August 20, 2025
Chef Darnell Reed is the owner of Luella’s Southern Kitchen. Photo by Cindy Kurman.
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Luella’s Southern Kitchen Celebrates Family Legacy
Chef Darnell Reed got into cooking at a very young age and began professionally at a young age. Growing up, he would watch Chef Justin Wilson on Channel 11. He chose culinary arts in high school while he was attending Dunbar Vocational High School. At 16, he worked in the kitchen at the Palmer House Hilton. Reed opened Luella’s Southern Kitchen in 2015 and recently re-opened the restaurant in a new location in Albany Park.