Kayla Tabb was recently named chef-in-residence at the Nutrition Lab at the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library.
“We are excited to welcome Kayla Tabb, our second chef-in-residence, an initiative made possible through the generous contributions of our donors to the Boston Public Library Fund,” said Paula Sakey, executive director of the Boston Public Library Fund. “Thanks to private support, the Nutrition Lab is creating and offering engaging, hands-on experiences for our patrons that promote nutritional knowledge, healthy eating habits and so much more — affirming our commitment to providing accessible, high-quality resources free to all.”
Originally from California, Tabb moved to Boston to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 2019 with a B.S. in anthropology. In 2023, she participated in the inaugural cohort at Boston University’s Professional Pastry Arts Program, its 14-week intensive certificate program, focused on cultivating students’ baking foundation in the pastry arts field. There, Tabb built on her lifelong love of baking.
The Chef-in-Residence Program aims to foster the Boston Public Library’s efforts to teach nutritional literacy throughout the commonwealth. The Nutrition Lab hosts educational opportunities for participants to learn about healthy eating and meal preparation. Events like “Make Herbal Syrup with Mo Katz-Christy,” and others that focus on specific groups like expectant or new mothers, aim to create accessible and lasting opportunities for individuals and families to thrive.
Tabb’s experience in teaching, research and community health has primed her for this position. She has also nurtured passions outside of cooking and baking, having worked on community health projects in collaboration with Boston and the Navajo Nation, as well as serving as a curriculum developer, instructor, tutor and mentor. In her new role, she will be able to combine her skills and put them all to use as she leads the Nutrition Lab in culinary education.
“Kayla brings many talents to the Chef-in-Residence Program,” said Stephanie Chace, nutrition literacy coordinator. “With her expertise as a recipe developer, pastry chef, educator and researcher, we are very excited to work with Kayla in offering diverse nutritional literacy programs to BPL patrons!”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.