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Connections
Connections

Executive chef Kayjona Rogers on making her mark in the culinary arts

By Racquel Stephen,
Megan Mack, Veronica Volk, Julie Williams
Published April 22, 2025 at 4:53 PM EDT
Four people sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at foreground left has long brown hair and is wearing headphones, glasses, a black sweatshirt, black jeans and black boots; a woman at foreground right has short blonde hair and is wearing a green and white patterned dress; a man at background left has short dark hair and is wearing headphones and a beige t-shirt; a woman at background right has long dark hair and is wearing headphones, glasses and a black chef jacket.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Jessica Scannell, (background) Chris Fantauzzo and Kayjona Rogers with guest host Racquel Stephen on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
A smiling woman with short blonde hair sits at a desk in front of a microphone wearing a gold necklace and green and white patterned dress.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Racquel Stephen guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson"

Kayjona Rogers is the 28-year-old executive chef at Studio Lounge. It all began when a run-in with the law offered Rogers the opportunity to attend a Foodlink program.

That program changed the course of her life. Her passion for the culinary arts reignited, Rogers started her own catering business, Taste of Kaye.

From there, she made the move to Studio Lounge. As executive chef, she has increased kitchen revenue by 200%.

This hour, guest host Racquel Stephen talks with Rogers about her path to running a kitchen, her philosophy on food, and her take on making her mark in the culinary arts.

Our guests:

Connections
Racquel Stephen
Racquel Stephen is WXXI's health, equity and community reporter and producer. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in broadcasting and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
See stories by Racquel Stephen
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Veronica Volk
Veronica Volk is a senior producer and editor for WXXI News.
See stories by Veronica Volk
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams