Professional Chef Instructors - Escoffier

Find Your Mentor in the Food Business

Escoffier has 100 professional Chef Instructors whose mission is to help you achieve your creative potential. The universe of flavors and dining experiences is infinite. Navigating this world and assisting others in the adventure is our speciality. Now it’s your turn – take the next step towards your dreams with us.

50

EXECUTIVE CHEFS

25

CURRENT OR FORMER BUSINESS OWNERS

11

WORKED IN MICHELIN STAR RESTAURANTS

19

PUBLISHED AUTHORS

The Chef Instructors are so knowledgeable and talented. I have learned so much, and I’m excited to continue this journey at Escoffier.”*

Geri Lynn Arnold

Geri Lynn Arnold Escoffier student

See Instructors by Expertise or Topic

Awards & Certifications

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Culinary Arts

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Austin, TX Campus

Plant-Based Culinary Arts

Boulder, CO Campus

Holistic Nutrition & Wellness

Online Programs

Favorite Dish: Plant-Based Fried Chik'n...

Hospitality, travel, and customer service are Ashley Godfrey’s passions! Her extensive background in resort management, with a desire to provide excellent customer service, has helped her excel in the...

Chef Adele Ledet

Favorite Dish: Etouffee

Becoming a vegetarian in the 90’s was the result of my personal quest to eat healthy. My nostalgic appetite for the Creole flavors I enjoyed when growing up in New Orleans led me to inspire people to live a...

Chef Albert Schmid

Favorite Dish: Shrimp Etouffee

Award-winning Chef Albert holds extensive ACF certifications. He has authored numerous books and cooked for U.S. Senators, the U.S. Surgeon General, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, State Governors,...

Chef Alexander Porter

Favorite Dish: Hummus and Tabouli Salad with...

Chef Alexander Porter, originally from Prince Edward Island, Canada, was named Chef of the Year and received the prestigious ACE Award in 2005 from Renaissance Hotels and Resorts International. With a deep-rooted...

Chef Andrew Lakin

Favorite Dish: Huckleberry Frangipane Tart

Chef Andrew loves to cook and teach—two skills he was able to use to train stars Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edbiri on cooking fundamentals for Hulu’s hit show, The Bear. Before he was chef instructor to the...

Chef Angela Komis

Favorite Dish: Seafood

Chef Angela has served as a Chef Consultant, a Corporate Chef/Broker, and the Executive Producer at the Taste of St. Louis where she helped conceive, strategize, arrange, employ, promote, implement, gather, deliver,...

Chef Angie Heinz

Favorite Dish: I love to experiment with...

Chef Angie has channeled her love of food and interest in wellness and nutrition into a long career cooking at universities, hospitals, and senior living facilities. With degrees in Business, Culinary Arts, and...

Chef Anne Tutuska

Favorite Dish: Sourdough

Chef Anne has served as an Executive Pastry Chef, Cake Decorator, and Executive Bakery Manager. She cooked for several athletes within the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills organizations during her time at Pegula...

Chef Anthony Frazier

Favorite Dish: Beef Wellington

Chef Anthony has held every position in both front-of-house and back-of-house teams at many restaurants. He helped three restaurants develop menus, designed two cocktail menus, is a YouTuber, and is starting a food...

Chef Aubrey Shaw-Petrelli

I am a passionate pastry instructor with a strong foundation in both pastry arts and food service management. I earned my degrees from Johnson & Wales University in Denver, Colorado, and Alain Ducasse –...

Chef August Ench

Favorite Dish: Fresh pasta

Chef August is the owner of Healthnut Custom Meal Preparation and has served as executive chef and sous chef for a variety of foodservice establishments. His mission is to train young chefs to reach their fullest...

Chef Bethany Schroeder

Favorite Dish: Peach Galette

Chef Bethany has been a personal chef and also helped a small cannabis bakery with its recipe development. She was an Exhibition Chef for the Steelcase World Headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bethany has...

Favorite Dish: Pâte à Choux

Chef Cara brings over 20 years of experience in the pastry arts industry to the classroom. Her dream has always been to teach pastry arts. From her first month at culinary school, she knew she wanted to teach. After...

Chef Catherine Stanton

Chef Catherine’s global culinary experience includes roles as a Private Chef in Serbia, a Chateau Chef in Southwest France, and a Yacht Chef in Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Russia. Additionally, she was Head...

Chef Cathy Wawrzaszek

Favorite Dish: Raspberry Swirled Cheesecake

Chef Cathy is the former owner of Starlight Pastries in Orlando, FL, a home-based bakery specializing in wedding cakes, celebration cakes, cupcakes, and small dessert trays. She has also worked in catering,...

Chef Cesar Herrera

Favorite Dish: BBQ Ribs

While working as the Sous Chef at Pub at the Square, a fine-dining restaurant located in Woodstock, Illinois, Chef Cesar had the opportunity to cook for Bill Murray and all the actors in the movie Groundhog Day, an...

Chef Cheryl Herbert

Favorite Dish: Pho or Ramen

Chef Cheryl grew up in a restaurant family, but never considered it as her career until her mid-twenties. At this time there weren’t a lot of women in professional kitchens, but Cheryl didn’t let that phase her....

Chef Chris Scalia

Favorite Dish: All Breads

Chef Chris brings a decade of experience as an Executive Sous Chef for restaurants, hotels, and golf courses around Colorado. He has an Associate of Applied Science degree and excels in bread making. Chris is...

Chef Christopher Diehl

Favorite Dish: Any seafood

Throughout his career, Chef Christopher has held positions as Executive Chef at private clubs, restaurants, in acute healthcare services, and worked in his family-owned restaurant. After graduating with a degree in...

Chef Clara Hernandez

Favorite Dish: Arepas and Empanadas

Chef Clara owned a baking business called Antojitos when she lived in Venezuela, and later opened a catering business with her husband called Sumac Foods. She worked in food photography with the biggest...

Chef Colette Christian

Favorite Dish: Tiramisu

Certified Master Baker Colette Christian is “obsessed with ingredient function, because the more we know, the better we bake.” Trained as a chef at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont,...

Chef Colleen Garcia

Favorite Dish: Risotto

Award-winning Certified Executive Chef® Colleen got her expertise in Italian cuisine right from the source. After attending the International Culinary Center in New York City and ALMA (The International School of...

Chef Craig Levinsky

Favorite Dish: Pastrami on Rye

Chef Craig Levinsky has always had an irrational response to food, but the classroom is his home. His teaching career began at CUNY City College of New York, where he oversaw its Technical Writing Program and...

Chef Dallas Houle

Favorite Dish: Noodles and Broth

Life is an adventure for Chef Dallas. After graduating from the Florida Culinary Institute, he embarked on a career that would take him to Colorado, Oregon, and New York. He traveled across China, covering thousands...

Chef Dan Bearss

Favorite Dish: Banh Mi

Chef Dan has ten years of experience — including breakfast and butchery — spanning the restaurant, hotel, and cruise ship industries. Before working in his current role as an Escoffier Chef Instructor, Chef Dan...

Chef Dan Widmann

Favorite Dish: Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice...

Chef Dan has been Executive Pastry Chef, Director of Pastry Arts, and Sales Director/Baking & Pastry Specialist. In 2016, he was awarded Educator of the Year. Dan is a member of Disciples d’Escoffier. He...

Chef Darren Zesch

Favorite Dish: Tacos

Chef Darren has held the roles of Executive Chef and Sous Chef and is passionate about teaching the art of food and cooking. His professional experiences range from local country clubs, restaurants, and hospitals to...

Chef Dawn M. DeStefano

Favorite Dish: Tiramisu

Certified Executive Pastry Chef® Dawn M. DeStefano, a veteran of both the Marine Corps and the Army Nursing Corps, has taught Baking and Pastry to international students at the Italian Culinary Institute in...

Chef Doug Alley

Favorite Dish: French Onion Soup &...

Chef Doug’s entrepreneurial experience includes owning an award-winning catering and event design company and a wedding cake shop. He was the winner of Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge in 2017....

Chef Eduardo Suarez

Favorite Dish: Whatever recipe I'm working on...

Chef Eduardo has worked as Executive Chef and Chef de Partie in restaurants throughout Caracas, Venezuela, and in recipe and menu development in both Caracas and Miami, Florida. Additionally, he has volunteered for...

Chef Emily Wirtz

Favorite Dish: chocolate chip cookies

Chef Emily has created cake designs that have won awards in magazines such as Modern Luxury Chicago, Celebration Society, and The Knot. She has worked as Manager, Head Decorator, and Head Baker for a cake design...

Chef Eric Jenkins

Favorite Dish: Pork Scallopini

Chef Eric has worked as White House Kitchen Chef, in addition to Executive Chef roles. He is an Advisory Board Member of The Culinary Institute of America’s Alumni Magazine, Mise En Place. He’s won such...

Chef Eric Scholtes

Favorite Dish: Tacos of any kind

Chef Eric Scholtes has worked for over 20 years in the culinary industry, including holding several Executive Chef positions. In past lives, he was part owner of Dream Trucks of Austin, and at one point had his own...

Chef Erin Kanagy-Loux

Favorite Dish: Pho Ga or Strawberry Rhubarb...

Chef Erin is most recognized for her work in celebration and wedding cakes and has been featured in NY Magazine Weddings. She competed in Valrhona Chocolate’s first USA-hosted C3 Competition and received the...

Chef Eugene Kwak

Favorite Dish: Kalbi - BBQ Short Ribs

Chef Eugene, an ACF Certified Culinarian, has served in roles from Line Cook to Chef De Partie to Sous Chef in such locations as Napa Valley and Aspen. He attended Rocky Mountain Chefs of Colorado, was a member of a...

Chef Gary Ackerman

Favorite Dish: Fresh gulf fish

Chef Gary is a Certified Executive Chef® (CEC®) with over three decades’ experience, which includes running Gary O’s Cafe for five years. In 2012, he helped cook for a fundraiser attended by President...

Favorite Dish: Braised meat

Chef Gena has been a Head R&D Chef and Chef Consultant and won Top 10 Cheese Cakes in Los Angeles in 2016 and Top 10 Donuts in Los Angeles in 2015. A member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, she has worked...

Chef Gregory Bonath

Favorite Dish: Maryland Crab Boil

Chef Gregory has worked as a Chef De Cuisine, an Executive Sous Chef, and a Banquet Chef in foodservice establishments around the country. He holds the WSET Level 1 & 2 Awards in Wines and WSET Level 1 in Sake....

Chef Heidi Haller

Favorite Dish: Smoked pork butt

Certified Executive Chef® Heidi is the Owner and Catering Chef for Chef Heidi’s Kitchen, a personal chef service. For Les Dames d’ Escoffier, Heidi conducted a holiday cooking demo. She has served in...

Chef J.D. Forde

Favorite Dish: Whole Hog BBQ

Chef J.D. has served as an Executive Chef and works part-time with a catering company on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He worked under a semi-finalist for Best Chef Southwest chef and owner Michael Sohocki at...

Chef Jackie Abril-Carlile

Favorite Dish: Reverse-Seared Tomahawk Ribeye

Chef Jackie is Executive Chef and Manager at North Mountain Brewing in Phoenix, Arizona, an owner of CODA Catering, and is a Silver Medalist New York State ACF Culinary Competition in 2009. Jackie was born and...

Chef Jackie Parchman

Favorite Dish: Pecan Pie

Bringing her nearly 20 years of teaching experience to Escoffier, Chef Jackie has worked as an Assistant Pastry Chef at several foodservice establishments and was active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard for 4 and a half...

Chef Jacqueline Bruton

Favorite Dish: Mille Crepe Cake

Chef Jacqueline cooked dinner for President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty and has made several custom cakes and wedding cakes for celebrities in Palm Springs. She’s served as a Corporate Trainer & Pastry...

Chef Jeff Chapman

Favorite Dish: Linguini with Clam Sauce

Chef Jeff is a 4-time VA Chili Cook-Off Champion, has owned a bagel shop and private event catering company, and has interned at the Television Food Network during its first year of operation. After completing his...

Chef Jennifer McClintick

Favorite Dish: Chocolate cake

Ever since her first cake from an Easy-Bake oven, Chef Jennifer McClintick has loved baking. She completed the pastry certificate program at Baltimore International Culinary College, highlighted by a 6-week course...

Chef Jerry Osuna

Favorite Dish: Mexican Seafood

Chef Jerry has worked for a former Michelin Star-awarded chef. He also worked as a Sous Chef for Sodexo in Los Angeles and a Banquet Chef and Staff Chef for a children’s hospital. Jerry enjoys the flexibility...

Chef Jesper Jonsson

Favorite Dish: Steak with frites and...

Chef Jesper, a 37-year industry veteran, has had the opportunity to work in eight Michelin star restaurants over the course of his career. He is a recipient of the Disciple d’Escoffier award and a board member of...

Chef Jey Kempin

Favorite Dish: Seared Black Sea Bass and...

Chef Jey has worked as an Executive Chef, a Sous Chef, a Catering Manager, and a Restaurant Manager. They catered for celebrities and professional athletes for New Year’s Eve 2016 in Rhinebeck, New York. They...

Chef Joe Domina

Favorite Dish: Braised Brest of Veal

Chef Joe has cooked for some pretty impressive VIPs, including several presidents! He’s cooked at major events like Belmont Stakes (the famous horse race in New York), the Toronto Grand Prix, and many events at...

Chef John Oechsner

Favorite Dish: Sourdough bread

Chef John is something of a trendsetter. His brewpub, Highland Brewing Co., opened in Atlanta in 1989—long before the craft beer boom of the 1990s and 2000s! Chef John has worked as a pastry chef, sous chef, and...

Chef John Percarpio

Favorite Dish: Vegan Potato Anna

Chef John has cooked for Michelin Star restaurant Palais Lenbach Otto Stasse 6 in Munchen, Germany, been an Executive Chef for country clubs and hotels, and worked in sales for Farm and Home Foods. He won Manager of...

Chef Jose Matos

Favorite Dish: Red wine braised beef short...

Award-winning Chef Jose Matos has over ten years of experience in Florida’s hotel and resort scene where he managed staff, cut costs, and cooked for events of as many as 1,800 guests! After an earlier career in...

Chef Joseph Celmer

Favorite Dish: Anything Beef

Chef Joseph worked at a Michelin Star restaurant, as well as an Executive Chef for for British Airways and for Windsor Golf Hotel & Resort in Nairobi, Kenya. He won Chef Choice Award in Yummy Magazine, Best...

Chef Julie Cohen

Favorite Dish: Triple Berry Pie

Chef Julie worked as Pastry Cook for Band of Bohemia in Ravenswood, Chicago, when the restaurant received its Michelin Star. She was also written up by EATER.com Chicago for single-handedly running a New-York-style...

Chef Juliet Makuch

Favorite Dish: Salmon Coconut Curry

Chef Juliet is a passionate culinary educator and social media marketing professional! Her experience in social media management and culinary arts has helped her career grow across both industries. Some of her...

Chef Kareen Linton

Favorite Dish: Roast Duck

Chef Kareen is the CEO of A Dash of Coco, LLC. She is a recipient of multiple awards, including Disciple d’Escoffier, National Cutting Edge Award #6 by American Culinary Federation (ACF), and Top 100 Leaders in...

Chef Karla Lomeli

Favorite Dish: Sushi

Chef Karla has worked at a Michelin Star Koldo Royo restaurant in Mallorca, Spain. She was also awarded Chef Instructor of the Month while teaching at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Karla earned a...

Chef Kathee Frings

Favorite Dish: Good Crawfish Etouffee

Chef Kathee has extensive experience in large event catering throughout Arizona and Indiana. She has been a personal chef and has experience in back-of-house roles as well.

Chef Kelly Brown

Favorite Dish: Shrimp Alfredo

Chef Kelly brings a background as an Executive Chef and Catering Manager, as well as a personal chef. Kelly is a veteran, having spent eight years in the United States Marine Corps, and has competed in the Special...

Chef Kevin Kincaid

Favorite Dish: Posole

Certified Executive Chef® Kevin Kincaid is the owner of Chef K Consulting where he consults on menus and operations. He has over 20 years of experience in the culinary industry and is passionate about education and...

Chef Kevin M. Quinn

Favorite Dish: Paella

Chef Kevin completed the American Culinary Federation Master Chefs Exam in 2014 and is an ACF Certified Executive Chef®. He is also American Culinary Federation Silver Medalist – Hot Foods. Kevin managed a...

Chef Kirk Faulkner

Favorite Dish: A perfectly-grilled medium...

Chef Kirk has been fortunate to work with many great chefs and learn from each and every one of them. He rose through the ranks and found himself as the Head Chef of a location in Arizona. During his time with the...

Chef Kristina Koll

Favorite Dish: Coffee!

Chef Kristina Koll has worked in the pastry arts since 2011 after graduating from The French Pastry School in Chicago. However, Chef Kris’s career began in the classroom in Chicago as a high school English...

Chef Kristyn Granahan

Favorite Dish: Soup

Straight out of culinary school, Chef Kristyn Granahan served as the Captain of Junior Culinary Team USA aged 25 and under, training to compete in the Culinary Olympics and the Culinary World Cup. Throughout her...

Chef Krystal Dandie

Favorite Dish: Crab legs and old bay

Chef Krystal has been a Lead Cook, Lead Garde-Manger, General Manager, and Corporate Trainer at establishments across Maryland and Georgia. She’s been featured in Voyage ATL Magazine. Having been born in...

Chef Kyle Smothers

Favorite Dish: French Macarons

Award-winning baker and Pastry Chef Kyle Smothers is all about chocolate. In fact, he won the “World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie” contest in Avon, Colorado in 2019! Chef Kyle’s love of baking...

Chef Leigh Copeland

Favorite Dish: Fresh Ravioli with Garlic and...

Before joining Escoffier, Chef Leigh worked for 14 years as a private chef for a family in Atlanta. Prior to that, she worked as a butcher’s apprentice and as a chef in Atlanta restaurants including The Food...

Chef Lionel Heydel

Favorite Dish: Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chef Lionel Heydel is a classically French-trained chef who completed his culinary arts and hospitality education in Strasbourg, France. He refined his craft under Michelin Star chefs Antoine Westermann at Le...

Chef Luke Shaffer

Favorite Dish: I love a good tasting menu

Chef Luke was Chef’s Roll “Featured Instructor of the Month” in 2017, has worked as an executive chef, and has won Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Legacy Award in 2020. At the feet of his...

Chef Lyndsay Orton Pérez

Favorite Dish: Mac & Cheese

Chef Lyndsay has channeled her interest in sustainable agriculture and affordable, healthy food into Zentorre Farms, her micro-urban aeroponic farm. After earning her culinary arts degree, Chef Lyndsay was named the...

Chef Mary Catherine Woods

Favorite Dish: Any type of bread

Chef Mary Catherine has worked as a Pastry Cook, Executive Pastry Chef, and Pastry Chef Instructor in renowned hotels across Georgia, California, and Texas. She served as a Pastry Cook at Brasserie Le Coze and the...

Chef Matt Kuerbis

Favorite Dish: Spring Chinook Salmon

My dynamic career spans more than 25 years cooking and teaching in a host of exotic places (Alaska, Mexico, and Costa Rica, to name a few). I honed my cooking skills in restaurants, and after earning my...

Chef Matthew Fairfield

Favorite Dish: Any Sushi and Sashimi

Chef Matthew was Sous Chef at Michelin Star restaurant Etoile at Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley. He has also worked as an Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine at various restaurants, as well as in yogurt and dairy...

Chef Maurietta Amos

Favorite Dish: Honey Olive Oil Cake

Chef Maurietta is a career changer who holds a degree in Business and previously worked in the field of Human Resources and Marketing. Over the course of her culinary career, she has worked in the South of France,...

Chef Maya Brown

Favorite Dish: Mole

Chef Maya has an array of industry experience, including doing research in a microbiology lab to create space food for astronauts, making Seth Rogen a pork chop, and conducting a few wine dinners with UFC fighter...

Chef McKenzie Dokter "MJ"

Favorite Dish: Pineapple Coconut Curry with...

McKenzie Dokter is a chef and educator whose culinary path has been anything but conventional. Her training is deeply rooted in physically immersive experiences—she didn’t just study food, she lived it. From...

Chef Megan Irvine

Favorite Dish: MIllionaire's Shortbread

Chef Megan was born in Denver CO, just after her family emigrated from the UK. She has traveled extensively between the UK and Colorado and now lives in Boulder. She has a pastry and a musical background, having...

Chef Megan Piel

Favorite Dish: Grand Marnier Souffles

Chef Megan, a Midwest native, discovered her love for dessert and hospitality as a child, helping her Nana with holiday baking and setting the table. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu’s Patisserie and Baking program,...

Chef Miguel Olmedo

Favorite Dish: Sushi

Chef Miguel competed and won several awards in the American Culinary Federation-sponsored food shows, prepared and executed banquets of up to 8,000 people, and managed various stations from the Disneyland Hotel in...

Chef Morrisa Engles

Favorite Dish: Vegan Whole Wheat Naan

Award-winning Chef Morrisa Engles combines plant-based eating with a robust yoga practice to promote her own health and the health of her clients. After experiencing the personal benefits of a plant-based diet on...

Chef NaDean Johnson

Favorite Dish: Butternut squash ravioli with...

Chef NaDean was a small business owner from 1999-2005. During this time she became a professional barista and culinary educator while running her cafe-bakery. Realizing that education and mentoring were her real...

Chef Nicholas Howard

Favorite Dish: French Onion Soup

Chef Nicholas worked at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood and cooked for a lot of celebrities, including movie stars and musicians. He’s catered for thousands of people at concerts to groups as small as ten of...

Chef Nick Amato

Favorite Dish: Thai Panang Curry

After testing the waters in a desk job, Nick felt that something was lacking, and this was not the career path for him. This is when his professional culinary adventure began, which eventually led him to opening...

Chef Patrick Guerra

Favorite Dish: Risotto with Asparagus and...

Certified Executive Chef® Patrick Guerra is an accomplished international chef with a proven track record of delivering unique culinary experiences around the globe. He has held leadership roles as executive chef...

Chef Paul Rocque

Favorite Dish: Ragu Bolognese over Mezze...

With over 20 years of experience in the pastry arts, Chef Paul has co-authored the book “So Sweet!” for the Sur La Table national chain of cook stores, make cakes for Steven Spielberg, Melissa Joan Hart,...

Chef Pietro Vitelli

Favorite Dish: PHO

Competition-winning Chef Pietro has been cooking and teaching in the Pheonix, Arizona area for over 20 years. In addition to long tenures at Lon’s at the Hermosa and M Culinary Concepts, Chef Pietro has been a...

Chef Rachel Cuzzone

Favorite Dish: Homemade Pasta and Chocolate...

Chef Rachel was a bakeshop owner, a Resident Chef at Sur La Table, and an assistant to the U.S. Pastry Olympic Team in France. In 2014, she won second place at the Pastry Live Student Chocolate Challenge. Rachel...

Chef Rachel Rancourt-Hobbs

Favorite Dish: Chicken Korma

Chef Rachel brings experience as an Executive Chef, General Manager, Manager of Guest Cuisine, and Baker. Besides her culinary arts degree, she also has a Master of Business Administration with a Concentration in...

Chef Rich Harvey

Favorite Dish: Softshell blue crabs any way!

Chef Rich has over 25 years of experience in the food industry, including cooking for a variety of different celebrities and professional athletes. He was also a chef-owner of his own two establishments. Throughout...

Chef Robyn McArthur

Favorite Dish: Gumbo

Executive Chef Robyn has worked in management roles at restaurants that achieved five stars and five diamonds, as well as the opportunity to cook at the James Beard House. She’s served as a chef de cuisine, a...

Chef Ryan Hodros

Favorite Dish: Chicken Paprikash

Chef Ryan fell in love with the culinary world while serving in the U.S. Navy as a Chinese linguist. Cooking and baking are great ways to let go of life’s worries for a short while and make something...

Chef Sarah Hinderliter

Favorite Dish: Tamales

Chef Sarah has worked with 7-time nominated James Beard Chef Scott Crawford at Crawford & Son and Jolie Restaurant, both in Raleigh, NC. She currently owns and operates her own business, Sal’s of Southern...

Chef Sarah Jardine

Favorite Dish: Pho

Chef Sarah Jardine is known for her leadership and creativity in the kitchen. She rose quickly to the role of executive chef at Corner, the restaurant at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas, where she excelled in...

Chef Scott Cohen

Favorite Dish: I love sushi!

Certified Executive Chef® Scott Cohen has over 40 years in the industry, has cooked at the James Beard House, and is a cookbook author. He is Executive Chef at the 4-diamond Las Canarias at Omni La Mansion del Rio,...

Chef Scott Shoyer

Favorite Dish: Seared Scallops and Wild...

Chef Scott has worked as an Executive Chef and Sous Chef in restaurants across Austin, Texas. While working for Chef David Bull, he accompanied the chef to the James Beard House when he was asked to cook there....

Chef Shontia Rivers M.S.

Favorite Dish: Crème Brulee

Chef Shontia brings an exciting background as a Food and Beverage Manager for various hotel brands, a Traveling Chef, and a Catering Director. She holds degrees in both the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management....

Chef Sofia Forde

Favorite Dish: Ceviche

Chef Sofia has held roles as an Executive Chef, Catering Manager, and Lead Line Cook in restaurants across Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, as well as for Hotel Mirador in Mexico. Passionate about global cuisines,...

Chef Stefanie Bishop-Schmidt

Favorite Dish: Sourdough with quality salted...

Chef Stefanie worked for Daniel Boulud in two of his restaurants in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the winter Olympics in 2010. Her most recent positions included Pastry Chef at the Art Institute of Chicago and...

Chef Stephanie Michalak White

Favorite Dish: Depends on the season

Chef Stephanie is a Certified Cicerone®. She has been integral in the development and launch of Escoffier’s Plant-Based Culinary Arts programs. With over a decade of professional experience, Stephanie has...

Chef Stephen Rafferty

Favorite Dish: Whatever is requested or that...

Certified Executive Chef® Stephen Rafferty is also a Level I Sommelier. He owned Yellow Submarine Catering, which catered for crowds up to 300, providing onsite cooking and service for weddings, birthdays, City...

Chef Steve Sabatino

Favorite Dish: Pizza

Certified Executive Chef® Steve cooked for President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton and gave Muhammad Ali a kitchen tour at Madison Square Garden. He was Owner and Chef for the catering company The...

Chef Steven Nalls

Favorite Dish: Depends on the season and...

Chef Steven is the owner and operator of 80-acre Three Sisters Farm & Ranch in Northern Colorado devoted to sustainable food production. He attended culinary school in Pasadena, California, and had the...

Chef Susan Kaiser Yurish

Favorite Dish: duck breast

With over 20 years of industry experience, Chef Susan has served as an educator, a consultant, a Director of Catering, and a business owner. She founded Hanna’s Specialty Foods, a boutique, upscale catering...

Chef Suzanne Lasagna

Favorite Dish: Warm brownie sundae with hot...

Chef Suzanne has been an Executive Chef, Banquet and Catering Chef, Food and Beverage Director, and Front of House Server Trainer. She also worked as a Culinary Arts Program Coordinator. Suzanne is passionate about...

Chef Suzanne Prendergast

Favorite Dish: Depends on the season!

Chef Suzanne brings over 20 years of culinary industry experience in such roles as an Executive Chef, business owner, recipe tester and developer, and food writer. As an entrepreneur, she started her own catering...

Chef Tammie Barnhill

Favorite Dish: Coconut Cream Pie

At 4-years-old, Chef Tammie was helping her single mother with three kids cook breakfast for the boarding house she ran. She’s been cooking ever since — from being head cook in her family-owned restaurant to...

Chef Tracy DeWitt

Favorite Dish: Brownies

Chef Tracy has appeared on the popular TV show “Food Network Challenge” on 5 different occasions, walking away with two gold medals and one silver medal. She was the captain of the gold medal-winning...

Chef Vicki Berger

Favorite Dish: Sushi

Award-winning Chef Vicki made the decision to change careers and pursue her dream of becoming a Pastry Chef in 2001. Her first job was as Assistant Pastry Chef at St. Louis Country Club, training under Executive...

Favorite Dish: Breakfast tacos

Felix Lujan is an experienced education instructor bringing knowledge of budgeting, event planning, customer service, and strategy in the hospitality industry. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree focused in...

I have always loved Psychology, it fascinates me. We use the theories and methods daily, unconsciously sometimes. Studying the “why” behind people gives me a better understanding on how to interact and...

Liz Matthiesen-Jones

Favorite Dish: Cheese souffle accompanied by...

Liz Matthiesen-Jones has 30+ years’ experience in international marketing, advertising, strategic planning, and research. She’s worked in the U.S., Canada, mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the...

Shelly Travers Smith

Favorite Dish: Risotto

Shelly is a nutrition expert and registered dietitian with over 20 years of industry experience. She’s used her expertise to develop and teach lessons on nutrition at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts,...

Favorite Dish: Bistec Torta

Zoe Davis loves working with adult learners because they bring so much knowledge and expertise to the classroom. She enjoys watching students draw connections between the course materials, their experiences, and...

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