Jun 16, 2022

After earning an undergraduate degree in sociology from Chestnut Hill College in Philly, Christa Lynch went on to earn a law degree from NYU School of Law and a master’s degree in international finance from Columbia University before embarking on a successful decade-plus run in the banking and trading sector.

Feeling burned-out and unfulfilled, she then traded in her white collar for a white apron as a sous chef at Google’s New York headquarters in Chelsea — and in 2017 founded her own farm-to-table catering, hospitality and event production company called Brooklyn Braised.

“Within six months of my first job after graduate school, I started to feel like I was pushing myself towards looking good on paper,” she said in an interview on Medium. “But it didn’t mean that I was good at what I was doing or that the work made me happy.”

Today, Brooklyn Braised — which caters special occasions, company events and home delivery with seasonal menus, cocktails, vegan options and more — sources local Black- and brown- owned vendors and hires formerly incarcerated people.

During the pandemic, Lynch started Meals on Us to partner with shelters and hunger- relief organizations including Camba and the Kensington Family Shelter to provide families with thousands of healthy meals. For that work, Lynch received a special citation from then-Borough President Eric Adams and received a “Woman of Courage” award from Serena Williams and Bumble.

“What Christa is doing is just so empowering and selfless,” Williams said at the time. “She recognized a problem in her own community and didn’t wait for anyone to take action.”