricultural work. They also could learn about composting and putting back into the soil the rich nutrients of food scraps and organic matter. 

Q. First job in culinary?
A. My culinary journey started at Tender Greens back in 2016, where I moved up from cashier, to salad maker, meat carver and then to grill cook, where I would be alongside the chef to come up with daily specials and soups.

Q. Path to chefdom?
A. I really fell in love with cooking when traveling to New York for a few months to open a restaurant in Manhattan, training a few hundred staff, in creating new systems and streamlining the blueprint for more restaurants to open. It ignited a passion for me.

Q. What came next?
A. Soon it was time for me to move on so I came home to San Diego and worked on my craft at Ironside Fish & Oyster, Underbelly Ramen, and helped open Morning Glory, and Soda & Swine. Once the pandemic hit I had already started my own meal prep business for friends and family, which has made its own transformation into working for high performance athletes and doctors. Although it’s been a winding journey full of challenges and triumph, I have found that treating my work like art keeps me inspired and motivated to create social change. 

Q. Advice for your younger self?
A. To my younger self, you present yourself very well and make great first impressions which is a gift in itself but find the reaches of your depth and potential. 

Q. Top life lesson?
A. Find peace in the uncomfortability, and use your strength and energy into creating. And create with no judgement, each thing you create becomes another entry in your diary, which will soon become stacks of books with unlimited possibilities of resilience and beauty. Keep going and remember direction over speed.

Chef Angels logo
DONATE
Phone Envelope