Chef Ranada started cooking with her family in their farmhouse kitchen in Hillsboro, Ohio. She learned from a long line of home cooks who put their heart and soul into their Southern based cooking. Her fondest memories included rolling egg rolls and tending a garden to canning corn and green beans with her mother when she was a small child, and most moms were making Hamburger Helper. Ranada learned to make a great roux and gumbo from her Irish father and the best breakfast and biscuits and gravy from her Eastern Kentucky grandmother. Ranada has traveled the nation and most recently internationally to cook beside some of the greatest chefs in the business. She has catered and cooked for multiple Grammy Music award winners, executives, sports teams and even a US President. As an independent restauranteur settled in Lexington KY, all three of Ranada's restaurants won multiple local and state awards from Taste of the Bluegrass Best Fine Dining to a three-time award winner for best new restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky. When Ranada stepped away from being a restaurant owner post-Covid, she boarded M/Y LEXINGTON and immediately out of the gate as a freshman yacht chef - brought a in a First-Place win with Best Cocktail at the Newport Charter Show in 2022. She loves listening to and playing music on her guitar, art, history, writing, and producing some creative meals sure to wow our guests on board. With the most stunning galley view, she loves early morning coffee with the crew and captain, but Ranada really enjoys connecting with our guests in the galley area to provide the best possible meals with every attention to stunning detail. She’ll even offer to teach our guests a thing or two so don’t hesitate to spend some time with her in the galley aboard M/Y LEXINGTON.
