Rising Star Chef Cara Chigazola of Oleana - Biography

Cara Chigazola’s path to becoming a chef began as a teenager in a pizza kitchen. Born and raised in California, Chigazola had moved across the country by the time she was seventeen, and found herself working in a pizza shop in New Hampshire. It started as just an ordinary job, but then the pull of the kitchen began to take hold, and the once aspiring artist found herself transitioning her creative passions to food.

Chigazola eventually returned to California, earning a culinary degree in Monterey (as the valedictorian of her class). A slew of professional gigs followed, including Cetrella in Half Moon Bay, The PlumpJack Cafe in San Francisco, and the kitchen of The Dream Hotel in Santa Cruz.

When Chigazola’s husband had the chance to attend graduate school in Boston, the emerging chef was ready and willing to move back East. In New England, Chigazola found herself working a few experimental hours at Ana Sortun’s Oleana, the modern Mediterranean restaurant and Beantown beacon where she eventually found a new home. In 2013, Chigazola became chef de cuisine of Oleana. Her California roots combine effortlessly with the cuisine, influencing how she approaches food. Chigazola spotlights the ingredients of the Northeast, while exploring the traditional flavors of the Middle East and Mediterranean, and crystallizing her voice as a chef.