About Our Chef-Instructors

Our Chef-Instructors come from a wide variety of culinary backgrounds, resulting in classes that are diverse and stimulating. We offer classes with well-known chefs from successful restaurants, cookbook authors, caterers and private chefs, wine experts, food purveyors, and other culinary authorities. In alphabetical order:

Bruce Aidells is the founder of Aidells Sausage Company and author of nine cookbooks, including The Complete Meat Cookbook, The Complete Sausage Book, the "Meat" and "Poultry" chapters of the revised Joy of Cooking, and the key meat tips in The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook. He won the 1990 Julia Child Cookbook Award for Hot Links and Country Flavors. His articles appear in numerous publications, including Cooking Light, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and Food & Wine.

Carrie Brown owns the landmark Jimtown Store, located in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, celebrated for its lusty country cooking and reinterpreted American desserts. Carrie is the coauthor of The Jimtown Store Cookbook, Recipes from Sonoma County’s Favorite Market that includes 150 of Jimtown’s earthy, full-flavored recipes with a special emphasis on stylish, casual entertaining. Carrie’s unique style and recipes have been featured in countless publications including Country Home, House & Garden, Food & Wine, and Sunset, and on television’s Martha Stewart Living and Food TV’s Ultimate Kitchen. Carrie is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic instructor who loves to share her creative and stylish entertaining and presentation ideas.

Jack Burton brings over 30 years of world travel and kitchen experience to the table. He is the author of the popular guidebooks Sonoma Picnic – A California Wine Country Travel Companion and (with Ken Stanton) Napa Valley Picnic, as well as the collection of short stories and recipes Dreamsalad Picnic. Jack also writes extensively on local food, wine and agriculture and publishes an on-line magazine of California Food and Wine Arts at www.sonomapicnic.com. Jack will be incorporating stories, menus and recipes in the class from his upcoming folio of illuminated recipes titled: A Circle of Soup.

Kerr Craig was born and raised in Scotland and came to the US in 1999 after a successful career in corporate training. He has a lifetime of experience drinking malt whiskeys (scotch) and has visited and led tours to many of the distilleries in Scotland—he says, “too many to remember, but that’s what happens when you visit too many distilleries.” Kerr is a charming host who peppers his fact-filled classes with Scottish humor. www.scotchrocks.info

Deborah Dal Fovo’s love for food and cooking began at a young age and led her to Italy where she lived in Milan and Tuscany for 20 years. An authority on the fine art of Italian living, Deborah mastered her culinary education in Northern Italian food and wine hands-on.  Her private instruction from some of Italy’s finest Italian chefs was complimented by studies at Roger Verge’s cooking school in Provence, France. Deborah now brings her Italian experience to California where she lives, teaches cooking classes and works as a Private Chef for the Bay Area elite.

Throughout her career Maria deCorpo has worked in many capacities in the food and wine industry, from Executive Chef to wine buyer and restaurant manager and now as a Chef/Instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College. A graduate of the Culinary Institue of America at Hyde Park, she is the owner of Fat Cat Culinary, an enterprise that offers culinary education in the form of private cooking instruction and cooking demonstrations for individuals and groups as well as custom recipe development for wineries and local food producers for use in their marketing programs.

Franco Dunn's career as a professional chef started with Jordan Winery where he was Executive Chef for five and a half years. He lived in Italy for two and a half years where he worked in fourteen different restaurants. Among these were two Michelin three star restaurants, a two star, and a one star, and many excellent trattorias. Franco started Santi Restaurant in Geyserville with his long time friend Thomas Oden where he was co-chef for five and a half years. He is currently chef emeritus at Santi.

Ziggy “The Wine Gal” Eschliman ― whose award-winning wine radio shows are broadcast on both coasts ― has the brightest, most refreshing voice in wine and spirits today. “Most wine lovers value quality and like good wine but dislike the stuffiness and ritual often associated with it; that’s where I come in!” beams Ziggy. Whether it’s bubbly, Bordeaux or Zinfandel, vodka or tequila, Ziggy knows the dirt: the who, the what, the where and the why in every bottle. Ziggy is a seasoned radio journalist, a highly sought-after guest speaker, a dynamic lecturer and an advocate for the good life. (April 24)

After graduating at the top of her class from the Art Institute of Seattle's Culinary Arts Program, Janis Frey cooked at the Sooke Harbour House and the Art Institute of Seattle before shifting gears to become an assistant instructor at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School. Upon moving to Sonoma County in 2004, Janis familiarized herself with local chefs and ingredients as the Assistant Program Coordinator at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa before joining Relish in 2005. Janis contributed to the expansion of Relish during her three-year tenure and is now chef with Mugnaini Imports.

Agustín Gaytán was born in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, and learned the secrets of regional Mexican cuisines in his mother’s kitchen. He has been featured in Sunset magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, on national and local radio shows, and many Bay Area television cooking shows. He is a food consultant, an admired cooking class teacher and culinary tour guide who is known for highlighting the complex, colorful, and delicious cuisine of his native country.

Rick Goldberg is one of Sonoma's County's best kept secrets. He is an intuitive cook and a great teacher who enjoys sharing all aspects of cooking, from simple, healthy preparations to ethnic specialties to the most sophisticated French Laundry-style entertaining. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Rick grew up in the restaurant/food business and is currently the co-owner of G&G Specialty Foods, a 15 year old Santa Rosa-based food manufacturing business.

Mateo Granados grew up in a family of food producers in Oxkutzcab, Yucatan, Mexico, a village known as the orchard of the Yucatán for its output of fruits and vegetables. His credits include Alain Rondelle and 42 Degrees in San Francisco, Manka’s Inverness Lodge in Inverness, and Alfy’s in San Anselmo. He was executive sous chef at Masa’s in San Francisco under Chef Julian Serrano and executive chef of Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen here in Healdsburg. Recently featured in Food and Wine magazine, Mateo now runs Mateo Granados Catering where you'll see him at private parties, winery events and local farmers markets where he sells his Yucatan tamales and other Mexican dishes with a wine country twist.

Aliza Green, the Philadelphia-based cookbook author, journalist and pioneering chef, is the author of ten highly successful cookbooks with one more on the way. Chef Aliza has appeared twice on NBC’s Today Show to promote her books. After the success of her series of Field Guide cookbooks, including Field Guide to Meat, Field Guide to Produce, Field Guide to Herbs & Spices and Field Guide to Seafood, Chef Aliza published her masterly Starting with Ingredients: Quintessential Recipes for the Way We Really Cook in 2006 and is poised to release Starting with Ingredients: Baking. As one of the pioneer chefs who helped make the city of Philadelphia a dining destination, Chef Aliza began her career in the mid-1970's as Executive Chef at the renowned Ristorante DiLullo. In 1988, The Philadelphia Inquirer inducted Chef Aliza into its Culinary Hall of Fame, citing her as one of the ten most influential people in the city's food industry.

Jon Helquist's nineteen years of experience in the kitchen began at Chez Panisse and included time at Oliveto in Berkeley, The Martini House in St. Helena and Manzanita here in Healdsburg. Now at the helm of the Seghesio Family Vineyards winery kitchen, Jon's menus are inspired by the Seghesio family's Italian heritage and a cooking philosophy that pairs perfectly with the wide variety of excellent Seghesio wines.

Marko Karakasevic grew up around pumps, hoses and tanks. This was his father's world and the family always lived close to the Napa Valley winery where Miles, his father, made wine. In the fall of ’95, Marko realized he wanted to apprentice under his father and be the 13th generation to carry on the Karakasevic family tradition. Marko conceived the idea of Domaine Charbay's whole-fruit flavored vodka program. He found the fruit and designed the packaging. Now, with two generations of enthusiastic winemakers & distillers behind the Domaine Charbay label, there are even more releases of "perfumes for the soul” to watch for. (January 12)

Following the completion of her studies at the California Culinary Academy, Nitsa Prousalis Knoll worked as sous chef and on-site coordinator at Barcelona’s Conde and Carreras under Conxita Carreras. Upon her return to San Francisco, she joined the Ritz Carlton and was lead cook and trainer in both the restaurant and Garde Mange kitchen. She has instructed at the California Culinary Academy, set high tea for British Royalty, and, most recently, established her own catering business called Sonoma Culinaire. Nitsa's strongest influence, though, is that of her father, a former chef himself, and her yaya in Athens, Greece.

Renaud Kolpin learned to cook with his parents who influenced him with their French heritage and their extensive travels to Asia. He trained at the California Culinary Academy and has worked at restaurants in San Francisco, including Beetlenut, Postrio, and Embarko. Renaud is passionate about food, knowledgeable on technique, and intuitive with flavors. He was chef de cuisine at Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg for several years and is now a freelance caterer and private chef.

Constantinos Laliotitis, better known as "Chef Taki," is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française in Paris and a veteran of some of the most respected centers of culinary excellence in the world. His broad scope of endeavor has included positions at Market-Jean Georges and Restaurant Alain Ducasse in Paris, and The French Laundry in Yountville. Chef Taki has worked the line at the Culinary Institute of America Wine Spectator restaurant in Napa, Grande Hotel Villa Feltrinelli in Gargiano, Italy, and the Four Season’s Aviara in San Diego, in addition to participating in stagiers around the world at Jan Hurtingcarl in Copenhagen, Kasteel St. Paul in Lummen, Belgium, and Le Relais de Louis XIII in Paris. Chef Taki is now the estate chef for Hartford Family Winery, creating exquisite food and wine experiences around Hartford’s Russian River wines.

Kevin McKenzie launched his career at the beginning of the California Cuisine movement, working alongside such notables as Jeremiah Tower and Jonathan Waxman. He spent several years in Los Angeles as a caterer and private chef for the entertainment elite, orchestrating such events as the Academy Awards Governors Ball three years in a row. Kevin was also the proprietor of the acclaimed Rover’s Restaurant in Seattle. Kevin is now a freelance chef and writer who is very knowledgeable about the bounty of artisan food producers in Sonoma County. Kevin is a true craftsman, applying his years in the world's top kitchens to creative food and wine expressions.

Peg Melnik is co-author of The Napa & Sonoma Book, now in its seventh edition. She is also the wine columnist and tasting coordinator of the New York Times-owned Press Democrat. As part of the Press Democrat’s food and wine team, Melnik won a third place Penny-Missouri award in General Excellence for the Features section in 2006, and first, second and third place awards from 1990 through 2006 from the Association of Food Journalists. Melnik's book is full of tight-lipped tips and priceless pointers. Robert Parker Jr., the world’s most influential wine critic, says, ‘“The Napa & Sonoma Book is a marvelous book, splendidly researched, packed with terrific advice and considerable insider information, essential reading for any visitor.”

Andrea Mugnaini has become known as America’s ambassador to the world of wood-fired cooking through her company Mugnaini Imports, Inc.  Having dedicated the last 20 years of her life to bringing this style of cooking and living to American families and restaurants, she has been able to drive what is now considered a fad to the forefront. She even sponsored the California State Assembly Bill allowing restaurants to use wood-fired ovens outdoors. Mugnaini ovens now grace the Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park, NY, Copia in Napa and prestigious restaurants such as Chez Panisse.  Homeowners across the country travel to her acclaimed “Art of Wood-Fired Cooking” classes to learn how to enjoy their ovens. Andrea loves to demonstrate how versatile and fun cooking  in a pizza oven can be.

Gerards Nebesky's interest in the culinary arts went hand-in-hand with his travels around the world. His adventure travels always include the goal of eating well while on the road, trail, summit, ocean or wherever he may end up. He has become (by default) the trip cook which has led him to perfect dishes that require as few pans as possible and easily procured ingredients. Paella has become a favorite recently (www.gerardspaella.com) and he has cooked up Paellas for ski mountaineering trips, sailing trips, Desperate Housewives and even on a deserted island for the crew of Saturday Night Live. He attributes honing his Paella skills to his Spanish girlfriend who could only be happy with socarrat, the perfectly caramelized rice on the bottom of the pan. For without socarrat, it can get very lonely in a tent in the snow.

Jill Nussinow, aka The Veggie Queen, has been teaching people about the joys of choosing and cooking local produce for more than 20 years. She is a Registered Dietitian on the culinary faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College. Jill is the author of The Veggie Queen:  Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment cookbook and stars in the DVD Pressure Cooking:  A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes.  She teaches nationally and writes for various publications on the web and elsewhere. She is working on her next book which is about pressure cooking, which will be available winter 2008.

Award-winning chef and writer Christine Piccin loves nothing better than to taste her way through her travels, which have flavored her articles for magazines including Bon Appétit, Saveur, and many others. Christine is a regular contributor to Santé, a magazine for chefs, a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and has worked in numerous Sonoma County restaurants during her chef tenure. A past winner of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Sweepstakes Award, Christine taps her experience in the kitchens of Hotel La Rose and Mixx in Santa Rosa, and Madrona Manor in Healdsburg, to teach professional techniques that make cooking at home easy and fun.

Charmoon Richardson has been studying & collecting wild mushrooms in Northern California for over 25 years. He is the owner of The Wild About Mushrooms Co., a business dedicated to sharing the joys and benefits of wild mushrooms. He is a past president of the Sonoma County Mycological Association and is also a member of the Mycological Society of San Francisco. He has organized numerous mushroom forays, camps, and events over the years, and teaches classes on mushroom identification, cultivation, and cooking. Charmoon has appeared with noted chef Bobby Flay on his show Food Nation. He was also featured in Sunset, mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, and been the subject of numerous local & SF Bay Area news features and guest radio programs.

Josh Silvers grew up consumed by the love of good food. He began cooking at the tender age 17 and quickly rose through the ranks of pantry, finish line and sous chef before venturing out on his own as an executive chef. He gained a breadth of experience at several restaurants including Mustard’s Grill in Napa with Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, Café SFA (Saks Fifth Avenue) in San Francisco, and the Orinda Grill in Orinda where he also shared his culinary vision and skills by teaching cooking classes. In 1999, Josh Silvers and his wife Regina moved to Santa Rosa to open their dream restaurant – Syrah Bistro—where he continues to celebrate the pairing of food and wine.

Born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay, Chef & Co-Owner Mark Stark received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He created a sound foundation in Washington, D.C., with the Four Seasons Hotel, Maison Blanche and the City Club of Washington, then in Seattle with the Bellevue Club. Mark spent several years as a regional chef for the California Café Restaurant group as well as a corporate chef for Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants. His desire to establish culinary roots and define his own style led him to Sonoma County where, with his wife Terri, he opened Willi’s Wine Bar in 2002, Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar in 2003, Monti's Rotisserie in 2004, and Barcode in 2005, all to rave reviews.

Paul Smith graduated from Johnson & Wales University Culinary Arts program followed by three years working with Chef Cedric Tovar at Joel Rubichon in New York. He then freelanced as a private chef for a variety of guests at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. He finished his time in New York as Sous Chef at Bobby Flay's Bolo before coming to Sonoma County.

Marlena Spieler broadcasts and writes internationally on her favorite subject:  food. He bon viveuer, wit and humor result in an unpretentious style of writing and teaching, and her original recipes are distinctive and innovative. With over fifty cookbook titles to her credit, Marlena conjures up flavors and dishes from the Mediterranean to Mexico and California to the Italian Islands. Everyone from BBC Radio to NBC Weekend Today agree:  Marlena can talk about food...and talk and talk and talk. Marlena is passionate about discovering and sharing the good flavors of life. She lives in Britain with her husband and returns frequently to San Francisco to share her latest discoveries. Catch up with her culinary adventures in her The Roving Feast column at the SF Chronicle or on her website.

Kathleen Stewart is the owner of the wonderful Downtown Bakery and Creamery, a delectable Healdsburg landmark, that also sells its goodies at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market. Master baker Kathleen is an alumnus of Chez Panisse in Berkeley where she was part of the original Bakers Dozen organization lead by Marion Cunningham and contributed to the The Baker's Dozen Cookbook. Kathleen's luscious and well-tested recipes have also been featured in Fine Cooking, Gourmet Magazine, 101cookbooks.com and seriouseats.com.

Patricia Donaghy Taan is the Pastry Chef at Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen where she creates innovative and delectable seasonal dessert menus. Patricia's interest in baking began on the island of Kauai, where she owned her own French patisserie called the Garden Isle Bake Shoppe where she honed her skills at making European style pastries and specialty cakes and breads. Eventually her bakery became so popular that she began supplying many of the luxury hotels with her baked goods. Patricia made her way to Sonoma County in 1996 and became the pastry chef at some of the area’s top-notch restaurants, including Equus Restaurant at the Fountaingrove Inn and Cafe Lolo. Patty's devotion to the French style of pastry preparation led her to an internship under celebrated Pasty Chef Yaan Andre at the Le Grande Hotel du Val Andre, influencing her ideas for modernizing traditional desserts with special French inspired flare by using techniques such as flavored foam and gelee.

Frank Toledo has been on a quest for the perfect martini for almost 20 years. He comes equipped with the finest martini-making supplies and has been known to dazzle audiences with cocktail facts and lore.

Justin Wangler grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, where he began working in restaurants before attending A. B. Tech Culinary School. Justin gained a true appreciation for food and wine pairing while testing recipes with David Rosengarten for his cookbook, It’s All American Food (Little, Brown & Company). Justin came west and took a job at Napa Valley’s Culinary Institute of America in 1999, and in 2000, he moved to Saddleback Cellars in Napa Valley where his understanding of pairing food with wine was enhanced. Wangler then spent three years working with chef/owner Josh Silvers at Santa Rosa’s Syrah. These experiences helped pave the way for his present position as Chef at the renowned Kendall-Jackson Wine Center where he has taken “wine country” cuisine to a new level.

From his extensive travels through Europe and Asia, Jake Whitely attained a deep respect for the power of tea to bring people together and help bridge cultures. In 1994 he began blending tea at Flying Goat Coffee in Healdsburg, which he opened with two partners, and established relationships with many importers of rare and unusual teas. He and his wife Christine Hanna opened Bungalow Coffee and Tea in 2004 with the goal of marrying their love of the Craftsman artisan aesthetic with a teahouse/café environment. At Bungalow, Jake has developed his own tea blends, some of which reflect traditional profiles, while others are a personal pursuit of the strange quirks of human history and geography.

Lance Winters used to be a nuclear engineer on an aircraft carrier stationed in Alameda. After dabbling in beermaking, he found himself on the doorstep of St George Spirits with a bottle of homemade whiskey in his hand. Owner Jorg Rupf tasted it, and Lance has been part of St George ever since. Lance's technical knowledge and finely honed sense of taste have helped earn St. George many accolades and a devoted following over the years, particularly for the company's Hangar One vodka and Winter's craftsmanship, from a Kaffir-lime-infused vodka to single-malt whiskies to the first absinthe produced in the United States since 1912 (the ban on domestic production of the much-maligned spirit was lifted in 2007.) Combine this skill and knowledge with his quick wit and colorful stories, and you've always got a great class.

 

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