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Kiki  Louya

Kiki Louya

Kiki Louya was announced as the RWCF’s first full-time staffer and Executive Director in May 2021. She is responsible for leading all aspects of the foundation’s day-to-day operations, advancing all of its programmatic work, speaking out with the restaurant worker community and developing organizational strategy to grow our organization’s long-term capacity.  

Louya is a Detroit-based chef with over 20 years of experience in both food and beverage and nonprofit management. As former Chef/Owner of Folk & The Farmer’s Hand, two award-winning food concepts, Kiki gained national attention for her fight for fair wages. Most notably, she was recognized as one of “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America” by The New York Times for her pursuit of social justice and equity in the kitchen. 

In addition to her work in food, Kiki has raised over $200 million for nonprofits across the country, including the New York Public Library, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and Vista Maria. Before joining Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, Kiki worked as Economic Development Manager at Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation in Detroit, where she implemented pandemic relief programs for hundreds of small business and building owners. 

Kiki is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Le Cordon Bleu. She has given lectures on food, farming and entrepreneurship to students at Yale and Georgetown universities. In her down time, she enjoys tending to her wild vegetable garden and spending time with her husband and two rescue dogs. 

Photo Courtesy of Nick Hagen