Our Team

We're a small group of passionate, hard-working people who believe in the power of quality ingredients, local community, and good food.

Our creative culinary team whips up delicious new dishes everyday, our neighborhood market teams keep the shelves stocked with the best from our kitchen, local farms, and food-makers, and our dedicated delivery team brings it right to your door.

CEO/Founder - Luke Chappell

Operating my own food business has been something I’ve wanted to do all my life. As an 11 year old I produced all-organic bagels 7 days a week for the general store in a small mid-coast Maine community. I called it Luke’s Heavenly Bagels and the logo was an image of a bagel with a halo and wings. Today I run Luke’s Local - a company dedicated to delivering delicious local food to homes and offices around the Bay Area. I am driven by supporting a community of talented people and am grateful it’s what I do everyday. When I’m not working you’ll find me at the beach with my dog Poppy or playing squash.

Executive Chef, Paula McDade

Executive Chef - Paula McDade

Korean-born and D.C.-raised Chef Paula McDade got her first job in restaurants at 15 before heading to the French Culinary Institute in NYC a few years later. She got her cooking chops at highly regarded institutions such as Gramercy Tavern in NYC, Quince in SF, and the Boot & Shoe Service in Oakland. Her time in these restaurants and her Korean background greatly influence her cooking style: big flavors, locally sourced produce, and above all, respect for the ingredients.

Sous Chef - Sam Adams

Sam Adams, a Bay Area born and raised native, started cooking in his family owned restaurant of 40 years at the young age of 11. With his love of food and passion for the artistry of baking, he would soon seek out the best of both worlds with the goal of becoming a talented chef with unlimited abilities. After graduating from The California Culinary Academy in 2003, he continued to hone his culinary craft throughout the city of San Francisco, the Bay Area and Pennsylvania by working for restaurants like Copenhagen Bakery, Chris’s Restaurant and Fine Catering, Blissful Kitchen, Lilah Belle’s and Bakesale Betty’s - to name a few. His passion for healthy, bold and “flavor bursting” meals is inspired by his love and dedication for fitness and nutrition. His motto “when you put good in, it will show” is his driving force to create locally farmed and sustainably harvested dishes that are not only delicious, but also nourish the mind, body and soul. Sam is eager to share his favorite dishes and excited to work with the amazing chef team at Luke’s Local.

Manager of Customer Experience, Emily Lubomirsky

Manager of Customer Experience - Emily Lubomirsky

A daughter of Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants, Emily knew from a very early age that the most interesting place to be in any house is the kitchen. After moving up to the Bay Area and working at high-end grocery retail through college, she realized she wanted to pursue working in the food world full time. On the weekends, Emily enjoys going on day trips around the bay area, cooking with her friends and family, and hanging out with her baby nephew.

Commissary Butcher, Dustin Vaught

Commissary Butcher - Dustin Vaught

Dustin grew up in the swamps and the coastal plains of Georgia, which exposed him early on to BBQ and seafood. He has spent the better part of the last decade working in and around restaurants. After college, he decided to dedicate himself full time to the craft and remains excited to always be learning more about the culinary arts. He’s a newlywed and a recent transplant to the Bay Area. His wife accepted a job as a Professor and finally dragged him out of the swamp for good.

Line Cook, Luis Hernández

Line Cook - Luis Hernández

Luis is originally from El Salvador and has lived in Daly City for almost 10 years. He began working at Luke’s Local in the summer of 2016 and enjoys working with our kitchen team. In his free time, likes to spend time with his friends, playing sports and other activities.

Produce Team Member - Rin McCarthy

Down-to-earth and deeply passionate, Rin has been in the Bay Area since the 1960’s. She spends her time working in the produce department at Luke’s Local and working the Sunday farmer’s market stand for Inzana Ranch nuts and fruits. She’s devoted to vegetables and is vegan, so it’s no surprise Rin has dedicated her life to being around food. Another life passion of hers is environmentalism; she traveled from California to Delaware on foot (!!!!) to raise awareness and engage with others around the nation about protecting and preserving the climate. Rin is a humble badass who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to make the world a better place.

Controller - Scott Stern

Scott, raised in Southern Florida and a University of Florida alum, found himself settling in the Bay Area after he and his girlfriend drove across the country from coast to coast. Scott worked for Amazon and the Real Food Company before joining Luke’s Local as a Controller. Working for a grocery company, it’s no surprise that Scott his time outside of work eating at places all around the Bay. He’s also a handy guy interested in technology: specifically buying, fixing, and selling scooters and other electronics.

Produce Buyer - Troy Delaney

Troy has dedicated nearly the past two decades (his entire working career!) to the organic & local produce industry. He proudly serves the community of Cole Valley, 10 years on and counting, having previously managed the produce department at legacy business Real Food Co., before bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience to Luke’s Local. Troy is part of an amazing team that brings an authentic and sustainable 21st-century food business to life. Off the clock, Troy plays drums in a local rock band and is as passionate about music as he is about organic fruit & veg; they are both necessary to nourish the soul and body.

CTO, Tomás Gutiérrez

CTO - Tomás Gutiérrez

Tomás has been creating digital products for over a decade. Originally from Colombia, he joined his first tech company while finishing his comp-sci/engineering and entrepreneurship & management degree at University of Minnesota. He spent 6 years working his way into the executive ranks at Accenture as part of the Architecture Innovation group, where he led the architecture design, delivery, and operations for multiple high profile web apps for world renowned clients. After some worldwide adventuring and soul searching, Tomás found his way to San Francisco, where he joined Scalable Path at its infancy. There he worked to grow the organization to what it is today, and led many product development projects for clients. At the same time, he’s a serial entrepreneur with a few ideas out in the market, as well as always playing with new ones when time allows. Tomás is also a helpless autodidact, nutrition-health-wellness nut, technology aficionado, philosophically bent, squash addicted, adventure seeking, and nature loving human.

Director of Operations, Paul Tripp

Director of Operations - Paul Tripp

Paul, originally from Seattle, has been living and working in the Bay Area for 12 years. He attended Culinary and Baking &Pastry school in Rhode Island and spent 10 years working in restaurants and bakeries. He also worked with Hidden Star Orchard, working at farmers markets for 8 years before managing the farm’s operations. He joined the Luke’s Local Operations Team in October 2016. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, cooking, hiking, and keeping the coffee flowing at the Fox Den.

Manager of Online Sales, Kayleigh Kahn

Director of Ecommerce - Kayleigh Kahn

After graduating with a sociology degree from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, Kayleigh moved to Brooklyn and spent a year working in the local food scene there. Looking for a larger food community and a milder climate, she moved to the Bay Area in 2015 and started working at Luke’s Local. Kayleigh has always loved food, and tries to cook and eat new recipes as often as possible. She’s passionate about nutrition, public health, and changing the food system for the better. When she’s not snacking at the Fox Den, you can find her in a local yoga class or hiking in Marin.

Line Cook, Patricia Rodriguez

Line Cook - Patricia Rodriguez

Patricia, a San Francisco resident for 20 years, has 3 sons and a boyfriend. She’s worked at many restaurants as a line cook for about 13 years, as well as a teacher’s assistant in classrooms of 3 to 5-year-olds - though her real passion is cooking. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her family in the park, running, and going to Zumba classes. She also loves to watch her son play soccer every Saturday, and she loves cooking for her family every evening. She’s very proud to be a part of Luke’s Local; she learns more about cooking every day from everyone on the team. For Patricia, it’s really important to cook with love and patience so that the food is delicious.

Prep Cook, Antonio Kauil

Prep Cook - Antonio Kauil

Antonio Kauil is from Yucatan, Mexico and has lived in San Francisco for the past 9 years. He’s married with 4 sons, 3 of whom are already in college. He has two jobs and works hard to save money to pay for his sons’ education and to start his own business someday in the future in Mexico. In Mexico, he was a farmer and grew corn, tomatoes, watermelons, peanuts, and many other vegetables. In his free time, he likes to watch sports, go for walks by the beach, and cook at home.

Lead Deli Clerk - Yaritza Flores

Anyone who has ordered a sandwich at Luke’s knows Yaritza slings the best sandos behind the counter. She’s a friendly face that loves to make people happy and feel at home in the store, and she puts her people skills to good use while also in school for nursing. Yaritza is a Honduran-raised mom-of-two that dedicates her free time to cooking, playing with her kids, and dancing. If you need a laugh, Yaritza is your go-to lady.