Kamiya Merrick is a 29-year-old, self-taught Executive Chef and Co-Owner of @ The Corner Modern Diner. She was born and raised in Barrie, Ontario Canada where her love for food began cooking freshly picked herbs and vegetables alongside her father in their kitchen. In 2009, Kamiya was recruited as a Division 1 soccer player for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she studied marketing. During her years at the University she met an Arkansas native whom she would eventually fall in love with. In 2015 and at the young age of 24, Kamiya would open a restaurant with her fiance’s sisters and mother. @ The Corner Modern Diner is now one of Little Rock’s top Brunch spots known for incorporating fresh, local ingredients in fun, unique ways as well as themed weekend brunches highlighting Arkansas’s produce, local events & holidays. Kamiya’s passion lies in modernizing traditional recipes, exploring new techniques & creating flavor combinations. She is constantly inspired by nature’s abundance and loves building relationships with local farmers and suppliers. Kamiya is currently in the process of opening a second restaurant. She is very excited to share a new vision with Little Rock.
