Alumni Newsletter -- Jul '09 (PDF) - The Natural Gourmet Institute

Issue 21 

July 2009 

WANTED: 

FRIENDS & FOLLOWERS 

The Natural Gourmet Institute has been 

cooking up conversations via social networking 

sites, Facebook and Twitter. We’ve found these 

technologies to be an amazing complement to 

our New York-based facility in connecting with 

like-minded folks all over the world in the areas 

of food, health and the culinary arts. 

Become a fan of the Natural Gourmet on 

Facebook by creating an account beforehand. 

While logged in, visit 

http://tinyurl.com/facebook-ngi. Or you can find 

us by clicking the Friends link and searching for 

NaturalGourmet (all results > pages). 

For Twitter, simply visit 

http://twitter.com/naturalgourmet and join up. 

You can also just click the icons below. 

If you already have a Twitter or Facebook 

account, look us up and become a fan (Facebook) 

or follow us on Twitter. We look forward to 

tweeting with you. 

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E 

1 Thoughts from the Founder 

2 On the President’s Mind 

4 Adventures in Cooking 

5 Upcoming Cooking Tours 

6 Working with a Domestic 

Placement Agency 

7 Who’s Doing What? 

THOUGHTS FROM THE FOUNDER 

by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. 

OUT WITH THE OLD, 

IN WITH THE NEW 

We’ve heard 

about the 

irresistible force and the 

unmovable object. And 

there are also the warring 

opposites in which things 

want to change, but still remain the same. We do 

want things to remain the same, don’t we? Safe, 

predictable, recognizable. And yet, when that 

happens, we get bored and want change. 

At the Natural Gourmet, we are contemplating 

some serious change in our physical space. To 

wit: We are in the midst of plans to renovate the 

front office, with the intention to make the place 

more comfortable and streamlined. We’ll knock out 

some walls, build new ones, make better use of our 

limited space and give people a modicum of privacy. 

In preparation for that intense project, we are 

reviewing all our stored papers. For me personally, 

we are talking about 20 years of saved stuff. Ouch! 

What to keep, what to toss? Are we done with this 

or should it be in the archives? I’m not talking 

about student files – I’m talking about lists of 

recipes I taught in the late ‘80’s, notes from teachers’ 

meetings of the early ‘90’s, and other such tidbits. 

I’ve been pulling these out and noting how 

dramatically things have changed here – just from 

the normal day-to-day managing of our activities. 

Anytime something goes wrong, we come up with a 

new system, a correction, updated policies. Little 

by little, things have improved – so that most of our 

daily work nowadays is quite OK. Not perfect yet 

– but quite OK, and of course still improving. 

Cleaning out clutter has a marvelously 

energizing effect. A friend of mine who occasionally 

Natural Gourmet Alumni News

does this kind of work for people, always says, “when 

you throw out the old, you make room for the new.” 

In my own experience, I found it really true that you 

can change your life by tossing out stuff you don’t 

need anymore. I have often worked with people who 

specialize in clutter cleaning, as I myself often am 

too attached to my old stuff. But I’m getting better – 

you should see how much I’m tossing and shredding. 

I know that some people have trouble throwing 

out stuff – who knows, maybe they’ll need it again, or 

they’ll find they need it right after the garbage truck 

made off with it. Heaven forfend! But the truth is, 

that hardly ever happens. And if you REALLY need 

it again, just buy a new one. 

Of course, the stuff I’m going through cannot 

be bought. It’s memories, mementoes, records of old 

ideas, lots of old versions of recipes. But I’ve learned 

over the years that recipes can be re-done, reinvented, 

and updated a million times. I don’t need 

to keep those old ones. Besides, most of them are 

in my books, if they were any good. And do I really 

need to hold on to those old class notes? What would 

I use them for? Truth is, I never do. 

And speaking of new things, the NGI is trying 

hard to join the current digital culture. We now have 

a presence both on Facebook and on Twitter. People 

who know about this stuff think we’re doing great 

with it. I’m pleased as well. Check it out! 

ON THE PRESIDENT’S MIND 

by Jenny Matthau 

MY TRIP OUT WEST 

Last November I 

made my yearly 

sojourn to the Weston A. 

Price Foundation’s Wise 

Traditions Conference. 

It was the first time the 

Conference was held on 

the West Coast, near San 

Francisco. 

I heard many fascinating lectures, but was 

most interested in the three focusing on iodine 

deficiency and its relationship to thyroid disorders, 

fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer and many 

other health problems, including, but not limited to 

adrenal dysfunction, depression, chronic infections 

and all hormonally mediated cancers. 

The first speaker was Lynne Farrow, MA, 

a former college professor, journalist and editor 

who currently serves as Director of the nonprofit 

research and advocacy organization, Breast Cancer 

Choices. This organization has been conducting 

a database study called The Iodine Investigation 

Project which follows women using iodine as part 

of their treatment for breast disease, especially 

breast cancer. The main theme of Lynne’s talk 

was that many people in the U.S. are deficient in 

iodine today, resulting in much higher incidence 

of breast cancer compared to thirty years ago. In 

the 1970’s, manufacturers stopped adding iodine 

to flour and replaced it with bromide, which 

contributed to widespread deficiency. An endocrine 

disruptor and neurotoxin, bromide is used as a fire 

retardant in the form of PBDE’s (polybrominated 

diphenyls) and can be found in furniture, iPhones, 

stuffed animals, mattresses, clothing, computers 

and cars (responsible for “new car smell”). Bromide 

greatly increases our bodies’ iodine requirement, 

which when combined with iodine insufficiency 

and aging, creates “the perfect storm,” meaning 

that this confluence of factors greatly increases 

susceptibility to breast cancer. Lynne presented 

evidence that iodine protects against breast cysts 

and breast cancer and that the two conditions are 

closely related. (Dr. Robert Bard who practices in 

NYC recently told me that research has confirmed 

that women who have fibrocystic breast disease 

are 5 to 7 times more likely to develop breast 

cancer.) To find out more, visit Lynne’s website at: 

www.breastcancerchoices.org. 

The second speaker was Dr. Janet R. Lang, 

a chiropractor who in addition to seeing patients, 

conducts ongoing clinical research and teaches 

professional Functional Endocrinology seminars 

across the U.S. She is the author of Understanding 

the Peripheral Nervous System and a contributing 

author of The Heart of the Healer. Dr. Lang 

explained that the RDA for iodine in the United 

States (150 mcg) was based on the amount needed 

to prevent goiter and cretinism, but falls woefully 

short of the amount needed to prevent thyroid, 

breast and many other disorders. She recommended 

adding kelp to our diets, but acknowledged that 

supplementation is necessary for many individuals. 

She also maintained that when iodine loading, one 

needs to increase intakes of selenium, magnesium 

and essential fatty acids. Her website is: 

www.drjlang.com. 

The third speaker was David Brownstein, MD, 

Medical Director of the Center for Holistic Medicine 

in Michigan. He is the author of 8 books, covering 

a wide array of topics, including iodine, thyroid 

disorders, arthritis, natural therapies, gluten-free 

Natural Gourmet Alumni News 

2

diets and healthy eating. Dr. Brownstein stated 

that from 1971 to 2000, iodine levels in U.S. citizens 

have declined by 50%, and that this parallels 

increasing breast cancer and thyroid cancer rates, 

as well as hypothyroidism. He went on to say that 

many cancer patients need extremely high doses of 

iodine and that it can take several years to correct 

iodine deficiency. Dr. Brownstein acknowledged that 

seaweed is a rich source of iodine, but cautioned 

that if it is grown in polluted waters, it will take up 

toxins such as arsenic and bromide. Furthermore, 

one would have to eat an enormous amount of 

iodized salt to get sufficient amounts of iodine. He 

also explained that U.S. soil is iodine deficient, due 

to soil erosion, fertilizers and pesticides which are 

high in bromide, chloride and fluoride. All these 

chemicals, including isoflavones from unfermented 

soy interfere with iodine assimilation. To learn 

more, check out Dr. Brownstein’s website at: 

www.centerforholisticmedicine.com. 

On the last day of the conference, I was very 

fortunate to go on a tour of Three Stone Hearth, a 

Community Supported Kitchen in West Berkeley 

that prepares nutrient dense foods for inhabitants 

of the Bay Area. I was particularly interested in 

this tour because two of our CTP graduates, Jessica 

Prentice and Porsche Combash are among the five 

worker-owners. The vision of Three Stone Hearth 

is to contribute to the healing of their surrounding 

community and the Earth by creating a sustainable 

model for community-scale food preparation utilizing 

traditional foods and preparation methods as 

described by Dr. Weston A. Price. 

Almost all the meat and eggs they prepare 

come from local farms where the animals are 

pasture-fed and raised and slaughtered as humanely 

as possible. Many are certified organic. Most 

of their dairy is also of local origin, coming from 

animals that have access to pasture. Many of the 

vegetables and fruits are locally grown, used in 

season and almost entirely certified organic. Three 

Stone Hearth buys food directly from farmers 

whenever possible. Grains are whole, and soaked in 

water and yogurt whey to increase their digestibility. 

The primary fats used are locally produced ghee, 

butter and olive oil as well as lard, coconut, palm 

and sesame oil. Sweeteners used include maple 

syrup, honey agave, palm sugar, sucanat or 

rapadura. 

Each week Three Stone Hearth prepares the 

following dishes: 48-hour beef stock and 24-hour 

chicken stock (the cooked bones are ground and 

mixed with grain to prepare homemade dog food). 

In addition to selling broth, the stocks are used to 

make a mineral-rich soup or stew and sauce. Raw 

3 

meat patties are formed, fortified with nutritious 

organ meats, then frozen so they can be cooked 

quickly by the clientele as needed. Other weekly 

staples include a grain dish, bean dish, crispy 

nuts (soaked and dehydrated), crackers, crunchy 

cereals, yogurt cheese and mouthwatering desserts 

such as “Transit Bars,” a delicious snack made 

from only dates, prunes, coconut butter, shredded 

coconut, orange juice, zest and sea salt. At least one 

cultured vegetable is made, along with a cultured 

beverage, rich in enzymes and electrolytes. We were 

fortunate to sample the rose-hibiscus, grape-lemon 

and lavender-rosehips coolers that accompanied the 

delicious pork tamale pie, chicken salad and green 

salad lunch Porsche served us after our tour group 

completed our kitchen duties: wrapping tamales, 

meat patties and crispy nuts. 

Jessica explained to our group of eight visitors 

that they were currently preparing food to fill over 

200 orders per week, although they have about 

2000 accounts in their database. The owners of 

Three Stone Hearth hope to create a prototype that 

they can sell inexpensively to other like-minded 

entrepreneurs around the country. I am hoping they 

succeed, as most working people across the U.S. have 

so little time to prepare homemade, nutritious food. 

For the record, if anyone starts such a business in 

NYC, I would be one of your best customers! 

The other major highlight of my trip was 

dinner at Millennium, perhaps the most celebrated 

vegan restaurant in the country. Like Three Stone 

Hearth, Millennium is committed to using organic, 

locally grown, seasonal food. Both the head chef 

(Eric Tucker) and the pastry chef (Anne Baptiste) 

are CTP Graduates. I dined with three other 

people, and we ordered a wide variety of dishes, all 

of which were delicious and beautifully presented. 

I particularly enjoyed the Sesame-Crusted Oyster 

Mushrooms with sweet & spicy ginger-chile jam and 

watermelon radish relish and the Pumpkin Papusa 

(corn masa with mashed pumpkin, roasted poblano 

chile and caramelized onion, smoky piquinto bean 

ragu, sautéed greens, avocado-cilantro cream, sweet 

and spicy apple salsa and pumpkin seed-crusted 

cauliflower). The service was also excellent, very 

gracious and welcoming. 

In conclusion, my trip was well worth taking. 

Aside from all the valuable information I acquired, 

seeing and experiencing the incredible work of our 

graduates was uplifting and made me very proud 

to know that they had graduated from the Natural 

Gourmet. 


Wishing everyone a wonderful summer.

ADVENTURES 

IN COOKING 

by Sue Baldassano 

Mad Science or the Science of 

Deliciousness? 

By now, most of us in the food business have 

heard the term “Molecular Gastronomy” 

and the chef most associated with this term, Ferrain 

Andria. His restaurant outside of Barcelona, El 

Bulli Tabla (recently voted Best Restaurant in the 

World), receives 2 million dinner requests per year 

for a 37-course menu. He serves 8000 of those 2 

million requests. He and some of the other chefs 

working in this vein do not like the term Molecular 

Gastronomy. They adamantly deny being scientists 

working in “laboratories” and stress that they 

are cooking food, not concocting strange inedible 

scientific experiments. These chefs prefer Harold 

McGhee’s definition of what they are doing: “The 

science of deliciousness.” At this point in time 

there are less than a dozen chefs preparing this 

experimental cuisine. 

The New York version of all this Molecular 

Gastronomy or Science of Deliciousness is wd-50, 

headed by Wylie DuFresne. 

Up front I will say that I am not promoting this 

kind of cooking, nor do I condone it in any way, shape 

or form, but I do think that it’s here to stay, and that 

culinary students should at least know that it exists. 

This elite group of chefs use good quality 

ingredients and claim that they merely use 

technology in the form of specialized equipment and 

certain food items that they refer to as “compounds.” 

Many of these compounds seem suspect to me (not 

whole foods by a long stretch), but some are actual 

foods we even use at our cooking school, such as 

agar. 

In November 2008, my curiosity got the better 

of me, and I had lunch at wd-50. Here is my review 

of my dining experience. 

9-Course Tasting Menu 

Shrimp couscous, dried cherry, whiskey 

hazelnut. Two tablespoons of intensely shrimpflavored 

couscous, served with a flattened squareshaped 

piece of dried cherry (about the size of a 

medium dice) topped with a brownish teaspoon of 

hazelnut cream. 

An interesting introduction. I enjoyed the 

shrimp couscous and the dried cherry. The hazelnut 

cream was flavorful but didn’t seem like a logical fit 

somehow on this plate. 

Knot foie. Foie gras mousse, raisin purée, kim 

chee purée and a rice crispy-like garnish scattered 

over the tan squiggle of extremely rich foie gras 

mousse. 

I couldn’t deal with the foie gras (I dislike 

liver). I enjoyed the raisin and kim chee purée and 

the crispy crumble. The waiters noticed that I didn’t 

eat the foie gras, and they half-heartedly offered a 

substitute but I declined the lukewarm offer. 

Eggs Benedict. Egg yolk, hollandaise sauce 

encased in “English muffin,” bacon tuile. 

Three-fourth-inch cylinder of partially cooked 

egg yolk, five tater-tot-looking items (English 

muffin?) filled with a hollandaise sauce that oozed 

out when poked with fork. The dish was garnished 

with a crisp and very thin bacon tuille. I loved this! 

The yolk was partially jelled (I asked the waiter if 

they used agar but was told that no, the yolk was 

placed in a long cylinder and then slowly poached). 

The tater-tot English muffins tasted like the real 

thing but without the satisfying “chew.” The surprise 

oozing of the hollandaise when you poked the muffin 

was a fun surprise and delicious. The bacon tuille 

was salty and crisp, but again, without the chewy 

quality of bacon. 

Crab tail, soybean noodles, cinnamon 

dashi. Steamy, cinnamon-scented dashi with thin, 

pale green soybean noodle, two-inch piece of crab 

with Thai basil. 

A wonderful bowl of steamy, aromatic cinnamon 

Thai basil broth! The noodles were tender and pale 

green with tiny pieces of fresh edamame and sweet 

crab floating in broth. This course really worked 

after the Eggs Benedict course. 

Rabbit, wild rice polenta, cassis kale, 

black olive. Two-inch cylinder of rabbit sausage 

served over wild rice and polenta blended with 

olives, served with a sweet and sour kale dish and 

garnished with crisp, burgundy-colored sour & sweet 

cassis chips. 

Lots of nice flavors and textures but the 

plate seemed dark except for the burgundy cassis 

chips. The blended polenta and olives tasted good 

but the gray appearance on the plate was really 

unattractive. The sweet and sour kale dish was 

mostly sour. 

Squab, butternut noodles, cream soda, 

carob and amaranth. Three-ounce serving of 

squab, raw fettuccine-style butternut “noodle” with 

one tablespoon dollop of cream soda sauce and one 


4

tablespoon carob-coated amaranth crunch. 

The squab was prepared medium rare in sous 

vide method. The meat was moist and flavorful but 

I missed the crispiness of roasting or sautéing. The 

fettuccine didn’t have much flavor. The cream soda 

dollop really tasted like cream soda (but why?). The 

carob/amaranth crunch was good but too sweet. 

Ricotta, capers, frozen honey, caper foam. 

One-fourth cup of ricotta with frozen honey bits 

garnished with a caper and thyme foam. 

This was my favorite course -- a steaming glass 

of ricotta with frozen honey bits and a surprisingly 

good salty caper foam with a garnish of fresh thyme 

and capers. 

Caramelized brioche, gala apple, brown 

butter ice cream, smoked pecans. A miniature 

brioche with very thinly sliced apples, a brown butter 

ice cream on a bed of really smoky pecans. 

The brown butter ice cream sitting on top of 

the very smoky pecans was wonderful. The brioche 

was rich and just two bites. The apple slices were 

beautiful. 

Concord grape sorbet-encased in black 

sesame seeds with chocolate “package.” One 

sesame-coated small truffle filled with Concord grape 

sorbet served with a small “package” filled with 

“something” crispy and chocolate. 

The small bite of the chocolate package was 

tastier than the sesame seed truffle but I could not 

identify what the package was made of or how it was 

made. 

With one glass of wine, coffee, tax and tip -- 

$115. Service, professional but cool. Kitchen, clean, 

large and laboratory-like in appearance. Offer to 

deal with special dietary issues including vegan or 

any other food sensitivities. 

Equipment. Some things used in this kitchen 

are quite familiar items such as processors, blenders, 

silicone mats, micro planes and dehydrators. There 

are other pieces of equipment that were not familiar 

such as: 

Cryovac vacuum-packing machine -- for 

sous vide cooking. Assures greater consistency, 

tenderness and accuracy of temperature. 

Anti-Griddle -- used to freeze many items, 

giving them a unique texture. 

Thermo Circulator -- heats water to a precise 

temperature for sous vide cooking. 

Volcano Vaporizer -- originally manufactured 

for inhaling marijuana without the smoke, this 

5 

versatile vaporizer proved to be the perfect solution 

for extracting aroma from herbs and spices without 

adding a burnt or smoky smell. 

Ingredients. Some are familiar sounding such 

as agar, carrageenan (seaweed), pectin and xanthan 

gum. Others were really foreign sounding such as: 

Potassium Citrate -- a sour salt that can be 

used to regulate acidity and as a preservative. 

Pure-Cote B790 -- a modified food starch 

made from corn by grain processing. It forms 

flexible films without requiring hydration or cooking. 

Products thickened with Pure-Cote dry into crispy 

“glass.” 

Versa Whip -- a soy protein that can replace 

egg whites or gelatin. Versa Whip can aerate and 

stabilize foams to twice the volume of eggs whites. 

The foams can be served hot or cold. 

Again, most of these chefs claim they work with 

the finest local and organic ingredients, but with all 

the manipulation one wonders why they bother? 

I must admit I enjoyed the novelty of my lunch 

at wd-50, and some of the flavors were amazing, 

but I won’t be going out and purchasing a Volcano 

Vaporizer any time soon. 


UPCOMING COOKING TOURS 

To Grandmother’s House 

We Go... 

Oaxaca, Mexico 

Early February 2010 (dates TBD) 

Groups limited to 12 people per trip 

10% discount for NGI grads 

www.tograndmothershousewego.com 

e-mail: grancooks@earthlink.net 

Tel: 718-768-4662

WORKING WITH A DOMESTIC 

PLACEMENT AGENCY 

by Nathan Donahoe 

(CTP 113) 

After graduating from 

NGI, I got my first job the old 

fashioned way: I knew somebody 

who knew somebody who needed 

a chef. After I left that job, I 

found that word of mouth simply 

wasn’t going to get me the work 

I wanted at the salary I deserved. NGI gave me the 

skills and education I needed to work with high end 

clients, and I wanted to find those clients! That was 

when I discovered domestic placement agencies, and 

specifically, The Help Company, the premier domestic 

placement agency (DPA) in Los Angeles and New 

York. They have offered me some the best jobs in LA, 

and I look forward to working with them more. 

In May, Melissa Jensen of The Help Company, 

agreed to do an interview for our Alumni Newsletter 

to provide NGI grads with some insights into 

working with a DPA. 

Tell us about The Help Company. The 

Help Company started in 1982, and the Wall Street 

Journal stated that it was the first nanny agency 

in the United States. Since its inception our clients 

have had other positions that needed staffing 

from estate management and executive assistant 

to chefs and butlers. Other publications have 

written that The Help Company is one of the most 

discreet staffing agencies and caters to the most 

discriminating clients in the US. 

Is there a typical profile for clients who 

seek chefs through The Help Company? Just 

because we are in Los Angeles, our clients tend to be 

working in the entertainment industry, and in New 

York, they are in finance. But, we cater to anyone 

whose needs we can fulfill. 

How common is it for clients to have 

special dietary needs? Recently, more of our 

clients have contacted us requesting chefs with the 

ability to handle special needs. These needs are 

usually weight reduction, food allergies, high blood 

pressure and high cholesterol. However, there is 

always a new trend, and lately many clients need 

chefs who understand The Blood Type Diet, the 

Macrobiotic Diet, as well as Vegan and Organic. NGI 

graduates who have any of this additional training 

would definitely have an advantage over applicants 

who know only conventional cooking. It is important 

to be cutting edge and have a width and depth of 

experience. 

Would a recent grad be considered for 

a private chef position? Absolutely! We have 

clients who love a fresh new attitude and desire 

simple, family-style meals. Their needs simply do 

not require someone with years of experience. 

Is there a minimum amount of experience 

a private chef must have in order to register? 

We have chefs who have grown up with family 

members who cook and fell in love with cooking at a 

young age. We also have chefs who have graduated 

from top level culinary institutes and have spent a 

lot of money furthering their knowledge. Since all 

of our clients come from different backgrounds with 

different needs, we like to have a wide variety of 

chefs from different backgrounds as well. Of course, 

experience and work ethic are important. A chef 

with nutritional background is also a bonus. 

What is a typical salary range for a fulltime 

private chef position? Depending on 

experience, $50-$150k. 

What would a typical hourly rate be 

for a part-time position? Again, depending on 

experience, $30-$50/hr. 

Do you expect an applicant to have a 

portfolio of menus, food photos and letters 

of recommendation? A website? We would 

appreciate anything to help us get the chef a 

position. Letters of reference are always a bonus. It 

is all helpful. As an agency, we do find it important 

to speak with a number of people to find out about 

a chef’s attitude, cleanliness and speed. We like 

personal information, along with an updated resume, 

so that we can get a sense of their background. We 

really love getting to know what drives our chefs so 

we can find them their dream jobs! 

What are the most common mistakes 

that private chefs make when beginning to 

work with a new family? Pitfalls? Some of 

the problems that new private chefs encounter are 

crossing boundaries, getting too close too quickly 

and not fully understanding what it is that the 

family requires. Be clear and ask many questions 

about their likes and dislikes. 

PS: If you decide to work with The Help 

Company, tell Melissa that Nathan said, “Hi.” And 

always, BRING FOOD! As a chef, food is your 

resume. I bring food to every interview or meeting I 

go to -- even if it’s just fresh, organic strawberries. It 

helps the DPA get a sense of your style and makes you 

memorable. 


6

WHO’S DOING WHAT 

CTP 170 (2009) 

Lolly Totero bakes bread (which is consumed on 

stage) for the cast of Desire Under the Elms in NYC. 

CTP 169 (2009) 

Amalia Marino is working at Il Buco in NYC. 

CTP 167 (2009) 

Laurent Pariente has a Garde Manger position at 

Gramercy Tavern in NYC. Christopher Sabionski 

is the Baker at The Ravens in Mendocino, CA. 

CTP 165 (2009) 

Kristen Desmond is doing a stage at Rouge Tomate 

in NYC. Nancy McArthur, Rebecca Riker and 

Clare Wilson are Caterers in NYC. Christian 

Simeone has a Garde Manger position at UNO’s 

Chicago Grill in Boston. 

CTP 164M (2009) 

Janani Urreta is a Prep Cook at Garden Café in 

Woodstock. 

CTP 163 (2008) 

Celeste Campbell is a Personal Chef in Spain. 

Katie Compton works with Equilibrium Nutrition 

in Toronto. She’s also developing her own nutrition 

consulting/personal chef business called Kate and 

the Kitchen. Hannah Frank is the Wellness 

Chef for Yoga Lounge in OH. Debbie Gulecki 

received her ServSafe certification in March and 

took the International Bread Baking course at FCI 

in May. She’s moving to ME in August. Elizabeth 

LaMantia is a Cook at New Rivers Restaurant and 

a Chef Instructor at Kids First in Providence, RI. 

Vivien Pallasigue returned to the Phillippines. 

Sara Querbes has a Garde Manger position at 

Garden Café in Woodstock, NY. Gabe Rodriquez 

is a Line Cook at Jivamukti Café and a freelance 

Caterer in NYC. 

CTP 162 (2008) 

Tanisa Amatayakul has a Garde Manger position 

at Kittichai in NYC. Ashley Barton is a Personal 

Chef in MA. Melinda Beaulieu is a Personal Chef 

in NYC. She’s also a Chapter Leader for Sunshine 

Chef with Project Sunshine. She teaches vegetarian 

cooking classes to low-income families with medical 

challenges and is involved in a cookbook for the 

Project. She recently appeared on The Food Network 

show Chopped. Vanessa Edberg works at Friend 

of a Farmer in NYC. Lisa Fierro is a Personal 

Chef in CO. She also does a weekly vegan meal at 

Amazing Grace Café. Nelly Kerpner is a Cook at 

7 

Catit Restaurant in Israel. She also runs workshops 

for healthy cooking. Sean Rhodes works at Palm 

Greens Café in Palm Springs, CA. Jaime Studley 

is a Line Cook at Jivamukti Yoga Studio and Café 

in NYC. Nicole Torre is a Pastry Line Chef at 

Pure Food and Wine in NYC. Aviva Vikstrom is 

a Personal Chef/Caterer in Seattle. She’s also the 

NYC Program Director at Career Explorations. 

CTP 161T (2009) 

Lindsay Brox is a Prep Chef at Grezzo in Boston. 

Giovanna Miller is the Natural Foods Chef for the 

Kashi 2009 Tour. 

CTP 160 (2008) 

Cindi Avila is an Anchor at NY1 and was recently 

a contestant on The Food Network show Chopped. 

Lakshmi Devi is Product Development Chef at 

Subway. Danny Heffernan is a Chocolatier at 

Artfully Chocolate/Kingsbury Confections in DC. 

Melissa Iacono is a Pastry Cook at Mesa Grill in 

NYC. Risa Lichtman is a Line Cook at Delfina 

in San Francisco. Larry Robbins is a Cook at 

Trader’s Point Creamery in IN. Geri Petito owns 

Creatively Catered in NJ and does cooking classes at 

Whole Foods Market. Karolina Pietruschka is the 

Chef at Rockin’ Raw in Brooklyn. Alison Wiener is 

the Sous Chef at Ballibay Camp this summer. 

CTP 159 (2008) 

Daniel Brusky is a Line Cook at Hundred Acres 

in NYC. Kay Michaels is a Personal Chef in 

NYC. David Nuss is a Cooking Instructor at the 

Children’s Aid Society in NYC. Andy Russell 

does catering for sailing charters in HI. Flavia 

Scigliano is a Personal Chef/Instructor in Brazil. 

Ruth Tovim is an Instructor for the Shoreditch 

Trust’s Good Food Programme in London. Sachiko 

Taji is a Pastry Cook at How Sweet It Is in NYC. 

Jen Woodard is a Volunteer at Project Open Hand, 

Urban Sprouts and Three Stone Hearth in the Bay 

Area. 

CTP 158W (2008) 

Noriko Azuma is a Private Chef in New York and 

Paris. Michele Heinrich and Aishah Miller 

are Partners in Harmony Kitchen. This summer, 

Aishah will be the Chef at an international camp 

for peace and conflict resolution in Holmes, NY. 

Danielle Ott is a Line Cook at Dirt Candy in NYC. 

Mark Tinkleman is a Line Cook at Café Blossom in 

NYC. 

CTP 157 (2008) 

Phil Barth is the Chef at Alpha Phi Sorority 

House at San Diego Univ. and a freelance Personal 


Chef/Caterer. Anna Billingskog is a Baker at 

Sound Lounge in NYC. Sarah Fillius is the Chef 

and Education Coordinator at the Philadelphia 

Community Farm in Oseola, WI. Wendy Isoda is a 

Line Cook at Napa & Co. in CT. Virginia Staska is 

a Cook at Spoonriver in MN. 

CTP 156 (2008) 

Meg Brand is Lead Cook at an elementary school 

in the Rye City School Distsrict. Virginia Corpus- 

McDermott owns Kitchen Vitality in Sydney, 

Australia. Nicole O’Brien is a Chef and Internship 

Director at The Center for Discovery in Harris, NY. 

Tatyana Shamalov is a Personal Chef/Holistic 

Health Counselor in Queens. Idil Sanal is Head 

Chef at Rafinera in Turkey. Karen Spirer is a 

Chef/Baker/Instructor/Consultant in NY. 

CTP 155T (2008) 

Eileen Botti is a Cooking Instructor for The Cancer 

Project. Tricia Brown is a Freelance Caterer in 

NYC and will be a FND Guest Chef at the Natural 

Gourmet in November. Andrea Danielson is a 

Private Chef in Brooklyn Heights. Ellen Emerson 

is still on active duty in the Navy, but does 

occasional catering. Natalia Gaviria owns Cook- 

Life. She also works p/t as a Line Cook at Naturally 

Delicious Caterers in Brooklyn and is a Teaching 

Asst. for Conscious Cravers. Kiki Homer was a 

Culinary Corps Volunteer in New Orleans in April. 

She also volunteers at Operation Frontline and 

works at Mas. Juliana Osleeb is a Private Chef on 

Long Island. 

CTP 154 (2008) 

Sara Boan is a Residence Chef at The Center for 

Discovery in Harris, NY. Nikki King is a Line 

Chef at Pure Food and Wine in NYC. Amy Miller 

is the Chef/Owner of The Golden Guernsey B&B 

in NY. Jason Moore is a Line Cook/Sous Chef at 

The Winsor House Inn in MA. Matthew Mosshart 

is a Night Baker at Babycakes in NYC. Marni 

Wasserman is a Personal Chef/Holistic Nutritionist 

in Toronto. Marti Wolfson is a Personal Chef/ 

Consultant in NYC and Greenwich, CT. 

CTP 153W (2008) 

Gretchen Brinson is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

Korrie Chichester is the Culinary Dept. Mgr. 

at Lifethyme Natural Market in NYC. Lauren 

Davidson is a Line Cook at Prune in NYC. Hilda 

Eribo is a Personal Chef. She also freelances at 

Marcey Brownstein Catering in NYC. Heather 

Esposito is a Personal Chef/Instructor in NJ. 

She’s also a Prep Cook at Bonefish Grill. Katie 

Gadsby is a Garden & Nutrition Educator at a non- 

profit working with local schools in San Francisco. 

Kumiko Itagaki got married in November and is 

a volunteer at Eco Kids Earth in NYC. Marissa 

Peluso is the Chef at 116 Crown in CT. Tom 

Quackenbush is a Bistro Chef at The Center 

for Discovery in NY. Chelsea Smith started a 

breakfast catering business at Watercourse Foods in 

CO. Justin Zaslow is the Gen. Mgr. at Wyndham 

Fitness & Recreation facility in NJ. He consults 

on their menu and gives nutrition talks at various 

corporate health fairs. 

CTP 152 (2008) 

Dale Fahrnow is a Cook at Digger’s in WI. Laura 

Jackson is the Kitchen Supervisor at Angelica 

Kitchen in NYC. Andrea Mavro is the Chef at 

Naturally Good Foods and Café in Montauk. Katie 

Sobel is a Consultant for an organic food company. 

Chris Wegwart is a Personal Chef in NYC. Jessica 

Woods is a Pastry Chef at Bar Avignon in OR. She 

also bakes local, sustainable pies and sells them to 

farmers’ markets and restaurants. 

CTP 151M (2008) 

June Berry is an onsite Prep Cook for Callahan 

Catering and Sonner & Castle Catering in NYC. 

Asuko Doi is a Pastry Chef at Souen in NYC. 

Erika Layfield is an Event Planner in NYC. Bevin 

McNulty works at Patagonia and Two Fat Cats in 

ME. Michael Rosner moved to San Francisco. 

Cody Strauss is the Chef at the Lang House B&B 

in Burlington, VT. 

CTP 150 (2007) 

Rebecca Arnold is the Hostess at 606 Congress in 

Boston. Lisa Hviding has a Garde Manger position 

at Poste Moderne Brasserie in Washington, DC. Sita 

Palomar Brian is a Personal Chef in San Francisco. 

Ashley Whitmore is a Line Cook at Chestnut in 

Brooklyn. Jason Wood is a Caterer and Personal 

Chef in NY. 

CTP 149W (2008) 

Danielle Heard has a Personal Chef/Counseling 

business called Artemis in the City in NYC. Jessica 

Hulett is a Food Writer and Personal Chef in NYC. 

Marina Schulze is a Caterer in NYC. 

CTP 148 (2007) 

Amanda Anderson is a Personal Chef/Holistic 

Counselor in NY. Steve Matkovich is Chef de 

Partie at Bouchon in Napa. Carrie McGowan is 

a Home Manager/Personal Chef in UT. Julianne 

Nelson is a Cook at Jimbo’s Naturally in CA. 

Danny Quintana returned to NYC to study 

Chinese medicine. 


8

CTP 147 (2007) 

Alexis Blake is Head Chef/Kitchen Coordinator 

at Genesis Farm in NJ. Adfia Bristol is a Chef 

Instructor at Imani House, Inc. in Brooklyn and 

started a business called Yis Ro Yal Organic Vegan 

Treats and Juices. Ruth Fehr is Culinary & 

Nutritional Consultant for The Palette Foundation 

in NYC. Molly Handler is Caterer/Sous Chef at 

The Balcony on Dock and a Line Cook at Caprice 

Bistro in Wilmington, NC. Gia Ramos is a Personal 

Chef/Make-Up Artist in NYC. Federico Saldivar 

is a Line Cook at Belcourt in NYC. Victoria Salom 

is a Pastry Chef at Spiral Lounge in London. Leah 

Shomron is a Food Writer and Cooking Instructor 

in Israel. Sarena Stern is attending the CIA in 

Napa. David Wilke is a Menu Consultant in AZ. 

Robert Wilson-Smith is the Kitchen Mgr. at Radha 

Yoga & Eatery in Vancouver. 

CTP 146 (2007) 

Andrea Boje owns The Holistic Chef in NJ. Isabel 

Clark is the Senior Healthy Eating Educator at 

Whole Foods Market’s Global HQ in Austin. 

CTP 145T (2008) 

Suzanne Barr is a Teaching Asst. for Conscious 

Cravers and a FND Hostess at the Natural Gourmet. 

She also does freelance catering and owns Sweet 

Potato Bakery. Christine Borzell is a Personal 

Chef on L.I. She’s also an Instructor at Sur La 

Table. Iris Cortes teaches a class called Global 

Chef at Global Neighborhood Secondary School in E. 

Harlem. Lauren Donath is a Cooking Instructor/ 

Caterer in NYC. Kristina Kulin is the Web Content 

Mgr. for ISI Brands and a Contributing Expert 

on recipes and food-related topics for Metabolife. 

Andrea Lennon is Founding Partner at The Good 

Knife in NYC. Silvana Paulilo is a Personal Chef 

in CT. Laura Rosenberg, R.D. owns Green Napkin 

Chefs in NY. 

CTP 144 (2007) 

Tanya Bielski-Braham is Asst. Buyer at Dean 

& Deluca in NYC. Jeffrey Breaux owns Jeffrey’s 

Garage in India. Melissa Gellert is a Personal 

Chef in NYC. Laura Gibson owns Laura’s Sweet 

Gourmet in PA. Sara Kramer is working at Diner 

and Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn. Bela Moriera is a 

Personal Chef/Ayurvedic Counselor in NYC. 

CTP 143 (2007) 

Marion Banzhaf is the Chelsea CSA Coordinator. 

Laurel Bell is a Personal Chef in NYC. Amber 

Burkes is a Cook at Two Chefs and an Instructor 

at Foxfire Kitchen Gallery in SC. Emmy Miller is 

Bakery Mgr. at Buttercup Bake Shop in NYC. 

9 

CTP 142W (2007) 

Peggy Chung is Asst. Editor at Cook’s Illustrated 

in MA. Jamie Klotz has a Garde Manger position 

at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC. Richard Soriero 

is a Cook at Savoy in NYC. 

CTP 141 (2007) 

Michael Giacomello is the Sous Chef at Vegetate 

in Washington, DC. Rick Marquardt is the In- 

Store Educator at the Whole Foods Bowery location 

in NYC. Roderick McCulloch is the Kitchen 

Manager at Brasa Premium Rotisserie in MN. 

Kate Merola is Personal Chef in NYC. Helene 

Seligman does counseling and cooking instruction 

in NYC. Mary Skinner is a Baker at Swirls in 

Tampa, FL. She’s also a Personal Chef. 

CTP 140M (2007) 

Ellen Arian has a business called Ellen’s Food & 

Soul in NJ. Jennifer Columbo is Chef/Owner of 

Naturally Jeni in NY. She’s also Assistant at Sur 

La Table cooking classes and a Columnist for North 

Fork Parents Web Page. Unju Kim is a Chef in the 

Executive Dining Room at Party Rental Ltd. and a 

Retreat Chef at Cross Roads Retreat Center, both in 

NJ. Laura Viega is a Baker at Kripalu in MA. 

CTP 139 (2007) 

Dina Cutrone has a business called Tall Order 

in Brooklyn. Milan Doshi owns The Queen Anne 

B&B in Denver. Caroline Ishii opened ZenKitchen 

Restaurant in Ottawa. Yuki Itoh owns Japan 

Living Food Assoc. in Tokyo. Amy Leventhal is a 

Freelance Writer in San Francisco. Gregg Lewis 

owns Green Zebra in Toronto. David Ramseyer is 

the Lead Baker at Benevolence in Columbus, OH. 

Zoe Schor is a Line Cook at Beso in Hollywood. 

CTP 138 (2006) 

Beth Dergarabedian has a son and works as a 

Restaurant Consultant in MA. Leslie Heilbrunn 

is a freelance Writer/Editor. Sarah McFarlane is 

Customer Service Mgr. at One Lucky Duck in NYC. 

Mark Orintas is a Personal Chef/Instructor in CT. 

Sally Rupert is a Private Chef in WA. Montse 

Vallory is a Personal Chef /Instructor in Barcelona. 

Charlie Wilson is President of Help Yourself Foods 

Inc. in Key West, FL. Tressa Yellig is starting a 

community supported kitchen in Portland, OR called 

Salt, Fire & Time. 

CTP 137T (2007) 

Jennifer Bozek is a Cooking Instructor at Teaneck 

High School in NJ. Michael Knight is a Cooking 

Instructor in the Beacon Program in NYC. Shirley 

Low opened Red Lotus Bakery & Café in Queens. 


Melissa Malinowsky is a Cook at Butterbeans 

in Brooklyn. Linda Monastra is a Recipe Tester/ 

Developer for Natural Health Magazine. She’s also a 

Culinary Instructor. 

CTP 136W (2007) 

Jay Bither is the Chef at Crisp and opened 2 more 

locations this year in NYC. Laurie Gershgorn 

owns Healthy Culinary Creations, LLC in 

Westchester. Sangeun Lee is the Manager at Daily 

Soup in NYC. Elise Maiberger is a Personal Chef 

in NYC. 

CTP 135 (2006) 

Conor Yates is a Personal Chef in NYC and Chair 

for Events and Fundraising for the National Autism 

Association’s New York Metro Chapter. 

CTP 134 (2006) 

Nicole Alaimo works in the Bread Bar and Amuse 

Bouche stations at Tabla in NYC. Laura DiScipio 

is a Personal Chef in NYC. LaMana Donadelle 

owns Culinary Healing in NYC. Melissa Zelenovic 

is a Personal Chef in CA. 

CTP 133 (2006) 

Olivia Go is a Line Cook at Grace in Toronto. Olga 

Perez is a Caterer/Consultant/Instructor at Cocina 

de la Luz in Bogota, Columbia. She also markets a 

small line of organic baked goods. Molly Chester 

has a blog called organicspark.com. 

CTP 132S (2007) 

Anne-Marie Henry is a p/t Caterer in NY. Judea 

Johnson is a Baker at Café Gratitude in San 

Francisco. Melinda Tracy is a Corporate Chef at 

Bridger Capital in NYC. 

CTP 131 (2006) 

Sonja Lohage is a Baker at Food Dance Restaurant 

in MI. Ursula Rutledge owns Slow To Go in NY. 

CTP 130 (2006) 

Hans Bartges has a farm in upstate NY. Andrea 

Basile works at the Standard Hotel in NYC. 

Michael Schurr is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

CTP 129E (2006) 

Ela Guidon is a Personal Chef and Instructor in NJ. 

Rose Canale is a Chef, Educator and Food Co-op 

Coordinator in NJ. 

CTP 128 (2006) 

Ginny Evans is a Personal Chef in the Bay Area. 

Summer Kriegshauser owns Summer’s Nutrition 

Kitchen in NYC. 

CTP 127S (2006) 

Leslie Angle owns Sheffa Foods in NYC. Nick 

Dimartino is a Naturopathic Doctor in PA. Jill 

Engelhardt is a Personal Chef on Long Island. 

Philip Kess is the Mgr. at Provisions Natural Foods 

on Long Island. Asya Ollis moved to Washington, 

DC where she’s learning to garden and is exploring 

culinary business opportunities. Carly Smith owns 

Sin Cakes in Portland, OR. Lindsey Williams is 

a Cookbook Author. Brenda Winiarski is forming 

a not-for-profit culinary website for the PKU 

community and will be catering some of their events. 

CTP 126 (2006) 

Susie Arnold is Kitchen Manager and Executive 

Chef at Sevananda Food Co-op in Atlanta. Karen 

Formanski is a Demo & Events Coordinator at 

Whole Foods Market in Chicago. Doron Hanoch 

is a Chef at Esalen in CA and a Yoga/Meditation 

Instructor. Jill Hitchcock is the Deli Manager 

at Abundance Cooperative Market in Rochester. 

Annie Kunjappy is a p/t Instructor at the Natural 

Gourmet. Minna Suh is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

CTP 125 (2006) 

Jana Keith-Jennings is the Pastry Chef at Pure 

Food and Wine in NYC. Chandra Lee is a Clinical 

Dietician and a Nutrition Consultant in NYC. Aja 

Marsh is a Personal Chef/Caterer and Lifestyle 

Coach in NYC. Michelle McKenzie is a Personal 

Chef, Instructor and Nutrition Consultant in San 

Francisco. Derek Treuer is Kitchen Manager at 

The Rice Diet Program in NC. 

CTP 124S (2006) 

Madea Allen is a Holistic Health Practitioner 

and Chef in NYC. Kate Christman is Nutrition 

Coordinator/Educator at Urban Nutrition Initiative, 

Univ. of PA. Adrianna Holiat owns Allergy Kind in 

NYC. Erin Hoppin is Regional Mgr. at Beemster 

Cheese in CA. David Mohammed is the Chef at a 

homeless shelter in NYC. April Neujean is Chef/ 

Forager for the Edible Schoolyard in New Orleans. 

CTP 123 (2005) 

James Barry is a Personal Chef in CA. Kate 

Billett had a baby boy last fall. Emily Elliot- 

Casey is the Chef at the Coffee House Club in 

NYC. Jennifer Goldberg owns Spork Foods in 

Los Angeles. Neal Harden is Executive Chef at 

Pure Food and Wine in NYC. Maleta Van Loan is 

Accountant at David Paul’s Island Grill in HI. 

CTP 122E (2006) 

Brianna Nichols is the Chef at Perelandra in 

Brooklyn. Matt Slagle is the Sous Chef at the 


10

Isabella Geriatric Center in NYC. 

CTP 121 (2005) 

Lydia Choudhry is the Campaign Coordinator 

for Mercy for Animals. Devin Colon is a Personal 

Chef in FL. Kelly Geary owns Sweet Deliverance 

in Brooklyn. Sunie Pope is the Manager of the 

Kashi 2009 Tour. Melissa Weisman is Head Baker 

at Crunchcakes Cupcakery and Asst. Pastry Chef at 

Café Luck in Santa Barbara, CA. 

CTP 120 (2005) 

Sara Driscoll is a Cook at Nature’s Temptation 

and a Personal Chef in NY. Liz Fleischman is 

the Registrar at the Natural Gourmet. Jessica 

Janecki owns Katie’s Soft Pretzels in NC. 

CTP 119 (2005) 

Matt Downes is the Chef at Otarian in NYC. 

Adrienne Felder owns The Whole Bite, Inc. in 

Chicago. She also writes recipes for The Active 

Survivor Network Newsletter. Carolyn Gilles is 

the Founder of Green Edge Collaborative in NYC. In 

July, she’ll move to KY where she will lay the ground 

work for a new Green Edge Chapter. Shane Kelly 

is a Farmers’ Market Demo Chef in VA and works 

with the Dept. of Rural Economic Development on 

special projects. David Kurlander is Chef/Owner 

of the March Hare Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, NY. 

Gloria Reyes owns Two Kings in Spotsylvania, VA. 

CTP 118S (2006) 

Ori Cosentino is a Caterer, Personal Chef, Food 

Writer and p/t Cook at The Green Table in NYC. 

Abby Fammartino has a business called Your 

Natural Chef in Portland, OR. She also cooks on 

scientific charter boats. Pam Hori is a Vegan Chef 

at Whole Foods Mkt. in Cambridge, MA. Thomas 

Lipski owns Healthy Spoon in NJ. 

CTP 117 (2005) 

Kit Libenschek is a Technical Editor at Kaplan in 

Chicago. 

CTP 116E (2005) 

Danny Casbarro owns The Yogi Chef in CT. Joel 

Mittentag is a Cook at Whole Foods Market in NJ. 

CTP 115 (2005) 

Jay Hough is a Personal Chef in NYC. Kieren 

King is a Pastry Sous Chef at Tabla in NYC. Kirti 

Rahi owns Piquant Bread Bar & Grill in NJ. 

CTP 114S (2005) 

Jennifer Asfar is a Personal Chef in NJ. Tracy 

Jorg is a Personal Chef/Caterer on L.I. Carla 

11 

Martinez is a Line Cook at Al Di La in Brooklyn. 

Jason Sellers is Chef at Laughing Seed Café in NC. 

CTP 113 (2005) 

Lindsay Chapman is the Chef at Rubin Museum 

Café in NYC. Nathan Donahoe owns Chef of 

the People in CA. He does cooking, counseling, 

recipe development, writing and public speaking. 

Lakshmi Harilela owns Love True Food in Hong 

Kong. Mark Mebus is the Chef at Café Blossom 

in NYC. Erica Strait is a Personal Chef and a p/t 

Cook at Spoonriver in MN. 

CTP 112 (2004) 

Maiko Amemiya is a Junior Sous Chef at SAF in 

London. Jennifer Brawn is a Personal Chef in 

NYC. Jennifer Trinkle is a Food Writer in CA. 

CTP 111E (2005) 

Judy Montesarrato is a Personal Chef in RI. 

Jennifer Goren is Director of Culinary Arts at the 

JCC in NYC. Brenda Peterson is a Chef at Whole 

Foods in Westport, CT. Cindy Siegenfeld owns 

Turning Point Culinary, LLC on Long Island. Kevin 

Takasato is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

CTP 110 (2004) 

Kristen Kancler owns Pura Vida Personal Cuisine 

in CA. Becky Mendez owns Frescura in PR. 

Mary Serrilli is a Personal Chef in NJ. 

CTP 109E (2005) 

Gilda Mulero owns Naturally Tasty in NYC. 

Diane Raymond is a Personal Chef/Instructor and 

also works at Tula Kitchen on L.I. 

CTP 108 (2004) 

Genevieve Chazen is the Cook at Headstart in 

NYC. Lauren Pilgrim is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

CTP 107 (2004) 

Nicole Bator is Cookery Editor at Duncan Baird 

Publishing in the UK. Nick Beitcher does Garde 

Manger at Chez Panisse in CA. Tal Ronnen is VP 

of Culinary Innovation at Garden Protein. He’s 

also working on a cookbook. Pharon Wilson is 

Chef/Owner of Melonhead Café in New Orleans and 

Partner in The World’s Healthiest Pizza. 

CTP 106E (2004) 

Kathleen Green is Head Chef at Child Center 

of NY in Queens. Linda Mills is a Mind-Body 

Practitioner and Natural Foods Chef in NJ. 

CTP 105E (2004) 

Fredrik Berselius is the Chef at a restaurant in 


Southampton, NY. Claudio Regueira is a Private 

Chef in Saratoga, NY. 

CTP 104 (2004) 

Anne Baptiste is the Pastry Chef at Millennium 

in San Francisco. Rossana DeAngelis is a 

Wellness Consultant in Canada. Laura Heifetz 

is a Specialty Food Team Member at Whole Foods 

Market and a p/t Personal Chef in NYC. Maki 

Stevenson owns Makifood in Budapest. She’s an 

Instructor, Caterer and Consultant. David Stowe 

is a Personal Chef in MI. Dana Wallace owns 

Ice House Baking Co. in MT. Matt Weber is the 

Hunger Outreach Coordinator and Chef for Table 

Grace Ministries in Omaha. 

CTP 103 (2003) 

Fabiana Esteves is a Project Manager at Starwood 

Hotels in NYC. Lynne Forte owns Earthwise 

Personal Chef Service, LLC in CT. Carole Ortenzo 

owns Organic Personal Chef Service in Pittsburgh. 

CTP 102E (2004) 

Elena Balletta is the Pastry Chef at Counter in 

NYC. Vanessa Cabrera is Chef/Partner at 5C 

Vegan Café in NYC. Maria Diaz is Head Chef/ 

Instructor at the Santa Barbara Montessori School 

and a Writer for Edible Santa Barbara. Colombe 

Jacobsen is a Personal Chef, Instructor, Food 

Consultant and Yoga Teacher. She also plans and 

teaches Harvest Time in Harlem. Yoshiko Mukai- 

Williamson is a Cookbook Author, Photographer 

and Food Stylist in NYC. Nathalie Reid is the 

Culinary Coordinator at Sur La Table in Manhasset. 

Sara Ross is Director of Catering and Pastry Chef 

at OX in Jersey City, NJ. 

CTP 101 (2003) 

Hilary Brown owns Local Burger in Lawrence, 

KS, one of the 10 best eco-friendly restaurants in 

the country. Eavan Daily is a Production Chef at 

Whole Foods in Princeton. She’s also a Personal 

Chef and Caterer. Veronica Rodriguez-Ojeda is a 

Personal Chef/Instructor in San Juan. 

CTP 100 (2003) 

Rachel Brumitt is a Personal Chef in the DC area. 

Suki Bergeron is a Cooking Instructor at Kaunoa 

Center on Maui. 

CTP 99E (2004) 

Sarah Huck is a Caterer in NYC. Justin Pogge is 

the Head Cook at All Saints Café in FL. 

CTP 98 (2003) 

Lance Cohen is the Sous Chef at Regency Health 

Spa in FL. Morgan Cooper has a Customer 

Service/Pantry Asst. position at Beach Pea Baking 

Co. in ME. Sheri Lazar owns Blissful Palate in 

MI. Stefania Patinella is Manager of Food and 

Nutrition Programs at The Children’s Aid Society 

in NYC. Lisa Reeder owns A Local Notion, LLC 

in Charlottesville, VA. Michael Welch is Owner/ 

Publisher of Edible Finger Lakes magazine. 

CTP 97 (2003) 

Stacey Dickenson is a Personal Chef in San Diego. 

Beth Kaufman is Catering Manager at Max & 

David’s Restaurant in Elkins Park, PA. Jennifer 

Lutrell runs an organic café at a farmers’ market in 

IN. Janet Rosenholz is a Personal Chef in NJ. 

CTP 96E (2003) 

Marian Buck-Murray is a Nutrition Coach and 

Cooking Instructor in NJ. Elizabeth Johnson 

owns Conscious Cravers in NYC. Jordan 

Mayhew works at Down Home Foods in CA. 

Ariel Nadelberg is Director of Food Sales and 

Concessions at Prospect Park Alliance in Brooklyn. 

Danielle Orthwein is a partner in a catering 

business in PA. She’s also a Personal Chef. 

CTP 95 (2002) 

Becky Bender-Marrs is a Nutritionist at the 

Center for Holistic Psychiatry in the DC area. Gina 

Glowacki is the Produce Manager at Feel Rite 

Fresh Markets in NY. Dr. Rob Streisfeld is the 

Director of Personal Health Design, Inc. He’s also an 

Author, Consultant, Educator and Spokesperson in 

the natural products industry. 

CTP 94E (2003) 

Katrina Bisanti is a Caterer/Event Planner in RI. 

Matt Case is the Sous Chef at All Seasons Café 

in British Columbia. Lee Glenney is a Fitness 

Instructor in NYC. Michele Lucido is Chef/ 

Marketing Director at Tidal Creek Co-op. in NC. 

Pete Solomita is a Cooking Instructor and Owner 

of Little Buddy Biscuit Co. in Brooklyn. 

CTP 93 (2002) 

Celeste Oertel Kellerhouse is a Personal Chef in 

CA. Russell Lash owns The Groovy Gourmet in FL. 

Christina Santini graduated from MIT in June 

with a Master’s Degree in City Planning. 

CTP 92 (2002) 

Anthony Archer is a Personal Chef and freelance 

Baker in NYC. 

CTP 91E (2003) 

Claudine Sallin works in Garde Manger and 


12

Special Events at Mohonk Mountain House in New 

Paltz, NY. 

CTP 90 (2002) 

Anthony Di Rienzo is the Sous Chef at Michael 

Mina, a 4-star restaurant in San Francisco. Kassidy 

Harris is General Manager and Wine Director at 

Restaurant 55 in Sacramento, CA. Cheryll Jarrett 

owns You Choose I Cook in NYC. Jada Kinney 

is Asst. to the Exec. Chef at Maxwell & Dunne’s 

Natural Steakhouse in NY. 

CTP 89 (2002) 

Jonah Chasin is a Chef at Pennington House in 

NYC. Laura Dean Szlamkowitz is a full-time 

mom in NYC, but plans to return to private cooking 

soon. Gretchen Kohan is a Private Chef in NYC. 

Uma Yaparpalvi is a Health Counselor in NYC. 

CTP 88 (2002) 

Gillian de Seve is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

Catherine McConkie is a Cooking Instructor at 

Bauman College in Berkeley. Anna Sobaski owns 

Gluten Evolution in IA. Elizabeth Sentianin is a 

Personal Chef/Health Counselor in NYC. Omawali 

Stewart owns Omawali’s Soul Food Kitchen in the 

DC area. Adam Tyner owns Sprout in Austin, TX. 

CTP 87E (2002) 

Annmarie Butera is a Personal Chef and Cooking 

Instructor in PA. Ludie Minaya moved to Japan. 

She’s teaching English while studying Eastern food 

and wellness. Daniel Nydick owns Gourmet for the 

Day in NJ. Leda Scheintaub is a Recipe Tester for 

a new gelato/sorbet cookbook. Bryant Terry is an 

Eco Chef, Author and Food Justice Activist in CA. 

CTP 86 (2001) 

Lisa Brett-Chapin is the Chef at Beacon Natural 

Market in Beacon, NY. 

CTP 85 (2001) 

Bethenny Frankel is a Celebrity Natural Food 

Chef and author of Naturally Thin. She also writes 

for Health Magazine and can be seen on Bravo’s Real 

Housewives of New York City. Holly Mendenhall 

owns Unfussy Food in Brooklyn. She also teaches 

cooking classes. Alec Schuler owns Arugula Bar e 

Ristorante in Boulder. 

CTP 84E (2002) 

Pat Curley is a Private Instructor in NJ. Seana 

Luddy is a Baker at Brickmaiden Bread in CA. 

Ladan Raissi is Chef de Cuisine at Current 

Restaurant and Tides Bar in the Coronado Island 

Marriott in CA. 

13 

CTP 83 (2001) 

Porsche Combash is a Partner in Three Stone 

Hearth in CA. Alex Jamieson is a Holistic Health 

Counselor and Author. Kathy Maddux owns Great 

Life Cuisine in HI. Matteo Silverman owns 4- 

Course Vegan in Brooklyn. He also developed and 

markets a variety of vegan cookies, as well as raw, 

organic dog treats called Nuggz. 

CTP 82 (2001) 

Abigael Birrell is Exec. Chef at Doe Bay Café 

on Orcas Island. Bing Lam owns Bonkuchen in 

Hong Kong and Focus Pilates in Singapore. Anie 

Salerno is a Personal Chef in NYC. Whitney 

Waara is Director of Operations at the Corporation 

for Public Broadcasting in DC. 

CTP 81 (2001) 

Ted Hobart is the AIDS Walk Outreach 

Coordinator at Whitman-Walker Clinic in the DC 

area. Martha Newell Maier is a freelance Chef 

in Pittsburgh. Jason Olensky is a Personal Chef 

in NY. Louisa Shafia is a Cookbook Author and 

owner of Lucid Food in NYC. 

CTP 80E (2001) 

Melanie Driscoll is the Chef at New Haven Lawn 

Club in CT. Anne Gallagher is a Caterer and 

Instructor. She also runs the culinary program at 

Plow to Plate (TM) in CT. 

CTP 78 (2001) 

Thom Kotch is Executive Chef/Partner at The 

Summerhouse Grill in PA. 

CTP 77 (2000) 

Leslie Bauer is a whole food Chef and Nutritional 

Educator in AZ. She also markets a raw food bar 

she developed called Cocobarra. 

CTP 76E (2001) 

Lagusta Yearwood owns Lagusta’s Luscious 

Vegetarian Meal Delivery Service in New Paltz, NY. 

CTP 75 (2000) 

Susan Lehman is a Caterer in IL. 

CTP 74 (2000) 

Catherine Barker-Hoffman is a Personal 

Chef and Postpartum Doula in NYC. Marisa 

Caltagirone is a Nutritionist/Educator for Country 

Life Vitamins in NY. Sara Robillard is a Private 

Chef in NYC and an Instructor at the Natural 

Gourmet. Camilla Sherret owns The Bison 

Mountain Bistro in Banff. Carrie Spence is a 

Personal Chef in NJ. 


CTP 72E (2000) 

Tom Falconi is a Personal Chef in NY. Judith 

Friedman owns Conscious Cuisine in NYC. She’s 

also the Program Director at the Natural Gourmet 

Institute for Food and Health, as well as an Institute 

and CTP Instructor. Athina Holmes owns One Hot 

Stew in FL. 

CTP 71 (2000) 

Vanessa Allen is a Personal Chef/Caterer in NJ. 

Monique Rugile owns Savor in Denver. She’s also 

an Instructor at The School of Natural Cooking in 

Boulder. Sofia Wilt is a Personal Chef, Caterer and 

Instructor in HI. 

CTP 70S (2001) 

Carol Gawryszeski is a Cook/Instructor for cancer 

prevention and survival in The Cancer Project’s 

Food for Life cooking series sponsored by PCRM. 

CTP 69 (1999) 

Carrie Bader is a Health Coach for Regence 

in Portland, OR. Jennifer Casey is an R.D. at 

Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Clinic in WI. She 

also serves on the Slow Food Wise board and helps 

facilitate the Milwaukee Eat Local Challenge. 

Heidi DeCosmo is Asst. to Chef Cary Neff in 

PA. Yvonne Reece owns Jorac Associates, Inc. in 

VA. She does consulting, private cooking, catering, 

instruction, lectures and workshops in VA. 

CTP 68E (2000) 

Gaby Sherrow owns Gaby’s Granola in NYC. 

CTP 67 (1999) 

Peter Brown is the Chef at the Jimtown Store in 

Sonoma County, CA. Tracy Horwitz Milenkovic 

got married last year and works at Chef’s Inc. as a 

Teacher’s Assistant. Suyai Steinhauer is moving 

to France in September. 

CTP 66 (1999) 

Rebecca Katz owns The Inner Cook in CA and is 

Exec. Chef at the Center for Mind Body Medicine. 

Her new book, The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: 

Nourishing Big Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment 

and Beyond, will be published in September. 

Shawn Kroop is Exec. Chef/President of Personal 

Chef Services of Hana in HI. Mafalda Pinto 

Leite is Food Editor of Blue Cooking Magazine in 

Portugal. She’s also an Author and a regular on a 

TV show for women. 

CTP 65S (2000) 

Debbie Kleinen does menu planning for weight 

loss and health. John Lanci is Chef/Owner of 

Lanci’s Ristorante in Saratoga Springs, NY. 

CTP 64E (1999) 

Irene Dorosh is a Personal Chef in NYC. Tara 

LaRuffa is Union Square Publicity Programmer 

at Greenmarket, CENYC. Michelle Sister is a 

Personal Chef/Caterer in CA. 

CTP 63 (1999) 

Janelle Sterner is Chef/Director of Research and 

Development at Inland Empire Foods, Inc. in CA. 

CTP 62 (1999) 

Sara Kuntz is a certified Nutritional Practitioner. 

She works for an organic/natural food company 

in Toronto. Kookie Silva is Asst. Registrar at 

Teachers College, Columbia Univ. in NYC. Cassie 

Tolman is the Chef at Desert Garden Montessori 

School in Ahwatukee, AZ. 

CTP 61 (1999) 

Erika Closter owns Lizard Thiket Farms in HI. 

Julie Kaye is an RD. Amanda Nahas is Chef/ 

Owner of From Scratch Personal Chef Service in NJ. 

CTP 60E (1999) 

Gail Doherty is a Chef at Earth Fare in Asheville, 

NC. Sarah Doyle Lacamoire has a blog, The 

Epicurean Scribe: www.fudryter.blogspot.com. Mary 

Jo Fuoco is a Corporate Flight Attendant/Chef for 

Graham Capital. Laura Solimano is a Nutritional 

Counselor/Personal Chef in CT. Elise Spiro started 

a wholesale baking business called Conscience 

Confections in Eugene,OR. 

CTP 59 (1998) 

Birgitte Antonsen is a Personal Chef, Instructor 

and Nutritional Therapist in Seattle. Her business 

is called Nature’s Way Food. Alexandra Borgia 

is a full-time Instructor at the Natural Gourmet as 

well as a Personal Chef. 

CTP 58E (1999) 

Alice Benedetto owns Raw Indulgence, Ltd. Lacey 

Sher had a baby boy last fall. She’s currently in 

the process of opening an organic wine bar/café in 

Oakland called Encuentro. 

CTP 57 (1998) 

Antonia Chan has a Garde Manger position at 

Restaurant Daniel in NYC. Jacques Gautier 

is Chef/Owner of Palo Santo in Brooklyn where 

he is Executive Chef. Sherry Krum has a food 

consulting business in MD called The Wholesome 

Krum. 


14

CTP 56 (1998) 

Amanda Cohen owns Dirt Candy in NYC. Nino 

Jovicic is a Personal Chef and Certified Nutrition 

Consultant in San Francisco. Claudia Mouw Sack 

works at Universal Studios in CA. 

CTP 54 (1998) 

Nikole Paulos is the Chef at Laurel Springs 

Retreat Center in Santa Barbara, CA 

CTP 53E (1998) 

Lauren Burt moved to Los Angeles. Stefanie 

Sacks is a Culinary Nutritionist in NY. 

CTP 52 (1998) 

Martha Diaz is the Chef at Jandi’s on Long Island. 

Carlin Greenstein is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

Rachel Koladis is Operations Mgr. at Marquee 

Events and Catering in CT. Sally Lukash is the 

Nature’s Marketplace Team Leader at Wegmans in 

Woodbridge, NJ. Mary Jo Romano is a freelance 

Recipe Developer in CT. 

CTP 51 (1998) 

Kathleen D’Angelo is a Personal Chef in NJ. 

Tatiana Cardoso owns Moinho de Pedra in Sau 

Paulo. Marcella Dirks is a Personal Chef in San 

Francisco. Eric Hunter is Owner/Executive Chef of 

Kem-Ra, Inc. 

CTP 50E (1998) 

Sue Cadwell and Nancy Persoons are Partners 

in Health in a Hurry in Fairfield, CT. Elana Cohen 

is a Food Counselor and Menu Consultant in NJ. 

Adriana Estefan owns Market Café in West 

Orange, NJ and caters for medical offices and St. 

Barnabas Hospital. Jackie Sharlup owns Tula 

Kitchen on Long Island. Heidi Klein Valenzuela 

has a meal delivery business called Name Your Diet. 

CTP 48 (1997) 

Colleen Holland is Food Editor for Veg News in 

San Francisco. Soraia Melo is a Private Chef in CT. 

Eric Rickmers is the Chef at The Jamesport Manor 

in Jamesport, NY. 

CTP 47 (1997) 

Dina Brigish owns The White Pig Bed and 

Breakfast in VA. Nicole LoBue owns LoBue 

Events in San Francisco. Mitch Orland is the 

Executive Chef and Food Service Director at Earth 

Fare in Asheville, NC. Cheryl Robbins-Dooley 

owns and operates Blackflower Chocolate in VT. 

CTP 46E (1997) 

Jennifer Branitz owns Karma Road in New Paltz, 

15 

NY. Michele Owings is the Chef at Annie’s Bread 

& Butter in Oneonta, NY, as well as a Personal Chef. 

Natanya Siegel is a Chef, Consultant, Teacher and 

Knife Sharpener in Tucson. 

CTP 45 (1997) 

Wayne Tumbleson is Executive Steward at World 

Bank in DC. 

CTP 43 (1997) 

Lisa Gabriel Eklund is a Contract Chef at Hilton 

Head Health Institute in SC. Rebecca Hays 

is Managing Editor of Cook’s Illustrated in MA. 

Melissa Heffernan-Abbott is a Health & Wellness 

Trends Analyst at The Hartman Group in Seattle. 

Marie Holtz is the Pastry Chef at Café Flora in 

Seattle. Daniel Landes owns Watercourse Foods 

in CO. Laura Pole is on the advisory board of the 

Center for Mind-Body Medicine and its Food as 

Medicine Training Program. She also has a business 

called Eating for a Lifetime in VA and is the Chef for 

Smith Farm Retreats. Julie Roberts owns Julie’s 

Dinner Delivery in CA. 

CTP 42 (1996) 

Patricia Call is Chef/Partner at New Leaf Natural 

Cuisine, LLC. Jessica Prentice is a Chef, Food 

Activist, Author and Founder of Wise Food Ways in 

CA. She is also a Co-founder of Three Stone Hearth, 

Locavores and the Eat Local Challenge. Barbara 

Schwartz owns Veggie Barbara in CA. 

CTP 40 (1996) 

Tommy Habetz has a restaurant called Bunk 

Sandwiches in OR. Joshua Miller is Chef/Kitchen 

Manager at Food Dance Café in MI. 

CTP 39E (1997) 

Hillary Stern is a Food Counselor/Educator in 

New Milford, CT. Elisa Winter owns Order, Please 

in Kingston, NY. She’s also a Sous Chef at Omega 

Institute in Rhinebeck. 

CTP 38 (1996) 

Christine Maguire owns Rinconada Dairy in 

CA. Paulette Prudhon is an Instructor at the 

Education Center at On Top of the World in FL. 

CTP 37 (1996) 

Elizabeth Edwards owns Simple As Gluten Free in 

AZ. Laura Hilliard is a Cooking Instructor in CT. 

CTP 36 (1996) 

Chris Erickson is a Chef and Caterer in Newport, 

RI. Nick Heidemann is the Chef at The Harbor 

House Inn in Mendocino. He also owns a goat 


farm/dairy and runs a catering company. Donald 

Montgomery is a Personal Chef in NM. 

CTP 35E (1996) 

Gabrielle Ettlinger is the School Wellness 

Program Coordinator at the NYC Dept. of Health 

and Mental Hygiene. 

CTP 34 (1996) 

Ali Ghiorse owns Savory Thymes in CA. Sheri 

Silver owns Be Healthy and Whole in Brooklyn. 

Marguerita Mees is a Personal Chef in CA. 

CTP 33 (1995) 

Barbara Frish is a Personal Chef and Lecturer in 

NJ. Rachel Stevens is a Prep Cook and Vegan Chef 

at 6th St. Bakery & Icehouse in Alpine, TX. 

CTP 32 (1995) 

Elliott Prag is a full-time Instructor at the 

Natural Gourmet. He’s also a Recipe Developer for 

Vegetarian Times Magazine. 

CTP 31E (1995) 

Kathryn Bari owns The Health Chef on Long 

Island. Glory Mongin is married and living in 

Ireland. She plans to work at Café Paradiso in Cork. 

CTP 28 (1995) 

Melanie Brock is a Substitute Teacher at Granet 

School in UT. Amy Gordon, R.D. owns South 

Mountain Wellness in NJ. She’s also a p/t Instructor 

at the Natural Gourmet. Sascha Weiss is the Exec. 

Chef at The Plant Café Organic in San Francisco 

and will be opening two more restaurants this 

summer. He and his wife had a daughter last year. 

CTP 27E (1995) 

Debra Erbacher is the Cook/Educator at Amazing 

Magic Beans Learning Center in Queens. Hiranth 

Jayasinghe is Exec. Chef/Partner at Blue Earth 

Caterers in NJ. 

CTP 26 (1994) 

Lisa Boymann is Director of CTP Faculty Admin. 

and an Instructor at the Natural Gourmet. 

CTP 24 (1994) 

Judith Shapiro is the Night Manager at the 

Natural Gourmet. 

CTP 23E (1994) 

Laura Stucin is a Personal Chef in NYC. 

CTP 21 (1993) 

Caroline Fidanza is the Chef at Diner in Brooklyn. 

Dana Nichols is a Juicepreneur and Principal in 

Adina World Beat Beverages in CA. David O’Brien 

is a Personal Chef in NYC. Carolyn Weeks works 

at Whole Foods and does freelance catering in CA. 

CTP 19 (1993) 

Elizabeth Kapstein is a Social Worker in NYC. 

Karin Turett is a Personal Chef in Utica, NY. 

CTP 18 (1993) 

Bob Arndt owns Jackson Hole Grocer in WY. 

CTP 17 (1993) 

Marlene Liff-Anderson is Executive Chef/Owner 

of FireWorks Restaurant & Bar in Corvallis, OR. 

Prior to 1992 

Fran Costigan is Chef/Owner of For Goodness 

Cakes, a catering and consulting company 

specializing in customized, organic, vegan desserts. 

She is also a Food Writer, a Cookbook Author, an 

Instructor at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food 

and Health and a regular Presenter at conferences 

throughout the country. Peggy Edwards is Chef/ 

Manager at Edge of the Woods in CT. Liz Gagnon 

is the Chef at Nature’s Temptations in NY. Myra 

Kornfeld is a Cookbook Author and an Instructor 

at the Natural Gourmet. Jeanette Maier owns 

Fancy Girl Catering in NYC. Leslie Morrison 

is a Personal Chef and Cooking Instructor in NJ. 

Cheryl Perry is an Instructor at the Natural 

Gourmet. Eric Tucker is a Cookbook Author and 

Executive Chef at Millennium in San Francisco. 

STAY IN TOUCH 

Online: Alumni Update Form 

Email: placement@naturalgourmetinstitute.com 


Next news deadline is October 15th 

© July 2009 Natural Gourmet Institute 

for Health & Culinary Arts 

Editor: Rosemary Serviss 

16

Alumni Newsletter -- Jul '09 (PDF) - The Natural Gourmet Institute

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