Humans of Chestnut: Kayla Burns

Meet Kayla Burns, Chestnut’s Humans of the Month.

This months “Humans of” is Kayla Burns, our HR administrator for both Chestnut and Corner Kitchen. Kayla is the human that helps keep all the other humans happy and we love her.


Where are you from?

I grew up in a really small town called Bolona in upstate New York. My family moved to this area when I was 14 and then I moved into Asheville when I was 18 and I’ve been here ever since.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up early in the morning. It starts with coffee, always. I get my daughter ready for school. We walk to school in the morning so my walk home is my little time alone during the day. I usually do a quick workout, head to work, have my work day which is always different. Our evenings are usually filled with homework and dinner and whatever activities my daughter is in and all the things that have to get done.

What’s your go-to workout?

I really enjoy pilates and yoga.

What led you to HR?

A lot of different things led me to HR. When I started school I knew I wanted to do business management, but I didn’t really know what aspect of it yet. The more time I spent in school and the more time I had out in the workforce and in the world myself, I realized that the human aspect of business was more of what I was interested in. You know, being a small part of trying to make people’s work lives more enjoyable.

Do you have any pets?

We have two cats. We have Lemon and Stevie Nicks.

What brings you the most joy in life?

Spending time with my family and my friends. You know, just those small moments of fun and love and connection and coffee. Coffee brings me lots of joy.

Do you have any siblings?

I have four older brothers. I have one brother that lives in New York, one brother that lives in Mexico, and two that live here.

What’s something that weighs on you?

A lot, I think I’d say. I would say for me personally, the thing that I worry about the most is my daughter, parenting, you know, parenting is a constant journey and trying to change with your kid and hope you’re doing a good job, and hope you’re making good decisions.

What’s something on your bucket list?

My husband and I have a whole plan. When we don’t have kids in the house anymore, we’re going to travel the country on a Harley. There’s a lot of places in the United States I still haven’t been, so I think that would be a really cool way to see everything. One day, one day way down the road, I want to write a book.

Do you want to have more kids?

Yeah if it’s meant to be, sure.

How many kids would you want?

Maybe one more. Having an only child is nice in some ways. I’m still able to have a career, have a life outside of just being mom even though it’s my favorite thing. Kids are expensive and time consuming. As a women, it often puts our life on hold for a while. Every time you have a kid you’re kind of getting delayed a little bit.

What jobs did you do before this?

I started my first restaurant job when I was 14 and then I worked in restaurants and the hospitality industry all the way through school.

What’s your favorite meal to get here?

Well Corner Kitchen I get lunch there a lot so I get the salads. I love their salads.

There you have it. Kayla Burns. The woman, the myth, the legend, that works behind the scenes to help keep Chestnut and Corner Kitchen running smoothly. Turns out Kayla is way more than just an HR administrator but also a really dope coffee lovin’ human with big hopes and dreams. 

Food handcrafted with care.

We take pride in sourcing products from local growers, ranchers, cheese makers, and dairies. Everything is made in house - from hand-cut french fries to ice cream from scratch, to pickled local veggies.
The American Chestnut Association
Asheville Independent Restaurants
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

Chestnut

48 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 575-2667

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10 am - 2:30 pm

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We’re closed for dinner tonight, Sunday, February 9th, for our Staff Appreciation Party. We’ll be back and ready to serve you tomorrow. ❤️