Chris Anderson Chris is very diverse in the kitchen. He has had the opportunity to work at many flagship restaurants and health spas, not to mention a stint in Europe. He is now a personal chef in the Boston area whose clients have ranged from actors, professional athletes, CEO's, Doctors and trainers. His passion is helping people maintain wellness by educating them about nutrition and preparing nourishing foods. Click here for more info on Chris.
Linda Fedele Brudz moved from a ten year career in computer consulting to pastry arts to pursue her passion. She started by interning at the renowned "Sweet Melissa" in Brooklyn to completing the pastry arts program at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York. Wanting to learn more about classic French pastry and techniques, she worked at "L'Oasis" (2 Michelin stars) and "Patisserie Cottard", prestigious patisseries in southern France. She developed her style as the pastry chef for several award winning restaurants and chefs including Mario Batali owned "Esca", Rocco DeSpirito’s "Tuscan", and "Restaurant L". Working in these and other prestigious pastry shops and caterers familiarized her with indigenous desserts to France, Italy, Belgium, and the United States. Besides teaching classes at Create a cook Linda also runs her own business called Sweet Alternatives. That's Linda's cake on the cover of Boston Weddings (published by Boston Magazine) Fall/Winter 2009 issue.
Founder Renee Cavallo grew up in a large Italian family where food was central to all occasions. Her childhood revolved around food and her early work experiences involved all the duties of her family restaurant. When she has time, she still works in the kitchen of "Venetian Moon", her family's restaurant in Reading. She has a B.A. in Education from Endicott College and has spent over 10 years teaching children. Until May of 2005, she was a beloved teacher at Riverside Children's Center in Newton, MA. She graduated from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts' Culinary Certificate Program in 2005. Renee's dream has always been to combine her love of children and teaching with her passion for cooking. She lives in Newton with her husband Seth and their daughter Penelope.
Reema Chandra—Founder and CEO of Spice Boutique seeks inspiration in her culinary passion and her desire to recapture and share with the world the beautiful art of blending and infusing spices into almost any dish, as she had learned it in the kitchen from her family.
Born and raised in India, Reema majored in Physics and Management Information Systems; going on to work with notable companies such as Unilever and Aetna. However, as successful as she was in this industry, Reema’s real passion remained in her desire to create unique, gourmet dishes. She put this passion to use, entertaining friends and family at various gatherings—for which she became highly recognized over the years. Each of these meals have been considered to be far more than simply the preparation and consumption of food - unique adventures of the senses for everyone involved—often applauded by guests as unparalleled gastronomic tours of a five-star quality. Reema also applied her culinary skills to a number of philanthropic and charity endeavors—designing menus, creating vibrant recipes, orchestrating the fine details of beautiful table layouts and proclaiming the marriage of a certain wine with a particular dish.
Reema believes that her experience of 20 years of being a consumer on the other side of table gives her a unique strength to understand people’s perspective on everyday cooking for family. She is thrilled to share her unique skills for fusing deliciously rich Indian spices with Western cuisine to create a wealth of different textures.
Sam (Samantha) Cowens began her culinary adventure while living in Madrid, Spain in a semester abroad for college. While there she fell in love with the cuisine and when she returned to the states she began to cook for two families making nutritious, healthy meals to improve her client's health. This emphasis on healthy cooking eventually led her to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI to study culinary nutrition and to improve her skills. After graduating she worked in country clubs and banquet kitchens along with teaching cooking at The Chopping Block in Chicago. Eventually her emphasis on nutrition and healthy eating led to a position in the dietetics department at Mt Auburn Hospital, in Cambridge. Currently Sam is a personal chef/nutritionist/caterer in the local Boston area. At Create a cook she designs and teaches, many of our classes including the Healthy Home Cooking series. Oh, and she plays a mean game of basketball as well.
Thi Do was born in Vietnam and was brought up with food as the center of family and universe. Food was love and there was never a shortage. Her parents taught her century old family recipes and the history lessons that came with them. Since then she has been perfecting her traditional cuisine to enjoy and share with others. Even though she has been formally trained in an entirely different field, her subconscious connection to food and culture has always been there. She graduated with a B.A. in Art History from Philadelphia University. After college she met and married a seasoned chef and began her culinary journey. She was inspired by her husband’s success, enthusiasm, and commitment for his craft. With practically no industry experience, a do or die commitment, and a strong belief in her success, she dove into the culinary world. Since then she has managed and cooked in a successful catering business and an award winning South East Asian Eatery, 5-spice Asian Street Market in Boca Raton, Florida. These accomplishments have given her the confidence to take all her knowledge and experience to educate and inspire those who like herself are hungry to learn and to find their inner culinarian. She currently lives in Sharon, Mass. with her husband and 3 children. Thi does cooking demonstrations part-time and is co-owner of Lady Butlers Catering, specializing in private dinner parties and corporate catering.
Shannon Famigletti started at Create a Cook in March 2006 and was finally able to combine her love of teaching with her love of baking. Shannon earned a BS in Comparative Literature from Hamilton College, then an M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Lesley University, and most recently she studied pastry arts at Johnson and Wales University. Shannon has taught grades 4 and 5 as a teacher in the Sudbury Public School District since 2000.
Alison Fong read "The Making of a Chef" by Michael Rulman her senior year at Boston University, and it changed her life forever. Several years later and after numerous stages in restaurant kitchens, she attended the Culinary Institute of America. Alison has worked her way across some of the finest kitchens in New York City, including Michelin starred Café Gray (now closed, but here is a New York Magazine review from Gael Greene), Sapa, and Asia de Cuba. She recently moved back home to Boston and is currently a private chef and caterer
Linsey Herman Once upon a time Linsey Herman was a pastry chef. After working in many acclaimed hotel, restaurant, and bakery kitchens around the country, she grew weary of the repetition of restaurant life, became a cheesemonger, then some years later, dropped the curds and got herself an MBA. She became a baked goods innovation manager at a major bakery company for several years until the great layoffs of 2008. All the while she blogged at Cake and Commerce, where she now documents her adventures in (mostly) gluten-free baking. Though not celiac she gave up gluten nearly 3 years ago at the urging of her nutritionist. She still enjoys baking with conventional ingredients and makes custom cakes of all stripe
Joan "Jo" Horner is a graduate of the "Cambridge School of Culinary Arts" Professional Chef Program. She has extensive experience teaching at Eurostoves, Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Williams-Sonoma, and Newton Continuing Education, holds a CCP(Certified Culinary Professional) certification from the "International Association of Culinary Professionals"and is ServSafe certified. She also writes a food blog called Amuse Bouche and she IS that person in the grocery store who sees you eyeing the strange vegetable and then tells you exactly how to cook it or where to find that obscure ingredient you have been seeking. She has a passion for food history and world cuisines, has over 500 cookbooks hogging up her bookshelves and is happy to answer your quirkiest cooking questions. She lives in Newton with her picky-eater husband and her beagle that will eat anything, including socks.
Eliana Hussain is a graduate of the "Cambridge School of Culinary Arts" Professional Chef Program and holds a CCP(Certified Culinary Professional) certification from the "International Association of Culinary Professionals". In addition to teaching in various venues in the Greater Boston area, she has worked as a personal chef for several years. Traveling is her second greatest love, after her family. She is also inordinately proud of (and sometimes embarassed by) her children, who would refuse to eat bland food.
Milissa Laurence has been baking professionally for over 20 years. She earned a B.A. in drawing and painting from Bennington College and has transferred these creative talents to the medium of food. As a pastry chef, she has created desserts and wedding cakes for the Sherborn Inn and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as well as other restaurants and caterers in the Boston area. She is currently the pastry chef at Sherborn Inn. Milissa finds that teaching is a rewarding way to share her baking knowledge and skills with both children and adults.
Mohamed Maenaoui, or Moe as his colleagues and friends know him, developed an interest in the culinary arts at a young age. Unknowingly he began his culinary career at childhood while helping out his mom, who to this day influences his cooking philosophy. Later, he received a Diplomat from the prestigious cooking school, l’ Ecole Hoteliere et de Cuisines de Casablanca (Morocco) in 1984.
Moe, a native of Casablanca, originally moved to Boston in 1987, to continue his studies in cultural anthropology and gastronomy. While studying at the University of Massachusetts, he began his culinary apprenticeships at some of the most prestigious Restaurants in Boston. After a year, at the Cambridge culinary landmark the Harvest, Mohamed moved on to the Museum of Fine art Boston, and quickly advanced to become the MFA Night Chef. Three years later, Moe was part of the team to open Pignoli, along with Lydia Shire, Daniel Baliani, and Susan Regis. Moe has also managed the kitchens at Sage Restaurant in North End and Les Zygomates.
In 2000 Moe brought his culinary knowledge and expertise to some of Massachusetts' best catering companies: First, as an Executive Sous-Chef at Gourmet Caterers, then as an Executive Chef for Tiger Lily. Moe also took the helm as an Executive Chef of Boston favorite seafood landmark, the Barking Crab. He now runs Blue Fez, his own Personal Chef and Catering Services business, research and write about the relationships between food and culture, and teaches private cooking classes in variety of cuisines.
Sydney Oland (Bio coming soon!) Click here for more info on Sydney
Holly Pierce (Bio coming soon!) Click here for more info on Holly
Rebecca Scheier came to cooking as a second career after years of being "lost" in the kitchen. It became an inside family joke when Rebecca’s children asked "What's for dinner?" and then answered their own question with "Chicken, rice and salad." After many years working as an estate planning and real estate attorney with little time for food preparation, Rebecca took a recreational cooking class in an effort to improve her kitchen experience and the dining experiences of her family. From that point forward, learning about food and cooking became an obsession for her. Rebecca graduated from "Cambridge School of Culinary Arts" with highest honors and soon after achieved the designation of CCP(Certified Culinary Professional) from the "International Association of Culinary Professionals". She began her culinary career as a recreational cooking instructor at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and has recently been named to the school’s Alumni Board of Directors. Rebecca loves teaching both children and adults at Create A Cook all the things about cooking that she didn’t know as a young mother. She believes that cooking offers opportunities for relaxation, creativity, learning, team building and family fun. Rebecca lives in Acton with her husband, Mark, who, along with their two children, Alison and Alex, now enthusiastically look forward to the answer to "What’s for dinner?"
Yvette Taylor is a graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Upon completing the Professional Chef's program in 2006, Yvette started Queen of the Pantry Condiments, artisanal gourmet food products with unique and playful qualities. In addition to Queen of the Pantry, she recently worked as a pastry chef for Whole Foods Markets. Her culinary experience spans from cuisines around the Globe, most fondly New Zealand, where she spent 2 years working with local artisans and chefs in the Hawkes Bay wine country. There she honed her skills cooking side by side with some of the region's finest chefs before becoming marketing and events manager for a large international winery. She is also currently a certified personal/private chef focusing on clients with healthy dietary interests. Through her cooking instructions, Yvette shares her entrepreneurial spirit and appreciation for cooking with the finest ingredients.
Heather Wish grew up in a family where food was king. Her father was the consummate restaurant connoisseur, her younger brother a culinary school graduate, her older brother a sushi chef, one older sister is a cake decorator and her other older sister a food and beverage manager for a major hotel. A long-time chef to friends and family, she began her official food odyssey by attending the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College with a focus in childhood education. Professionally, Heather has worked the line at the Finale desert restaurants and as a pastry chef at Petit Robert Bistro in Boston. Not to be limited to one area of food, she continues to work as a private chef and caterer and has been inspired by the flavors of Asia on numerous trips to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and Japan. Heather always hoped to combine her love of teaching with her love of cooking and finally found the perfect place, Create-a-Cook, where she has been happily working since.