Our Story
pandemic side project Turned
private chef service
Crawlspace Kitchen began in early 2021, during the pandemic, when many households were looking for nourishing alternatives to takeout and a little relief from the demands of daily cooking.
What started as a weekly meal delivery service in the Bay Area quickly grew through word of mouth. We delivered fresh, nutrient-dense meals in reusable glass containers, building our menus around seasonal ingredients and supporting the small farms, producers, and businesses that make the Bay Area food community so special.
A few years later, we relocated to Denver, where Crawlspace Kitchen continued to evolve alongside my own culinary experience.
Now we’re back home in the Bay Area, and Crawlspace Kitchen has evolved into what I always wanted it to be: a private chef service that takes the planning, shopping, prep, and cooking off your plate.
Meet The Chef
I grew up in Berkeley in a family where food and gathering around the table were simply part of everyday life.
My mom, Wendy, specialized in “throwing it all together, tossing some chickpeas in it and calling it dinner”—meals that were never quite replicated but were always delicious. My grandmother, Sylvia, had a massive collection of cookbooks and taught me to make pasta and ice cream from scratch. She was also determined to expose our family to some of the restaurants that made the Bay Area food scene so special. Places like Chez Panisse, Zuni Café, Greens, and Slanted Door helped shape the way I see food—as something central to how we gather, connect, and experience life.
In my family, loving food and cooking was simply a way of life.
Tessa’s culinary path
As a young adult, I jumped into every food opportunity I could find, from working as a barista and chef in Santa Cruz to cooking for 500 people at a time as a Lead Cook at Camp Tawonga, nestled in the mountains near Yosemite.
After earning my degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz, I became increasingly interested in the connection between food, farming, and the health of our environment. I went on to work as a cooking and garden educator at the Edible Schoolyard, and later joined an Oakland-based meal delivery service, where I cooked for a wide range of households and gained experience creating thoughtful, high-quality meals for busy clients.
When we moved to Denver, I expanded my experience as Head Chef for an Ayurvedic home delivery company and Sous Chef for Mediterranean food truck and catering company Lady in the Wild. We hosted intimate backyard dinners for clients and catered memorable weddings in Colorado’s mountain towns.
Each of these experiences shaped the way I cook today—from cooking for a crowd to working one-on-one with households, exploring different cuisines, and thinking more deeply about nourishment and where our food comes from.
Today, my cooking is rooted in seasonal ingredients, thoughtful preparation, diverse flavors, and food that makes you feel good.
Crawlspace Kitchen is my way of bringing all of that together—and making it easier for people to eat well, without spending their week figuring out what’s for dinner.