Owner - 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 eying 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 cat who is quite partial to chicken.
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 daughters Penelope and Reese.
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 the 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.
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 clients' 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.
Joe Gatto
Joe’s passion for cooking began in Arlington, MA, where he grew up helping his mother and two older sisters in the kitchen. Cooking and sharing food was always an integral way for the family to connect. It wasn’t until much later, however, that Joe saw cooking as a career path. His early success in directing independent films drew Joe and his wife, Carey, also a filmmaker, to Los Angeles. While in L.A., Joe would often show appreciation to his friends and colleagues by hosting extravagant dinner parties with unforgettable menus. After much persuasion, Joe began holding private cooking classes and “The Killer Cook” was born.
Many of his friends were now eager to learn to cook. Joe’s passion for food and his dynamic personality brought the lessons alive for his students and soon his clientele expanded. Joe had discovered his true calling: a profession that empowers people and brings them together, and he never looked back. Joe is proud to be a part of the Create-a-Cook team.
Lilly Jan
never expected a life in food. Raised in Hong Kong, with a cultural heritage that covers Shanghai, Sichuan, and Taiwan, she landed in the US disappointed with the state of Chinese food on these shores, and is determined to spread the word on the many magical Chinese foods of her childhood. Lilly left her swishy public relations job to attend the culinary arts program at Boston University. Since then, she has run a gourmet food store, interned at America's Test Kitchen and taught at the Boston Center for Adult Education, Boston University and privately. Lilly is a two-time Boston University graduate, receiving a BSc in Mass Communications and Chinese, and an MLA in gastronomy. Her thesis topic was on the migration of culinary culture from China to Taiwan during the 20th century. Lilly is currently a food blogger and adjunct professor of culinary arts at Newbury College. She will never turn down fried chicken.
Renita Mendonca
Chef Rens brings with her a cooking technique and exuberance reflecting influences that she has assimilated beginning in her native India. Renita has had the great fortune to work with leading luxury hotels across the world spanning The Taj Group of Hotels-India, Sun International Group of Hotels-Dubai, Hyatt International-Oman, Compass group and AVI food systems in the United States including a short stint in Spain. Being a recipient of a culinary scholarship at Johnson and Wales, she had the opportunity to complete a short stint at ‘The French Laundry’ restaurant. Rens’ specialties include Indian, Thai, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Alycia Miceli
Getting dinner ready for her family was Alycia’s job most days after school. She enjoyed cooking so much she made the decision to go to culinary school. Although she loved to cook, finding her place in the kitchen was proving to be more difficult than she thought. During her internship at the Westin Hotel, she found herself spending a lot time in the pastry department, and everything fell into place. Since then, she’s worked for Finale, made wedding and specialty cakes for Rosie’s Bakery, was assistant pastry chef at The Catered Affair and currently works at The Quebrada Baking Co. in Wellesley. Alycia loves seeing people get excited about food, and the confidence kids get when you teach them skills and cooking in the kitchen.
Caitlin Sheehan (Certified Pastry Culinarian)
first became interested in the food world after seeing a nutritionist at the age of 13 and realized good nutrition stems from good food. With that guiding mantra, she decided to apply to Johnson & Wales where she graduated with an associate’s degree in Baking and Pastry Arts and a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Nutrition. While attending school she worked at the prestigious Konditor Meister bakery as a cake decorator, as well as various small cafes and restaurants around Providence as a cook. Caitlin presently works at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse as a pastry cook where she makes all the breads and desserts from scratch. Not forgetting her original passion of nutrition, she is also currently pursuing her master’s degree in Food and Nutrition from Framingham State University and hopes to be a Registered Dietitian within the next two years. Caitlin loves to share her passion for great food and is really passionate about giving people the confidence to cook healthy meals.
Jeremy Tavares
A native of Providence, RI, Jeremy was born into a family of chefs and a rich restaurant scene. At the age of 14 he made the decision that he would pursue his passion in the field of culinary arts and has not looked back since. Prior to graduating Johnson & Wales with a BS in Culinary Arts, Jeremy had spent summers working in Germany, Singapore, and Thailand, immersing himself in various cuisines and cultures. As a manager in Rhode Island restaurants Jeremy earned 4 "Best of Rhode Island" Awards, as well as being selected to represent Johnson & Wales at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, Illinois. He has trained under 3 James Beard Award Winners, and a 2 Star Michelin Chef. He continues his pursuit of culinary knowledge through a love for travel and has committed to experiencing a new country each year.
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 dessert 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.