Kevin McWilliams
Laurel | Philadelphia
FEBRUARY 2024
Sometimes, the thing you were looking for was right in front of you the whole time. That was the case for Kevin McWilliams. Although he grew up working in restaurants, McWilliams didn’t think much of the industry at first. He worked in restaurants—bartending, serving, and just trying to make a buck—while studying photography at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He found the industry to be supportive and, best of all, he didn’t have to wear a button up. That’s when it all clicked into place for him.
And then, he started cooking. He threw himself into the fire and took his first kitchen job at Café Lift, learning from Chef Josiah Richmond. McWilliams moved to Kensington Quarters under Chef Damon Menapace, and then Chef Katie Maley, before reaching out to Chef Eric Leveillee, who offered him a position at Marigold Kitchen. When it closed, McWilliams reconnected with his friend, Rising Stars alum Matt Harper, and returned to Kensington Quarters. There, Harper taught him to cook with a market-driven mindset. In the summer of 2020, McWilliams was hired by another Rising Stars alum, Randy Rucker at River Twice, where he learned how to be intentional with his plating and to embrace simplicity.
After two formative years at River Twice, McWilliams joined the opening team at Rising Stars alum Nick Elmi’s Lark. Realizing the suburbs weren’t for him, he left to work at Lacroix, but after only three months, Elmi reached out to him again, this time offering him a chef de cuisine position. McWilliams joined the team at Laurel in January 2023. There, McWilliams cooks as seasonally as possible, putting an emphasis on fresh produce in his kitchen, which is enhanced by his meticulous technique.
