Derek Kitchen

In 2018, Kitchen announced his bid for Utah State Senate. On November 6, 2018, Kitchen won the 2018 election for Utah Senate District 2 and was elected to serve in the 2019-20 Utah Senate Minority Leadership as Senate Caucus Manager.

In 2015, Kitchen was elected to represent Council District 4 in Salt Lake City where he led the effort to create a historic $21 million fund to create affordable housing in October 2016. He also worked to expand housing options in Salt Lake City with an update to the Accessory Dwelling Unit/Mother-in-law ordinance in 2018. He formerly served as a chair for the redevelopment agency.

In 2014, Kitchen and his partner sued the State of Utah for marriage equality with Kitchen v. Herbert. This case legalized marriage in Utah and five other states in the western U.S., establishing a groundbreaking case-law that led to nationwide marriage equality in 2015. Following the lawsuit, Kitchen was the subject of a documentary about the lawsuit that legalized gay marriage, called Church & State.

Kitchen graduated in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Utah.

Kitchen and his partner, Moudi Sbeity, opened Laziz Foods in 2012 to provide Lebanese food to local grocery stores and the Farmers Market in Salt Lake City. It was in 2016 they opened Laziz Kitchen, a Lebanese restaurant downtown. Laziz Kitchen has a partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to hire refugees and New Americans from Iraq and Syria.