Carina Lampkin was born on the East Coast and spent her early years in Florida and New Jersey, where she learned to cook for her family and had her first vision of herself as both an artist and a chef. 

With roots in places like Maine and Michigan, she had a variety of influences on her style and palette. After her family relocated to Northern California when she was a teenager and attending San Francisco's California Culinary Academy in her twenties, she discovered her West Coast flair.  

In her professional career, she has trained under Michelin starred chef Dominique Crenn, established her own place in downtown Sacramento (Blackbird Kitchen), appeared on several network television cooking shows, and traveled to both China and Vietnam to cook for monks. She has more recently honed her skills at San Fransisco landmarks Bar Crudo and the downtown flagship Nordstrom store, as well as working as an in-demand private catering chef all over the Bay Area. 

Her varied experience brought her to Detroit, where she is honored to be the first female Executive Chef at the Detroit Institute of Arts. There you can find her menus at the award winning Kresge Court, as well as private parties and special events.