About
Our Story
Kitava was created to help people lead healthy and enjoyable lives.
We believe real, nourishing food is the foundation for living a life filled with purpose and passion, and recognize people can only give their best to the world if they are healthy themselves. This is why we make nourishing food using whole ingredients from responsible farmers and vendors, served through welcoming and craveable meals that are approachable enough for everyone to enjoy.
Our goal is to make real food more accessible, so everyone has the opportunity to become the best version of themselves and truly enjoy life.
Thank you for making Kitava a part of your day. We can’t wait to serve you!
Bryan & Jeff, Co-Founders
What Makes Us Different?
Kitava is a clean casual restaurant that serves real food everyone can enjoy.
Our menu features comforting meals for any diet using nutritious veggies, mindful meat, and healthy fats.
Kitava dishes are delicious by design and healthy by default. Our food is hearty and satisfying, made with real ingredients that just taste better. We never use unhealthy seed oils, refined sugars, chemicals, or artificial preservatives in our cooking, and avoid common allergens such as gluten, dairy, peanuts, and soy. This makes our menu friendly for special diets, as well as those looking for relatable food that tastes great and makes you feel good.
The health-promoting ingredients we use are consciously sourced from trustworthy vendors, with a heavy emphasis on supporting local, sustainable, and regenerative practices. We provide full transparency into the ingredients and sourcing for every dish, so you always know what you’re eating and where it comes from.
We envision a food system that supports healthy people and communities by default, and believe we shouldn’t have to choose between enjoying a great meal, supporting good health, and doing what’s right for the world.
Learn more about Kitava's food philosophy and Clean Casual Manifesto here.
Our Cuisine
Kitava serves Modern American cuisine that reflects the diverse flavors and cultures of the United States today.
Our menu is a reflection of modern American culture, featuring bold, flavorful, and diverse dishes, with a local flair. We’re inspired to use flavors and ingredients from the diverse cultures that make up the United States in order to make real food accessible, approachable, and satisfying for all.
America truly is a melting pot, and our menu aims to reflect this diversity while using real food and locally sourced ingredients as a common thread to create delicious and memorable meals everyone can enjoy.
Food Philosophy
We serve delicious and approachable meals made with real food from quality sources.
This is what that means to us:
- Real Food. Whole food ingredients centered around nutritious veggies, mindful proteins, and healthy fats.
- Great Taste. Hearty and comforting meals made with fresh and flavorful ingredients.
- Healthy by Default. Clean ingredients that just taste better, and are free from common allergens, chemicals, and unhealthy oils.
- Accessible. Relatable and delicious meals everyone can enjoy, including those with allergies and dietary restrictions.
- Consciously Sourced. Health-promoting ingredients sourced from trustworthy vendors, with a heavy emphasis on supporting local, sustainable, and regenerative farming practices.
- Transparent. Full insight into the ingredients and sourcing used to create every dish.
Our Company Values
We strongly believe in living principled lives centered around genuine core values. Below are the values that resonate with us at Kitava, and which we strive to hold ourselves accountable to every day.
Transparency in all we do. We're transparent with each other, our sourcing, and our guests.
Authentically impactful work. We're truly passionate about making healthy and enjoyable food more accessible, and making a positive impact on the world through real food.
Accountability matters. We solve problems and find solutions, no matter what.
Uncommon service. We exceed expectations and fight the status quo to provide nourishing experiences.
Committed to our craft. We care about our work, each other, and those we serve.
Our Name & Inspiration
The name Kitava is inspired by cultures around the world that are healthier because they eat a real food diet.
A prominent example is the Kitava islanders, whose remarkable health was popularized in The Kitava Study published by Dr. Staffan Lindeberg in 1994. Dr. Lindeberg’s initial study found Kitavans to be “apparently free from stroke and heart disease”, with subsequent studies over many years also revealing low or undetectable levels of obesity, diabetes, and heart attacks, even in old age. These outstanding health markers have been largely attributed to a non-industrialized diet centered around real food (such as root vegetables, coconut, fish, and fruit) and free from processed foods (such as grains, dairy, seed oils, and refined sugar).
We care about making real food more accessible because we truly believe it has the power to help people lead healthier lives. We are inspired by the Kitavans and other cultures around the world whose local food traditions have led to positive health outcomes and happy lives.
"As immediate family members who joined Staffan Lindeberg in Kitava during his famous study, we are honored to know that his genuine care about nutrition and human health has inspired people around the world to rethink their diet and lifestyle. Staffan was a very humble man – always surprised and deeply honored about any recognition coming his way. Therefore, we are confident that he would be deeply moved to know that the Kitava restaurant carries his legacy forward, both in terms of healthy food and a joyful approach to living.”
- Staffan's daughters, Sanna, Helga, and Kristin