Kristina grew up in Darug (Western Sydney) and on a grape and citrus farm in Millewa-Mallee region (VIC), and has lived in Naarm since she was 15. She completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences majoring in Nutrition and Health Promotion, working as a nutritionist, cooking teacher, cook, and within the public health sector for over 13 years.
Kristina loves sharing the food and stories from both her cultural backgrounds, as a way to continue and preserve the family recipes, knowledge, and practices with the community, and to connect like minded people who want to experience these special moments together. Her work strives to encourage a shift towards a greater appreciation for sustainable living through permaculture, focusing on buying direct from farmers and artisan producers, and decolonising the way we approach food and life.
Kristina’s mum is from Zamboanga Del Norte in Western Mindanao, with lineage on her Lolo’s side to the Subanen tribe indigenous to the region, and a historical ancestral lineage to the island of Bohol in Central Visayas from both her Lola and Lolo. Her family have a long history of living resourcefully off the land in Mindanao, farming coconut, rice, corn, and market vegetables, while living in the rich nature, culture, and community life in the mountainous probinsya.
Kristina’s father is ethnic Hungarian from former Yugoslavia (now Serbia + Croatia) also with a farming background, living in the countryside next to the Duna river, where his family farmed grapes, sugarbeet, and seasonal produce, migrating to Australia as a refugee with his family as a child.
Kristina hosts pop-up lunches and dinners, teaches cooking workshops, and takes private bookings for events and gatherings across Naarm - Melbourne.