About Chef Cydnie
The standard
doesn't change.
Chef Cydnie Perkins is a Gold Axe Award recipient — presented to the top 1% of each graduating class at Northern Arizona University — a four-time D1 conference champion and school record holder in swimming, and the founder of Crafted by Cydnie, LLC. She graduated from NAU's Hotel and Restaurant Management program, ranked top 10 in the country and top 15 globally, with a minor in Psychology.
She currently serves as Kitchen Manager at The Annex in Flagstaff, where she holds full creative control of both the food and specials menus — with a majority of the full menu being her own original dishes. In the summer of 2025, she developed and ran the Annex Blue Plate Specials project — a rotating menu of over 34 original dishes across three months. In 2026, she launched The Pairing Project at The Annex Cocktail Lounge, a five-pairing food and cocktail menu where every dish and cocktail is designed together from the beginning — one of the very few menus of its kind in Arizona, currently in its second iteration. She has also taken the lead on developing the catering and private parties menu and business plan for That Place Projects. In addition, she serves as the head of menu design and execution at Tinderbox Kitchen, leading the culinary direction for one of Flagstaff's most recognized dining concepts.
She served as a Teaching Assistant for an advanced culinary class at NAU, teaching 32 students and leading 6 live cooking events. She is a founding member and Executive Sous Chef of NAU's Gastronomy Club, where she planned and executed large-scale culinary events bringing together local businesses, students, and the Flagstaff community.
She was one of only four students at NAU selected for a fully funded, week-long trip to Chicago to attend the IFMA Food Away from Home Educational Summit, the Gold & Silver Plate Awards, and the NRA (National Restaurant Association) Show — one of the most prestigious gatherings in the foodservice industry.
As a high-performance athlete who now competes in triathlons, her understanding of what it takes to fuel a body at the highest level isn't theoretical. It's lived. That background is her competitive edge — and it shows in every plate she puts out.
