ABOUT
BICYCLETTE COOKSHOP
CHEF PARTNER
KAYLA PFEIFFER
Bicyclette Cookshop is the newest addition to Naples' bustling restaurant scene. Familiar dishes bring surprising flavors, where the food doesn’t always do what you expect…and that’s no accident. Kayla Pfeiffer, chef, partner, and culinary badass is hard to pin down. She's complex-- an intense blend of intuition, experience, and creativity. In that way, she's a bit like how we describe our cuisine. "New American”--hard to explain; easy to taste.
Her story began in Connecticut, “working” at her family’s Greenwich restaurants before she was old enough to reach the bar. She spent days after school, tucked in a booth, splitting time between English homework and whipping up chocolate souffles from the Bon Appetit cookbook.
She relocated to New York and attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. While attending school and after graduating, Kayla worked under several notable chefs, including Michelin Starred and James Beard award winning Andrew Carmellini (Locanda Verde, Bar Primi, The Dutch & Lafayette) and Two Michelin Starred Terrance Brennan (Picholine, The Roundhouse). Kayla honed her skills, spending extra hours after shifts, learning the inner workings of all aspects of the restaurant. Her excitement continued to grow, not just about the food and the art of cooking but the feeling that a truly great dining experience can impart: A fun song playing in the background, barely noticeable above the energy brought on by the laughter from guests and the action from the kitchen. A unique cocktail with familiar ingredients but made with great care...the best one you'd ever tried. Kayla was certain at this point that she was going to spend the rest of her life in restaurants.
Life next brought Kayla to Naples…and the rest of us are the extremely fortunate beneficiaries. It is here where her previous experiences truly came to life. She found her first role in Florida as sous chef at The French Brasserie on 5th Avenue. Her dedication, creativity and ability to lead with poise and confidence quickly resulted in her promotion to executive chef. In that role, she opened the critically acclaimed Bar Tulia in Mercato. Both The French and Bar Tulia were roaring successes and crowd favorites until her departure in 2022 when Kayla was approached by notable restaurateur, Paul Fleming (Flemings Steakhouse and P.F. Chang’s), to create the menu and lead the kitchen for the opening of his new restaurant, PJK Neighborhood Chinese.
Fast forward to today. Our very own culinary badass leads the helm at a restaurant that is the product of lots of hard work...and a little bit of luck. Bicyclette Cookshop is uniquely Kayla; it walks the line between traditional and eccentric. Her influence touches every aspect of the restaurant, from the music in the dining room when you arrive to the garnish on your delectable dessert. Kayla is not one to alter her tread, or her cooking, to suit someone else’s expectations. Kind yet unapologetic, she keeps her focus on the food, her team, and the community she has grown to love.
Life next brought Kayla to Naples…and the rest of us are the extremely fortunate beneficiaries. It is here where her previous experiences truly came to life. She found her first role in Florida as sous chef at The French Brasserie on 5th Avenue. Her dedication, creativity and ability to lead with poise and confidence quickly resulted in her promotion to executive chef. In that role, she opened the critically acclaimed Bar Tulia in Mercato. Both The French and Bar Tulia were roaring successes and crowd favorites until her departure in 2022 when Kayla was approached by notable restaurateur, Paul Fleming (Flemings Steakhouse and P.F. Chang’s), to create the menu and lead the kitchen for the opening of his new restaurant, PJK Neighborhood Chinese.
Fast forward to today. Our very own culinary badass leads the helm at a restaurant that is the product of lots of hard work...and a little bit of luck. Bicyclette Cookshop is uniquely Kayla; it walks the line between traditional and eccentric. Her influence touches every aspect of the restaurant, from the music in the dining room when you arrive to the garnish on your delectable dessert. Kayla is not one to alter her tread, or her cooking, to suit someone else’s expectations. Kind yet unapologetic, she keeps her focus on the food, her team, and the community she has grown to love.
