Kim Akers Thomas is the Executive Chef and owner of Hayward’s Private Chef & Catering. She studied Culinary Arts at PGCC and has a Theatre degree at Marymount Manhattan College. She has experience in food service and hospitality that spans over 15 years. While honing in on her culinary crafts, she has been able to work at monumental and prestigious hotels, such as the Gaylord Hotel & Convention Center before launching her own catering company.

Kim has worked with several Celebrity chefs such as Carla Hall and Arianne Duarte; from the Bravo hit TV show Top Chef (season 5) as a prep cook for the Food & Wine Festival. She has also worked with Celebrity Chef Erik Bruner-Yang from Toki Underground (located in Wash, DC); at the 2008 Chef’s Ball for Inauguration at Art & Soul Restaurant located in Washington, DC. As a pastry intern, she had the pleasure of working with Executive Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac at Buzz Bakery located in Alexandria, VA where she learned to love the art of Pastry Arts. Throughout her culinary career, Kim Akers Thomas as always volunteered her time with non- profit organizations such as the DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table for events such as, the Sips & Suppers Event and will continue to give back to her community.