Casandra Kelly Catering: Creating food experiences along the north coast and beyond

A food experience is what Casandra Kelly Catering provides. Based in Humboldt County, with a focus on ethnic, local, seasonal and organic dishes, people can experience their food this Sunday at the Local Cider Bar in Arcata. 

“I think my way of sort of creating a job for myself was creating pop-ups, doing food experiences, especially for a lot of us who move up here that miss the taste of Los Angeles [or] ethnic cuisine,” said Casandra Kelly owner of Casandra Kelly Catering. “There was a lot that I missed, and so I wanted to make sure that I could provide that up here.”

Kelly started cooking in 2008. Since then has received a bachelor’s in ecological restoration from Cal Poly Humboldt. With their passion for cooking and farming, they combine these skills into one. With a focus on organic and seasonal foods, Kelly works closely with local farmers to source their ingredients “to make really simple ingredients pop by showcasing them and various foods,” Kelly said. 

“I like to really make sure that we have different things showcased, whether that be like a really nice dashi or a furikake getting more spice involved with different pickles or different sauces that I put out there,” Kelly said. “So yeah, that’s always what you can expect from me.”

Casandra Kelly Catering is more than just food, according to Kelly. Owning this business and creating the food involves a social aspect to it. 

“There’s definitely a social aspect to it that I think, you know, like a queer Jewish-Latin chef, I definitely feel like I bring a different sense of community or even like a social justice aspect to my food,” Kelly said. 

To stay updated with events or food experiences with Casandra Kelly Catering follow them on Instagram or go to their website https://www.casandrakellycatering.com/.