Meet the Team

Chef/ Co-Owner

Chef Cristian Ochoa began his culinary journey in the San Francisco Bay Area at the International Culinary Center. Working in prestigious restaurants like Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and Madera in Menlo Park, California. He decided to move to Montana. Bringing the knowledge and inspiration from his experiences in the Bay as well as traditional Mexican cuisine he learned from his mother and grandmother, Cristian began menu development for Whitefish Handcrafted Spirits as well as The Lodge at Whitefish Lake as the Chef de Cuisine. Having accumulated enough insight about the clientele and local demands, he opened Los Pinguinos Mexican Kitchen with business partner Christian Moreno (owner of Swift Creek Cafe) to bring a new spin on Mexican food, while using recognizable and traditional recipes from his childhood.