Hermosa Native Kayla Mangione Shifted Her Approach to Food and Inspired Others With Her Online Journey

“I was born in Hermosa Beach to two hippie parents,” Kayla tells me, her voice carrying a mixture of nostalgia and pride. Her parents, both drawn to California in search of the proverbial dream, met serendipitously on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. “My mom drove from New York, my dad from British Columbia. They met at the beach and never looked back.”

Growing up in the South Bay shaped Kayla’s values. She attended Hermosa Valley School and graduated from Redondo Union High, where she was already working 30 hours a week as a teenager. “I was very motivated,” she laughs. “I managed The Beehive and was dabbling in college, still figuring out what I wanted to do.”

Love, as it turns out, found her through a storage room phone line. While working at The Beehive, Kayla formed a long-distance friendship with a packaging rep named Mike. “We talked for almost two years before meeting in person,” she says. “He finally came up to visit and took me out for a quick coffee date. That was it.”

Kayla likes to joke that she “imported a husband from Orange County.”

Eventually, she left retail and pursued her growing interest in mental health, completing her psychology degree and earning her MFT and art therapy credentials from Loyola Marymount University. It was during this time that Kayla encountered the challenges that would forever reshape her relationship with wellness.

At age 21 she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease after years of misdiagnoses and declining health. “I had to have emergency surgery and part of my intestine removed,” she shares. “Doctors wanted me on immunosuppressants indefinitely, but I just felt I’m too young for this.”

So Kayla chose a different path. She immersed herself in studying nutrition, autoimmune healing and anti-inflammatory diets. “I removed gluten before it was even a thing. It was life-changing.”

More than just about gut health, Kayla’s change ignited a spiritual awakening. “I realized how much swallowing my emotions affected my body. I had to grow up and stop internalizing everything. That’s when I began healing.”

 “I think people related to the idea of feeding your family without fear—just with knowledge, intuition and love.”

After working with underserved youth at the 1736 Family Crisis Center, Kayla pivoted again—this time toward motherhood. “Therapy is heavy, and being a new mom, I didn’t have the bandwidth,” she explains.

But feeding her daughter, Luca, sparked a new fire. “I had this deep desire to give her the best possible foundation. I started researching everything—foods, toxins, nontoxic cookware.”

Kayla began photographing Luca’s meals. “At the time, I thought I invented posting food on Instagram,” she laughs. “I had never been on Facebook. I was totally new to social media.”

Her account, The Family Food Project, took off. Followers were drawn not just to her beautiful meals but to her no-fuss, deeply intentional approach. “I think people related to the idea of feeding your family without fear—just with knowledge, intuition and love.”

Her Instagram became a haven of grain-free, dairy-conscious, nutrient-dense recipes, all served with gentle wisdom and motherhood realness. But it’s never been about perfection.

“My meals are super simple,” she says. “Thirty minutes or less, or I throw it in the Crock-Pot. I want people to feel like, ‘I can do this too.’”

Now homeschooling her two daughters, Kayla is entering a new phase. “I want to start working one-on-one with local families,” she says.

Her vision includes custom meal plans, pantry makeovers and gentle lifestyle coaching that blends her therapeutic training with her culinary know-how. “Everyone’s puzzle looks different. Some families want more plant-based meals, others have allergies or are picky eaters. I help make it doable.”

Kayla’s philosophy transcends food, encouraging nervous system regulation, joy and creativity—particularly for mothers. “I realized I was always trying to be better—reading self-help, parenting books, doing all the things. Last year I gave myself permission to read only fiction for fun. It changed everything.”

That seemingly small shift had a powerful ripple effect. “It gave me back joy. My kids started reading more. My husband did too. We have family book club now,” she says, eyes sparkling. “And you know what? It made me a better mom, a better person.”

What’s next for Kayla? “I just want to keep growing. Keep helping. Keep creating. And above all, keep listening—to my body, my family and my own inner voice.”