About
As the former Executive Chef of Le Cordon Bleu College in Portland, Oregon I have a strong understanding of cooking technique and education. I am friendly and have a calm demeanor and I truly want to help you understand the fundamentals of cooking so you can cook anything!
First I love food and being a friendly person. You will see this in my demeanor. My life is all about food and involves teaching on a daily basis and owning my own hot sauce company. I spend my spring, summer, and fall weekends at the farmers markets, I host a hot sauce retreat in Costa Rica, and my weekdays teaching kids about food. I love doing all of this.
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Reviews
Gwen W.
Cindy A.
Adam M.
Mylisa H.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
It is important to me to find out first what a student wants to learn about. Then I like to find out how hands on a student wants to be. Are you comfortable with a knife, do you just want to watch the recipe being made, are you ready to jump right in and cook. I can adjust to whatever you need to get the most out of the lesson. I also like to send students home with recipes and procedures so you have a reference to what you learned with me.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Masters Degree in Education from Portland State University
Career Technical Education Culinary Teaching License
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
$65/hr- if the lesson goes beyond an hour by 10 to 15 minutes there is no extra charge. At 20 minutes into the second hour a second hour will be charged.
$10 driving charge if I come to you
Cost of food included in lesson (unless a specialty item is requested)
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching in 2002 at the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Garden while getting my Masters degree in Education at Portland State University. When I graduated I took my first teaching job at Le Cordon Bleu College in Portland, Oregon. I taught there for seven years before taking over as the Executive Chef and Director of Education. I left LCB in 2014 to pursue chef positions (and an adventure) in Costa Rica through 2017. In 2018 I began teaching high school culinary classes in the Salem/Keizer school district where I am still teaching currently.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Please think about what you specifically want to learn. Do you want to learn a specific dish? Maybe you want to learn cooking technique like a braise or how to use a roux to thicken a sauce. If I know what you are interested in learning I can create a lesson that you will get more out of and therefore a better use of your money!