Jacqueline Kleis is an accomplished chef, business entrepreneur and product developer. Her creative thinking has crafted new marketing opportunities for her clients by developing innovative products that remain true to the brands. With over 20 years of experience covering multiple aspects including menu creation, design, product development and marketing strategy, she created Culinary Beet LLC., a food and beverage consulting company based in Miami,FL.
Previous to launching Culinary Beet LLC, she worked for as Corporate Chef of Pollo Tropical in their headquarters in Miami, FL . At the position held for five years , she helped created the new items for the 150 Caribbean-themed restaurants and became their spokesperson at a National level including live T.V. Her menu developments gave a healthy twist to Latin comfort food at an affordable price.
Her culinary career started under culinary greats such as Georges Blanc, Joel Robuchon, and Chocolatier Jean Claude Marmey in France, Richard Cressac at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva, and Augusto Schreiner at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After several years refining her versatile culinary skills in professional kitchens , she spearheaded and developed three food service businesses in her native Puerto Rico. They included Jacqueline Kleis Gourmet Catering, a highly successful catering company which she ran for twenty years; Urban Cuisine , a fast-casual and retail concept; and Nurtiescuelas Inc. , an organization providing healthy-affordable school lunches.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, with a B.A. in French Civilization from Brown University and a year of studies in Université de Lyon II , she is fully trilingual in English, Spanish, and French. An advocate of sports, health, and wellness , She is a member of the Research Chef's Association, Brown Alumni Committee, Leadership Miami (Miami Chamber of Commerce), and the CEIP class of 2016-leaders of innovation (Culinary Institute of America).
