Our Team

Owner

Kirstin Carey

Kirstin Carey – the original “Food Freak” – loves to enlighten people on the joys of food, health, and nutrition – and on healthful eating when you have food restrictions.

She is an entrepreneur with a passion for food, eating, and thoroughly enjoying herself. Her fascination with how the brain and the body work was the catalyst to getting Kirstin on a path to learning everything she could on true nutrition and how food impacts the body, mind, and spirit. Kirstin discovered she has allergies to wheat, dairy, and eggs – and found she also has Celiac’s Disease.

This cheesesteak eating, native Philadelphian used to hide her veggies in her napkin and hated anything that came from the sea. Now friends and family accuse her of being a “health foodie!”

With 15 years experience as a business owner, real estate investor, consultant, and professional speaker, Kirstin earned the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation in 2009 held by only 10% of people in the International Federation of Professional Speakers, and served for three years as a Director on the Board for the National Speakers Association.

After some soul searching and some subtle (and not-so-subtle) encouragement from her friends, Kirstin decided to use her business experience, love of food, and frustration with living with food allergies…and open her own restaurant called Nourish™ in Scottsdale, AZ, which is dedicated to allergen-free eating so no one feels like a “Freak at the Table.”

When she’s not working with food, speaking to groups about food restrictions and health, or managing Nourish™, you can usually find Kirstin walking, playing with, and training her dogs: Coal, Holly, and Roxy.

Executive Chef

Dan Santos

Executive Chef Dan Santos knows food from every angle. He is the consummate learner, educator, and some might say… magician.

A California native, this former Navy cook turned his passion into an eclectic but well-rounded career. After culinary school, Chef Dan opened his own restaurant called Café Bistro.

Once his second child was born, Dan sold all of his shares to his business partner and took on a new challenge as the Director of Dining Services for Olive Grove assisted living community. From this experience Chef Dan quickly learned how to manage a large dining facility while also catering to individual specific dietary restrictions, needs, and challenges. This then led him to Director and Executive Chef positions with The Flying J, Compass Group, the Surgical Specialty Hospital of Arizona, and Freschef – furthering his knowledge and interest in personal health as it relates to food, nutrition, and diet.

To further his extensive knowledge, Dan is currently taking classes in nutrition, coaching, and holistic medicine while also managing the kitchen at Nourish as the Executive Chef for Nourish™, a new restaurant concept that serves comfort food with a healthy twist. The menu is gluten-free with dozens of options that cater to dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and carnivorous eaters as well making difficult-to-serve diners thrilled.