Meet Kayla Abe: Food, Creativity & Climate Action

We’re thrilled to welcome Kayla Abe to A Taste of Hope, ExtraFood’s annual fundraiser celebrating good food, community, and the power of food rescue.

Kayla is an artist, climate activist, and creative leader whose work sits at the intersection of sustainability, storytelling, food, and design. She is the co-owner of the now-closed Shuggie’s, the San Francisco restaurant she founded with chef David Murphy, where food waste and climate solutions became part of the dining experience.

At Shuggie’s, Kayla and David challenged the idea of what food waste looks like—and what it can become. They worked with ingredients that might otherwise have been discarded, transforming surplus and upcycled ingredients into creative, memorable dishes. Their goal was bigger than simply reducing waste: they wanted people to experience a different way of thinking about food.

That philosophy has been at the heart of Kayla’s career. Before Shuggie’s, she worked with sustainable agriculture nonprofit Foodwise and was part of Oatly’s early U.S. team. She has also served on the board of the Upcycled Food Association. Across all of this work, Kayla has focused on making climate-minded choices more accessible, exciting, and achievable.

As Kayla puts it, food can be a powerful tool for inspiring environmental action. And that’s something we share deeply at ExtraFood: we believe food that would otherwise go to waste can nourish people, strengthen communities, and help create a healthier planet.

We’re especially excited that Kayla will be joining David Murphy at A Taste of Hope, where they’ll create an unforgettable culinary experience using ingredients rescued by ExtraFood.

Come see what’s possible when great food meets a better food system.