The chef states are (from North to South) Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Those states, amongst others, grow a lot of food, Corn, wheat, rice, pork, beef, and soy, come immediately to mind. They're certainly not the only ones, but they do a lot.
From 3rdish grade iirc, MIMAL (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana) is a man in a chefs hat making lots of food for the whole country. MN being the hat, LA being the shoes.
As someone who lived in Kansas, just look for the middle of the middle.
The center column of states has 6 states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas), and Kansas is in the middle of that vertical line (given that the northern 3 are a bit thinner).
When I was a child, my mother had to travel to Kentucky for work and I told everyone who asked that she was at "Kentucky Fried Chicken."
My dad pointed out where Kentucky was on the map, and I almost immediately saw the chef and pan in the state shapes. I've never forgotten where Kentucky was since then.