USC Cinematic Arts

Karla Navarro has a degree in International Business, an MBA, 20 years of experience as an administrator, and above all this, a great passion: cooking.  Karla is not a Chef, she is a cook.  She defends this position because her approach to cooking is the fruit of her passion.  Without formal instruction in any educational culinary institution, Karla is certainly an inspiration for many people who have an approach to the kitchen “for the sake of art.”  Her passion led her to knock on doors and seek opportunities with restaurants like Laja in Valle de Guadalupe and La Caza Club in Tijuana.  She has also been part of the staff and invited to cook with the most renowned chefs in the city.  She has participated in major events like the culinary battle in the city of Tijuana where her team won, she was chosen by Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero to compete in Chef’s Plate, a culinary competition organized by Chef’s Roll, where she won second place.  Besides participation in the most important culinary events in Tijuana and San Diego, she has been invited to give talks on both sides of the border for Noma, a Harvard case for postgraduate students, and the talk “exploring the culinary boom in Tijuana” in the meeting of the minds an event of the voice of San Diego.  Today, Karla is the spearhead of the multidisciplinary project The Kitchen in the downtown area of Tijuana and Salicornia.  It is certainly Karla who reminds us that cooking for anything requires skill and passion.