Built From Scratch

In Bella's family, dinner was never treated as an obligation. Whether it was a holiday feast or an ordinary Tuesday night, gathering around the table was an event. Conversation stretched long after the meal ended, laughter filled the room, and everyone had a place at the table.

"It wasn't really about what we were eating," Bella says. "It was about being together."

That feeling became the foundation for everything she would later build in her career.

After graduating in 2015, Bella had a choice between attending culinary school in Dallas or Austin. Bella skipped her senior prom to come for a visit during the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Which gave her the insight that made the decision easy. She was captivated by the city's energy.

The live music echoed through downtown streets, strangers gathered together with effortless ease, and creativity seemed to exist on every corner. Austin felt alive in a way that immediately felt familiar.

She packed her belongings, moved to a city where she knew no one, and started over. Looking back, she describes Austin as her second home.

"It became a healing place," she says.

Over the past several years, she's watched the city evolve. Restaurants continue to open, the food scene grows more adventurous, and opportunities have expanded alongside Austin's booming technology industry. While the city has changed, Bella still feels connected to the welcoming spirit that first convinced her to stay.

Inside the kitchen, however, life moves at a different pace.

A chef's day is long, demanding, and often unpredictable. Orders change by the minute, unexpected problems appear without warning, and the pressure to perform never really disappears.

Bella has spent fourteen years in professional kitchens, developing not only technical skills but also the ability to lead.

One of her greatest joys isn't creating elaborate dishes. It's teaching.

Whether training a brand-new employee or helping an experienced cook refine a technique, Bella enjoys watching people become more confident in their abilities. She believes good leadership begins with paying attention.

"You have to read the room," she explains. "Sometimes people won't tell you they're struggling. You have to notice."

That attentiveness has become one of her greatest strengths. Still, leadership comes with challenges.

Restaurant turnover is notoriously high, meaning she often finds herself teaching the same lessons repeatedly as new employees join the team. Patience, she admits, is something she continues to practice every day, some days are harder than others. 

Despite the demanding environment, Bella never lost her love for cooking itself.

She enjoys creating comforting meals like steak and potatoes while also finding ways to elevate familiar classics like casseroles and lasagnas. Yet one of the unexpected realities of becoming a professional chef is that cooking can sometimes lose its magic.

"When you cook all day," she says with a smile, "the last thing you want to do is go home and cook."

It's a feeling shared by many chefs, and one that has influenced how she imagines her future.

Rather than spending her entire career inside busy restaurant kitchens, Bella dreams of something smaller and more personal.

She imagines operating a chef's stand at a local farmers market, creating fresh meals while connecting directly with customers. If life takes an unexpected turn, she could also see herself working with custom wrap motorcycles/excotic cars or pursuing tattoo artistry, two creative passions that excite her just as much as cooking.

Whatever path she chooses, craftsmanship will always remain at the center.

Among everything she has accomplished so far, one achievement stands above the rest. Is her gluten-free bread at Two Hands on South Congress, it is a must try!

Developing it required patience, experimentation, and countless adjustments before she created something she was truly proud of. To many people, it might seem like a simple loaf of bread. To Bella, it represents persistence and refusing to settle for "good enough."

She approaches leadership with that same mindset. Her mother, whom Bella considers her greatest influence, taught her the importance of professionalism, work ethic, and leading by example. Those lessons have guided her throughout her career and continue to shape the way she mentors others.

If she could offer advice to her younger self, it would be surprisingly simple. "Be patient and professionalism always wins."

No matter the situation, she believes treating others with respect, maintaining composure, and doing quality work will always leave a stronger impression than reacting emotionally.

Ironically, one of the biggest misconceptions people have about Bella comes from those very qualities. People often mistake her direct communication style for aggressiveness or intimidation. In reality, she simply values honesty and clarity.

"I’m just straightforward," she says.

Her goal has never been to intimidate people. She simply believes everyone deserves clear communication, especially in environments where teamwork matters.

After building a life entirely on her own in Austin, Bella now finds herself looking toward the future with both excitement and curiosity.

She can imagine staying in Austin for years to come. The city has become home in every sense of the word. Yet Denver occasionally calls her back, offering the possibility of living closer to family. There is only one problem,"They don't have H-E-B,"she jokes. 

For now, Austin continues to be the place where she feels rooted.

It is where she’s transformed from a newcomer into a leader. Where she discovered not only a career but also a community. Where food became more than a profession and remained what it had always been growing up: a way to care for people.

Whether she's mentoring young cooks, perfecting a loaf of gluten-free bread, or dreaming about one day serving meals from a small farmers market stand, Bella carries the same philosophy into everything she creates.

The best meals, like the best lives, aren't measured only by what is on the plate. They're measured by the people gathered around it.