• Born third to a family of five children, Kira never really lacked for company. As the middle child, she often found herself as peacekeeper between the strong personalities of her siblings, a role that suited her easily. There was always someone around to play with or talk to, but Kira was more than happy to step back and let the others fight for the spotlight, shying away from demanding attention.
• Growing up, her favorite memories were of spending time in the kitchen with her babcia (grandmother), learning to cook and helping in whatever small ways she could to prepare meals for the family. Any contribution, no matter how tiny, to their weekly Sunday family dinners left Kira beaming with pride. When she was older, she quickly settled into a job at the family's restaurant, first bussing and helping clean dishes, then serving and eventually even helping to prep in the kitchen when extra hands were necessary. Kira worked there all through high school and even after graduating, until, practically upon the insistance of babcia, at 21 she enrolled in culinary school.
• Moving away from home to attend the Culinary Institute of America in California was, honestly, a terrifying experience for Kira. For a woman who had always been close to and relied heavily on her family, being alone for the first time in her life was incredibly difficult and for much of the time she was gone, she found herself desperately homesick. Though she loved and excelled in her studies, and had always been an incredibly friendly girl, Kira struggled to find a social group to fit herself into. After completing courses in both Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry, Kira moved to Los Angeles, working both on the line at a gourmet restaurant and as a decorating assistant at a renowned baker, sometimes (despite the horrifically long hours) both at once. But it was in LA when friends finally found her, when a coworker introduced her to Ty. Unlike anyone she had ever dated, Kira was quickly swept up in his appeal, the mystery and danger that seemed to surround him. Despite how opposite they seemed, the two became incredibly close, though things were often as unhappy as they were passionate. He was angry at how much time and dedication she showed to her jobs, she was uncomfortable with his lifestyle choices. Between working more than full time and juggling the budding romance, Kira was quickly heading for a burn out when she recieved the news that her grandfather had passed away.
• Without much thought to the matter, Kira moved home to Florida. It was easy to convince herself that her family needed her more than LA did, that babcia would need more help with the restaurant now that her grandfather was gone. That wasn't entirely untrue, and Kira eagerly found her way back at the family restaurant, taking on more tasks than she had before to help. In the years that followed, with babcia getting older, Kira found herself managing more of the day to day aspects of the business, though she had never wanted to be a manager. With her heart still in the kitchen, and a deeply self-fueled feeling of never doing enough, Kira also catered and made custom deserts and cakes on the side for special occasions.
• While it couldn't be more cliche to say, turning 30 proved to be an unintentional turning point in Kira's life. She hadn't set out specifically to find a partner or to get into a serious relationship, but she did begin to slowly open herself up to the idea. Though she was still taking on a lot of the responsibility at the restaurant, Kira knew that she needed a better work and life balance. Her first step, though she'd almost dreaded it, was joining Tinder. There were more than a few failed attempts, but it was also through the app that she met Dru Combs. When they finally met up in person, for Kira, it was as if something had just clicked. They spent the night talking through dinner, dessert, coffee, about work and family, what they wanted for their futures, topics that typically are shied away from on a first date. By the time they reached the goodnight kiss, Kira was more than entirely smitten. Here was a man who shared her ideals, who was as enthusiastic as he was sweet. In the days and weeks that followed, they were practically already inseperable. Kira accompanied him out of town on a business trips, and stood by his side when his mother passed away after her battle with cancer. •