Who We Are

Our Mission

Open Kitchen’s Culinary Journey began when Hue-Chan Karels struggled to find a commercial kitchen in which she could legally bake her cookies to sell to the public. During that time she met others faced with the same dilemma of having a food product to sell, but no place to cook them. Hue-Chan’s vision soon transformed from just baking cookies to providing others with a space to create and launch their own culinary ideas and form a true community for those who love to EAT, COOK and ENTERTAIN.

Whether you are a bistro guest, a student at our cooking classes, hosting an event we cater, or a timeshare kitchen client,  Open Kitchen is committed to providing you with excellent service and quality resources to make your culinary journey a memorable and successful one.

At Open Kitchen, we promise to:

  • Promote and facilitate culinary entrepreneurship and innovations.
  • Satisfy and open taste buds with healthy, creative yet simple dishes.
  • Inspire the joy of cooking.
  • Collaborate with local food producers and farmers.
  • Improve the quality of life of our community.
  • Provide an eco-friendly culinary establishment, full of innovative and simple actions, to enhance our lives and our world.

Our Team

John_Hue-Chan_P1010038-REVHue-Chan and John Karels, Owners

It all started with cookies!  In 2007, Hue-Chan, encouraged by her supportive husband, John, had the inspiration to make a lifestyle change and depart from her FDA regulatory and compliance consulting practice to start an artisan cookie business.  In starting her business, she soon discovered federal, state and local laws required her to produce her cookies in a commercially licensed and equipped kitchen.  However, because there were no facilities like this in the Washington DC Metro area, Hue-Chan’s culinary business plans came to a halt.  She called churches, community centers, food shelters, schools, restaurants, and catering facilities.  Although most of these places did not allow other businesses to rent out their space, the few that were willing, would only do so after normal business hours.  A few wanted Hue-Chan to sign a long-term sublease. Just starting out in the food business, she was not sure how quickly her business would grow and if she could commit to these requirements.  Not one to back down from life’s challenges, she pushed forward in her quest for an affordable licensed kitchen and found she was not alone.  This process gave birth to the core concept behind “Open Kitchen” which is to provide licensed kitchen facilities for rent on a cost-effective and flexible basis.  After some  reshaping of their original vision, Hue-Chan’s and John’s Open Kitchen became a reality  when its first location at the West Metro Plaza in Falls Church, VA opened in the Fall of 2009.

Kenneth Hughes, Executive Chef

Chef Ken, a Washington DC native, with over twenty-five years of culinary experience, trained in the classic French style of cooking.  He embarked on his culinary journey while the farm-to-table movement was evolving on the West Coast. An entrepreneur himself, he has worked as a culinary consultant, most recently having helped launch The Wine House in Fairfax, Virginia and Vinnie’s World Cuisine in Frisco, Colorado.  ?Chef Ken received culinary degrees from the San Francisco/Napa Valley region under the tutelage of the late, renowned Chef Ken Wolfe. He trained under distinguished chefs such as Chef Rene Verdon, the first White House Chef, and the late master Chef, Albert Tordjman, an early pioneer of the vertical presentation of the 80s and 90s.  Inspired by his time in California, Europe, and South America, Chef Ken hopes to bring those flavors to Open Kitchen.  He believes in Open Kitchen’s dynamic concept of healthy, fresh food and looks forward to interacting with guests.

Holly Camalier, General  Manager

Growing up with parents in the restaurant business, Holly discovered at a young age that she had a passion for food service. Holly began her food service career at 15 as a cashier. Over the years, she worked as a lead host and server. Holly also has several years of working behind the scenes doing administrative work in the restaurant industry. Being an avid baker and eager to try new things, Holly often tested recipes on her family and friends.  Growing tired of the “corporate restaurant” atmosphere, Holly decided to try something different and started a small catering company.  When she and her family moved to Virginia, she soon discovered that there were no local commercial kitchens to rent that would meet the needs of her growing business.  Searching online late one night, she discovered the Open Kitchen website.  She and David soon met with the owner, Hue-Chan and they started to develop a great business friendship.  Assisting Open Kitchen in the shaping of its original vision of a commercial timeshare kitchen into a true culinary community, Holly is finding the independent restaurant atmosphere right up her alley