KAJSA ALGER, chef

Kajsa Alger is the Executive Chef & Partner of Susan Feniger’s restaurant STREET. The restaurant is expected to open mid to late February 2009 in the old Highland Grounds space on Highland in Los Angeles.

Kajsa Alger started cooking at a young age and has spent the past 20 years exploring and refining her skills into the unique pinches-and-handfuls approach that defines her dynamic style.  She started working with Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken in 1990 at their flagship Border Grill Restaurant in Santa Monica.  Kajsa then moved on to continue learning and working with Judy Rogers at the legendary Zuni Café in San Francisco, David Kinch at the highly acclaimed Restaurant Sent Sovi, and the northwest favorite, Carlyle Restaurant & Bar in Portland, Oregon.  Later, she returned to Los Angeles and the Border Grill company to head up kitchen operations as Corporate Chef for their 5 restaurants, and eventually landed with their downtown Los Angeles restaurant, Ciudad, where she could showcase her talents in a collection of menus that highlight foods from around the Latin world.

A fervent traveler, she considers her cooking a storytelling skill where she reflects in her food a sense of the memories, richness, and diversity of flavors she has sampled throughout the world.  Kajsa is a firm believer that what makes a meal something extraordinary is that the food comes from the heart.  It enriches our experiences with each other so that we become more open and less afraid to try new cuisines.

Her long association with Susan, understanding of operational and financial systems, and creative passion for simple, colloquial foods make her a perfect compliment for STREET.