About

the name

Carmel

[kahr-mel]

(n) A quaint, foggy beach town on the California coast

Kama’aina

[kah-muh–ahy-nuh]

(n) one who was born in Hawaii

the mission

The Carmel Kama’aina is your one stop shop for healthy, fun recipes. The goal should be no matter what you click, you look at the photo and the recipe and think “I can do that!” And so you do. P.S. I work 50+ hours a week, so I promise all these recipes are totally doable for us busy people!

the quick hits

Follow me on Instagram (@carmelkamaaina) for behind-the-scenes and on-the go content! Recipes and tips are posted there first.

the person

By day, I’m a Director at an international payments company, but by nights and weekends I’ve always found myself playing around in the kitchen.

My Italian heritage and Hawaiian childhood instilled in me a reverence for food as a way to connect people and express love. Spending my later childhood in Carmel introduced me to a thriving food scene, and college in LA opened up my eyes to how alluring one can make healthy food. As a former competitive ballerina, I value food that makes your body feel as good as the food looks and tastes.

I’ve always had way more fun creating my own recipes, and through The Carmel Kama’aina, I hope you’ll have fun re-creating them as well.

the Open invite

Want to get in touch or work together? I love hearing feedback on my recipes so please tell me what you loved, hated, or adapted. I’m also always open to new products to make healthy cooking easier and happier for my followers: whether ingredients, kitchen/dinnerware, or nutrition/lifestyle.