Kristel Arabian

Kristel Arabian was born in Beirut, Lebanon to an Armenian family rich in culinary traditions. Hers is a “food family”- Her father works in food importing, her mother is an avid cook and her sisters love to eat as much as she does. During her younger years, Kristel dabbled in both food and science; working first at a bakery at the age of 14, then spending 8 years as a pharmacy technician and later in Microbiology laboratories. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology, with an emphasis in Chemistry.

Later, Kristel spent years in the back of house, starting as a line cook at some of LA’s best restaurants and eventually becoming the daytime Chef De Cuisine of Joe Miller’s Michelin Starred restaurant in Venice and finally, she opened Milo & Olive for The Rustic Canyon Group. Upon her exit from BOH operations, Kristel became the Sole Culinary Recruiter for a small recruiting company in SoCal. A few years later, she moved to NYC and was the Opening Director of Recruitment for what was to become a large agency. She now enjoys running her high-touch recruiting firm, Kitchen Culture Recruiting (named as a nod to her background in Microbiology along with the nuanced nature of Restaurant Culture), where she is dedicated to working with a small, like-minded group of Chefs, Managers, Executives, Owners and Operators to help further their success in the realm of hospitality… Both front and back of house, as well as Executive and Corporate roles. From coast to coast.

In the last 5 years, Kristel has also Co-Founded two food-tech apps, weaving her love of hospitality with her flair for innovation. Along with her work for the IHC, she sits on the board of other non-profits. Her work includes activity with The Independent Restaurant Coalition, Hospitality United Alliance, and Armenia Empowered. She is also actively working with Chrysalis, an organization that helps “change lives through jobs”.