Originally published in Outside Magazine.
How free diver Kimi Werner found her passion in the sea and a legacy in her kitchen
In this Outside feature, Kimi Werner invites readers into a way of cooking shaped as much by the ocean as by tradition, where every ingredient carries a story and nothing is taken for granted. Drawing from her upbringing in Maui and her life as a freediver, she shares how hunting, gathering, and preparing food are deeply connected acts rooted in respect, resourcefulness, and cultural memory. Her new cookbook, Kimi’s Kitchen, reflects that philosophy, offering recipes that feel both personal and far-reaching while encouraging a more mindful, intimate relationship with what we eat and where it comes from.