Kalia Ostrander was fortunate to be raised in Oahu, Hawaii and Santa Cruz, California. Growing up in these two beautiful, culture rich locations she was influenced by  diverse cuisines-Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, and California fusion. Finding sustainable, whole organic ingredients has been an integral part of her cooking journey. She was influenced by  mother, who also followed a culinary path, as a registered dietician, and has taught Kalia how to make balanced nutritious meals from a young age.

Kalia is passionate about wildlife and sustainable fishing and hunting practices. She has finished her bachelors in biology and is currently pursuing her masters in fisheries and wildlife biology where she hopes to use her science background in tandem with passion for food and cooking to find sustainable ways to utilize resources and provide communities with nourishing food. The past 6 years she worked seasonally in Alaska as a captain and fishing guide. A highlight of this work was taking clients fishing for wild alaskan salmon, and then preparing the salmon for them to their liking. This often meant improvising on ingredients when in rural Alaska, and finding creative ways to prepare the salmon in novel form. Working the seasonal lifestyle has allowed her to travel regularly, and spend time in Europe, Indonesia, Japan, SE Asia, Central America, and South America, where food, of corse, has been a highlight of traveling. In most recent travels, she went to culinary school in Northern Thailand, perfecting dishes like Green Curry, Khoa Soi, Larb, Tom Kha and Papaya Salad. 

With years of fun and exciting seasonal life, Kalia has decided to settle down mainly in Sun Valley and part time in the Bay Area/Santa Cruz California while pursuing her career as chef. She hopes to bring all of her knowledge from travels and life experience to execute beautiful meals for you-whether it's hearty healthy prepared salads, or beautiful decedent coursed dinners.