Meet Robin Kloess | Executive Chef and Owner, Hers & Hers Hospitality

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robin Kloess and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robin, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
That my industry is a very intellectual industry full of people that maybe haven’t gone the traditional route of college but are constantly on a search for knowledge.

I think the hospitality industry has so many sides to it. A lot of people think it is just long hours of physical labour but truthfully when you work in hospitality you are also spending creative time outside of work, intellectual time enriching your mind/thought process and techniques as well as getting out to see what everyone else is creating.

To an outsider maybe a chef just cooks at work but truly a chef is reading, eating, cooking and traveling to experience life in order to make your meal or event that much more special. Same can be said for front of house staff. You want to know what the service style is at a similar restaurant or even vastly different ones because in the end the more experiences you have the better you can provide for you clients and guest.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It may sound cheesy but my art is my food. I really try to tell a story. It is not always my own personal life story but the story of the seasons, history, my culture or memories.

Right now my next project that is in conceptual development will hopefully be a story based on my Filipino culture and my friends Korean culture. Without giving too much away we have a long standing friendship that began in culinary school and has steadily grown over the years. We worked in a restaurant together in SF and have not only fond memories of the job but the business itself. We want to take what we loved about that place, the food, ambiance and attitude and apply a more personal and cultural take for ourselves.

I’d love to say that getting to where I am now has been easy but being a queer woman of color in hospitality really comes with challenges. In order to persevere through those experinces I have really learned to focus on my wants and goals and remember the you can lean on your loved ones for support. I am truly one of the most stubborn, do it yourself type people you will ever meet and it was until very recently that I was able to embrace vulnerability and depend on those around me. That has been one of my hardest lessons one that I feared I learned too late in life but time and time again I learn it is never too late for anything.

Ultimately my story or brand is about authenticity, support and lifting each other up. That is what I really want people to know. So much around us isn’t a given but if we can all come together to help one another actualize our dreams it makes it all worth it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a hard question for many reasons but especially since I still feel new to Los Angeles but I’ll make a highlights reel 🙂

My ideal time of year is fall, the weather is still warmer and we are getting into spooky season..
I would start our day with an Eggslut brekkie sando and coffee. I’m a bit fancy when it comes to coffee. I Love Maru, Super Domestic but my standard local shop is Coffee MCO.

From there we could go check out the Broad, right now there is a really fun Murakami exhibit as well as Kusamas Infinity mirrors. Im also a hiker but my real life BFF isn’t but if she was we would go to the Palisades and do a nice hike with great 360 views.
Once we have a lunch appetite and lets say its peak heat I would take us to Ktown for cold noodles! My favorite way to cool down. A friend of mine brought me to Yuchun and I legit think about it almost everyday that it is hot.

Once night is settling in I’m for sure take taking my friend to Hollywood Forever for the Dia De Los Muertos celebration so full of life and color or if it is Halloween time we are doing haunted hayrides and pumpkin patching. I can also be easily persuaded to see live music or even go bowling.

Dinner is where it gets complicated because clearly I like to eat but top five restaurants IMHO are, Found Oyster, Birdie G’s, Hippo Highland Park, L&E Oyster Bar and Kobawoo House.
Im not really a night owl any more but I for sure end all nights with something sweet. In my hood I love to go to Somi Somi for great soft serve with the filled fish shaped pastry on top!

Its really more of a food tour but me and my friends like to eat!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people and places deserve a shoutout who have contributed to my success. While I can’t list everyone I will do my best.

First and foremost the block of 23rd ave and California st in San Francisco where Pizzetta 211 and Pearl 6101 operate. The years I spent cooking in those restaurants have forever changed who I am professionally to say the least. They also allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t imagine when I first walked thru those doors.

Going back in the years, the most formidable. The chef team at Jardiniere! Chef Lisa Lu, Executive Chef and Owner Traci de Jardin, Chef Morgan Mueller and Chef Audi Golder and quite frankly the entire team of cooks we worked with over the years! This place was my first restaurant job and despite being closed now will forever be home to me.

Chef Chris Cosentino and the team at Incanto will also always have a space in my heart. I have never been pushed so hard creatively and professionally in my life. Having been the pastry chef here still remains one of my favorite accomplishments and never have I ever made such incredible desserts.

And lastly I can’t not mention the school I attended, CCSF!! Here I spent the best 2 years of my life. I was young and needed direction and I found it easily with the chefs and instructors as well as my peers. My strongest bonds in life that still remain today were started in the kitchen at City College of San Francisco9 Culinary Arts Program.

Website: https://robinkloess.squarespace.com

Instagram: @chefrobinkloess