Morounkunbi Idowu, popularly known as Chef Kaye, was born to Nigerian parents who run a family-owned restaurant and catering business (V. Ginis). She was raised in a fast-paced working kitchen in Lagos, Nigeria. While growing up, she spent most of her summer holidays assisting at the restaurant, which helped her form an appreciation for cooking and restaurant management. This quickly transformed into a passion.

Although Chef Kaye learned the rudiments of cooking from her parents, her skills were sharpened after leaving the shores of Nigeria on her culinary voyage to the United States. In the U.S., she was trained in some of the country's best culinary institutes and was tutored by a number of top chefs. Upon graduating from culinary school, she proceeded to further her education at the Conrad Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, University of Houston, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

During her studies and training, she mastered food production techniques, the workings of a professional kitchen, and managerial skills. It was the kind of grueling education that can make or break an aspiring young chef. For Kaye, the experience was rewarding, as it enhanced her natural ability to create ambitious, memorable cuisines. She is now an American Culinary Federation-accredited chef.

Chef Kaye worked for top culinary and hospitality companies such as Hilton, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and Minute Maid Stadium in her earlier years as a chef. She then started her own catering company, Kaye's Gourmet, a boutique catering business specializing in Afro-fusion cuisine, merging authentic African flavors with contemporary flair.

In addition to running her catering company and working with prominent chefs, Kaye has cooked at numerous culinary events and competitions across the United States, including the South Belt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce: Night of Cuisine, Pasadena Taste of the Town, and The Taste of Times Square, serving a signature fusion of her classical French culinary training and her homegrown West African cuisine. Her goal is to be an ambassador for African cuisine in the diaspora.

Outside the kitchen, her passions include event planning and traveling, activities that echo her culinary style—fusing adrenaline with diligence.