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The Real Housewives of Atlanta is currently airing season 16 which premiered on March 9, 2025. In the latest season, Kelli Ferrell, aka the Queen of Waffles, joined the rest of the housewives, along with Brit Eady and Angela Oakley. Born on March 13, 1994, Kelli is a restaurateur, celebrity chef, and cookbook author.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta star is currently married to Chuvalo Mark Ferrell, but they are in the process of getting divorced. Kelli split with her husband in 2022 after about 11 years of being together. Kelli has three daughters— Chance, Chasiti, and Chelsi— with Mark. She also had her first child, Chloe, from a previous relationship.
According to Bravo, Kelli Ferrell initially planned to pursue a degree in fashion merchandising and design after moving to Atlanta. However, in 2016, she opened a restaurant named Nana's Chicken-N-Waffles in McDonough, Georgia. She later expanded her business by opening a second location in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
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In 2019, Kelli released a cookbook titled Kooking with Kelli: Kollection of Family Recipes from Nana's Chicken-N-Waffles. Kelli also partners with organizations like Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Elks Aidmore, and the OI Foundation, supporting their causes. Through her work as a cookbook author and restaurateur, she has appeared on various shows to discuss her career and food.
She has also amassed over 204,000 followers on Instagram, as of this writing. She can be followed on @whoiskelli, where she keeps her fans updated about her professional and personal life.
Details of The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kelli Ferrell's divorce with Chuvalo Mark Ferrell explored
According to an InTouch Weekly report dated August 28, 2024, Kelli Ferrell accused her estranged husband, Mark Chuvalo, of not making child support and childcare expense payments as ordered by the court. According to court documents, Mark allegedly refused to pay, leading Kelli to demand that he be jailed until he paid the owed support.
Kelli also claimed in an April 2, 2025 interview with ESSENCE that Mark had emptied the business accounts of her restaurant.
“I was not smart. I trusted him [Mark] with everything,” said The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kelli.
InTouch Weekly reported that a temporary parenting plan was agreed upon in October 2023, with Kelli having primary physical custody and both parents sharing joint legal custody. Mark was ordered to pay $626 per month in child support and $1,500 per month for childcare expenses. However, Kelli alleged that Mark failed to make these payments for several months.
The court ordered Mark to be jailed for contempt, and he was booked into the Rockdale County jail on August 7. He was released on August 14 after posting a $14,889 bond. The divorce settlement has not been finalized. Mark's representative stated that he is focused on his family and professional responsibilities and has sought to resolve the issues amicably.
In the ESSENCE interview, Kelli explained that her ex-partner and she had combined finances. He managed the financial aspects of their business, while she focused on running the company and being its public face. She trusted him to handle tasks like meeting with the accountant and paying bills.
As a result, she didn't have direct control over the finances, despite contributing to the business. Due to these shared responsibilities, according to Kelli, Mark allegedly mismanaged funds without her knowledge.
"He would handle those things. I didn’t have to pay a bill. Even though I was still putting the money in the pot, I wasn’t in control of those things,” stated The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kelli.
Kelli concluded the interview by expressing her desire to use her platform to warn others about the potential financial risks of marriage. Despite winning her court case, The Real Housewives of Atlanta star emphasized that she still faced significant challenges and financial strain and hoped to help others avoid similar difficulties by being more prepared and aware.
Catch Kelli in season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo.
