Kevin Fonzo

As one of the Co-Founders of Edible Education Experience and a volunteer Chef Instructor, Kevin Fonzo works to help integrate cooking and gardening into math, science, literacy, and history lessons. He also serves as one of the lead instructors at our annual Seed-to-Table Teacher Academy. Since 2011, Kevin has taught cooking classes for Orlando Junior Academy alongside Chef Sarah Cahill, Chef Allyson VanLenten and now Culinary Educator, Erica Asti.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1983, Kevin began his rise to the top at Orlando’s Peabody Hotel, where he earned the “Best Brunch of Orlando” award from Glamour Magazine as the chef at Capriccio. In the 1990s, the Atlanta-based Peasant Restaurant Group scouted Kevin as chef for several of their restaurants. Afterwards, he stayed in Atlanta for a few more years, working at a handful of restaurants as chef, menu designer, and kitchen developer.

After his Atlanta stint, Kevin fell in love with Orlando-based Café Allegre and its College Park neighborhood. First, he worked at the Edgewater Drive restaurant, and then he bought it in 2001. He changed its name to K Restaurant and Wine Bar, which became one of Orlando’s first chef-owned-and-operated restaurants. Making his mark on the local food scene, Kevin helped pioneer the farm-to-table movement in Orlando, focusing on sourcing ingredients from local farmers. To keep his menu hyper-local, Kevin even maintained an 800 sq.ft. garden behind K Restaurant. In 2017, Kevin sold K Restaurant and set off to lead trips around the world through Art In Voyage. Lucky for us, when he is home he supports EEE by offering La Tavola dinners at the Kitchen House & Garden.

A member of the American Culinary Federation as a Certified Executive Chef, Kevin has garnered extensive media coverage for his outstanding culinary skills and won dozens of awards as well as a nomination for the esteemed James Beard Award. Over the years, he’s also had the privilege of working alongside culinary greats such as Susan Spicer, Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, and Alan Susser.

A philanthropist at heart, Kevin serves as a member of the EEE Board and has volunteered at March of Dimes, Share our Strength for Taste of the NFL, American Cancer Foundation, and Second Harvest Food Bank. Kevin’s love for cooking, gardening, and helping led him to Orlando Junior Academy by first taking over the cafeteria’s operations and then teaching curriculum-based lessons through cooking. His efforts at the school didn’t go unnoticed. He earned a tour of the White House garden through Michelle Obama’s “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative. And, Emeril Lagasse featured Kevin’s work and the schoolyard garden project on the Cooking Channel’s Emeril’s Florida TV show.

Quote that Kevin strives for: “I want kids to know where food comes from.”