About Slife Public Relations

Slife Public Relations is a boutique agency that proudly services top tastemakers in the hospitality industry with effective communication strategies that get attention and build business. The underlying component of these strategies is our belief in the supremacy of strong media relationships and a keen eye for innovative marketing opportunities.

We offer ourselves as a research tool to the media and develop creative and comprehensive public relations plans that concentrate on proactive media efforts as well as co-promotional relationships that reach our clients’ target audiences.

Slife PR provides intimate client attention while producing far-reaching results clients typically expect from much larger firms. We are dedicated to each client, gaining a thorough understanding of their business, needs and goals to create custom-designed campaigns and materials that will inspire new interest and ultimately achieve these goals.

The key ingredient in our daily efforts, and what sets us apart from our competition, is a genuine admiration and tireless passion for the industry. Kara Slife is a trained cook, having worked in some of the country’s top kitchens, a wine and spirits aficionado, serving the front of the house as well, and self-proclaimed “restaurant brat.” This infectious enthusiasm affords an honest approach that is instrumental in securing A-list media coverage and establishing the relationships that have lent to her success.

With hand-on experience and a thorough understanding of the hospitality industry, we offer our clients a trusted, articulate and creative link to the media. As colleagues, our enthusiasm, energy, and optimism are unparalleled.

Slife’s clients have included Chef Govind Armstrong of Table 8 in Los Angeles, who was named one of People’s “50 Most Beautiful” in 2004; Koi in Los Angeles, Father’s Office and chef/beer sommelier Sang Yoon, Nine Steakhouse and Ghostbar in Las Vegas, celebrated Chef Bradley Ogden and the Lark Creek Restaurant Group; the legendary Brennan Family of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Chef Mark Sullivan of the Village Pub in Woodside, CA and Chef Grant Achatz of Trio in Chicago – both recognized in 2002 as Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs” in the country and James Beard “Rising Star Chef” nominees/winner. Slife is a member of the James Beard Foundation and the American Institute of Food and Wine. She has been quoted by industry media such as Restaurant Hospitality, Sante, Food Arts, W.E. Network’s Young, Sexy and Cookin’, and Starchefs.

Kara Slife
Growing up in and around the restaurant business, Kara Slife has spent much of her life in both the dining rooms and the kitchens of some of the country’s finest restaurants. “Being amidst the energy of busy restaurant is one of my favorite places to be,” she says. “A career in the business was inevitable.” With a degree in public relations from the University of Southern California’s School of Journalism, Slife went on to graduate from the California School of Culinary Arts, a division of the Le Cordon Bleu. Slife has worked in publicity and management in both the entertainment and hospitality industries for over 10 years. Prior to forming her own company in the spring of 2004, Slife was Executive Director of the Restaurant Division of Wagstaff Worldwide, Inc. in Los Angeles. Slife joined Mary Wagstaff shortly after the company’s inception in 1999 while still a culinary arts student at Le Cordon Bleu. Within the next four years, Slife was instrumental in growing the company to over 25 employees in three cities and establishing a reputation for herself as one of the top restaurant publicists in the country.

Nancy Huang
Born a first-generation American in the heart of the Midwest, Nancy Huang grew up in a multicultural family, developing a curious palate and love of food, travel and language at a very young age. Big-city ambition and an affinity for the sun lured her to Los Angeles, where she hungrily explored the ever-evolving dining scene while attending the University of Southern California. Nancy joined Slife Public Relations in 2006 after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism and Linguistics. Having several years of writing and design experience in both print and web media, Nancy brings a fresh, modern understanding of media relations to the Slife team, where her creative flair for language and infatuation of all things gastronomic make her a perfect fit.