Chef and Co-owner, Communion R&B; Seattle, WA

Kristi Brown is the chef and co-owner of Communion R&B in Seattle. She officially spooned her way into the culinary world almost 30-plus years ago at a small café in downtown Seattle. A graduate of the Seattle Culinary Academy, Kristi founded That Brown Girl Catering in the mid-1990s. At the beginning of COVID-19, she launched a community kitchen named after her mantra, “Everybody Gotta Eat.” She then followed that up in 2020, by founding the highly acclaimed Communion R&B with her business partner and son, Damon Bomar, right in the heart of the Central District in Seattle. Chef Kristi was born and raised in Kansas City but grew up in Seattle, where she found a whole other world. Influenced by the different neighborhoods there, she cultivated her very own style of cooking – Seattle Soul. Seattle Soul tells the story of a marriage between love for people, different cultures, and the food that has nurtured and influenced her. It is a nod, and an acknowledgment to where she comes from; a treasure trove of food memories that connect her family and self to their legacy. @thatbrowngirlcooks