When she's not on the field, UC San Diego women's soccer captain Kameryn Hoban can be found in her kitchen or at Trader Joe's. Her passion for cooking sparked the creation of her food Instagram account, @kamsplate.
 
Hoban's love for cooking started in her family's kitchen in Encinitas, California. She spent her childhood making meals with her two brothers and her parents. When they were not cooking, the five enjoyed watching cooking shows and trying out new restaurants.
           
"My mom and my brother are better at recipes and following directions," Hoban said. "I'm more like my dad. We just throw everything in the fridge and go for it."
 
During her sophomore year of high school, Hoban decided to become a pescatarian. She changed her diet to support animal rights, but the start of college posed added challenges.
 
Hoban increased her focus on making balanced meals with lots of fruits and vegetables. When she was able to transition away from her dorm room microwave and mini fridge, Hoban was even better equipped to share her passion with others.
 
"I had to figure out a way to get all the proper nutrients, especially being on my own for the first time and not having all the ingredients I usually have at home," Hoban said.
 
Hoban's passion went public due to a class project in the Spring of 2020. She created an Instagram account to post recipe ideas for her friends and family during quarantine. Her teammates encouraged her to continue using the Instagram account. Hoban ultimately changed the account's name to @kamsplate, its current Instagram handle.
 

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The posts on @kamsplate are unplanned. Hoban features foods and moments that bring her joy or motivate others to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
 
"Kami loves to do things for other people and she uses cooking to express her love, which you can see through @kamsplate," senior captain Natalie Widmer said. "One of the ways that she shows she cares about our team is by making food."
 

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Hoban often posts pictures of meals that she makes at family dinners and team dinners. Several weeks ago, Hoban treated the women's soccer freshmen to a home cooked meal.
 
"For some of the freshmen, they can't go home for dinner, so this was special because it really made the family dynamic within the team feel real," freshman Bella Sundberg said.
 
In the future, Hoban would like to write a cookbook or start a food blog. She also wants to get her nutritional license or a degree in dietetics to learn the science behind food. The added education would allow her to transform the Instagram account into a holistic wellness account.
 
"My favorite part about cooking is the sharing aspect. I get more enjoyment from seeing someone else enjoy my food than actually eating it," Hoban said. "I love that cooking is something you can do with people and teach people. You can learn so much and I'm still learning, too."
 

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.