The Team

MEET THE STAFF

Miki Akil

After working as a publicist in Hollywood, Miki found her calling in consumer/lifestyle PR. She is a Houston native (who you’ll always find watching the Astros or Texans) with a proven track record of developing powerful marketing communications campaigns. After moving to the West Coast more than 10 years ago, she now calls OC home and lives with her husband and two kitties, Gatsby and Fitzgerald.

Carrie Freitas Carrie hails from a newspaper/journalism family on her mother’s side, and a marketing/ printing family on her father’s — which explains why she is both a published writer and founder of Kitchen Table Marketing. She lives in Newport Beach with her husband and is a proud mom of two, and stepmom of three. Carrie is passionate about giving back to her community and supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

Jordan Kruk Jordan has had a love of writing from a young age, leading her to pursue a career in PR. She started off in B2B marketing in the commercial real estate industry before joining the Kitchen Table team where she quickly discovered her passion for the restaurant and nonprofit industries. Jordan is an OC native and currently resides in Huntington Beach with her boyfriend and their pug, Franklin.

Becca Stonebraker Becca’s background and education have revolved around how to tell a good story, something she leverages in the work she does for KTM’s clients. On a daily basis, she taps into her passions for food and philanthropy to serve a variety of businesses in the hospitality and nonprofit industries. Becca is a SoCal native who loves a good meal, the great outdoors, and traveling to new places.

Madelyn Sutherland Madi found her love for public relations and social media while studying Communications at California State University, Fullerton. After pursuing her degree, she worked for a digital marketing agency overseeing clients in the tech space before finding herself at the Kitchen Table. Born and raised in Orange County, Madi supports a range of locally (and a few national) based food, design, nonprofit and real estate clients for KTM.

CONTRIBUTORS

Elisabeth Abrahamson Orange County native Elisabeth Abrahamson loves writing about her beloved hometown. When she’s not creating content, she spends her time traveling (when it’s safe to do so), wine tasting, and watching reruns of The Office with her fiance, Doug.

Wendy Bowman Wendy Bowman is a San Clemente-based freelance journalist with 30-plus years of experience creating content for magazines, newspapers, websites and more. When she’s not busy writing, Wendy enjoys practicing yoga and taking care of her English Bulldog, Rhyis.

Sara Hall Sara has nearly 14 years of experience at several daily and weekly newspapers, including The Record Searchlight in Redding, The Daily Advocate in Greenville, Ohio, and most recently at the Newport Beach Independent. Her work has included photography, writing, design and layout. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling and spending time with her husband and pets.

Kate Houlihan Kate Houlihan, whose fabulous lifeguard tower photo graces our cover this month, is a noted commercial, family and fine art photographer who also has published several books of fine art and lifestyle photography, including Finding Laguna Beach and Finding Newport Beach. Kate’s love of photography began when her grandmother presented her with a Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera one Christmas. She is based in Newport Beach where she lives with her husband and children. www.katehoulihan.com

Euni Lee Euni Lee is a born and raised Southern Californian. She is currently studying English and Ethnicity and Race Studies at Columbia University. Her favorite places in Orange County are Table Rock Beach and local Korean markets. Karlin Meehan Karlin Meehan — whose breathtaking art graces our back cover this month — is a commissioned based abstract painter from Newport Beach, California. She began her studio in 2009 and has since founded Meehan Studios LLC, an artist collective which provides affordable work space to emerging artists. In addition to art, Meehan is a huge Pit Bull rescue advocate, and enjoys cooking Italian dishes in her free time. www.karlinmeehanstudios.com

Kim Newett Kim Newett is a toy expert and writer whose greatest accomplishment has been raising two strong, brilliant daughters who teach her new things about the world all the time. During the pandemic, she’s been thankful to spend time with her family -- the loves of her life. She lives in Santa Ana with her husband and dog and is looking forward to the time when she can see old friends and resume her quest to find new offbeat venues for food and drinks.

Amy Senk Amy is a longtime Corona del Mar resident and a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. She has worked at the Kansas City Times, Kansas City Star, Contra Costa Times, Coast Kids and Coast magazines, published the online news site Corona del Mar Today and currently is a regular contributor to StuNews Newport. A recent empty nester, she spends her free time hanging out with her husband and planning elaborate imaginary vacations.

Larry Tenney Rooted in politics, public affairs and crisis communications, Larry Tenney is an award-winning communications leader who believes in the power of storytelling and visuals. On sabbatical in the Virgin Islands, he developed a love and passion for photography. His images have been published by more than 100 top brands and appear in major print and on broadcast news outlets. Larry’s sunset photo serves as a stunning backdrop to our Letter to the Editor this month.