Instructors at the Chef's Gallery
In Alphabetical Order:
 


Leonard Anderson

is the executive chef at The Hanger Room. Previously he worked at the California Café in Mall of America, Maison Robert, a classical French restaurant in Boston, and Aquavit in Minneapolis. During his tenure at Aquavit, the restaurant achieved the James Beard Award for “Best Restaurant in the Midwest.” He has also been with W.A. Frost, after which he started his own private chef company called Bravura Dining, specializing in upscale private parties and cooking classes. He enjoys showcasing his vast experience by creating unique and delicious contemporary American cuisine.


Robin Asbell

is a free-lance culinary professional and cooking instructor around the Twin Cities. Her many experiences in the restaurant and the natural foods industry include developing hundreds of recipes as the former head chef of the Wedge Deli. She is the author of “The New Whole Grains Cookbook“ (Chronicle Books), and “The New Vegetarian Cookbook” (Chronicle Books, Fall 2009).


Bret Bannon

is a longtime chef/teacher in the Twin Cities, whose recipes have been published in Midwest Home and Cooking Pleasures Magazine. He has appeared on KARE 11’s Showcase Minnesota, and has held positions at the Park Avenue Café in New York, and at The Local and Un Deux Trois in the Twin Cities.


George Anthony Berrojo

grew up in the food and restaurant industry, his grandfather owning restaurants and delis in New York City. He knew at a very young age that he loved the culinary arts. Lead by his passion he followed his dreams and attended Johnson & Wales Culinary Institute in Providence, RI. After graduating he studied in Europe and worked in Nice, France for two years perfecting the art of French cooking. Growing up in Florida, New York, and the Dominican Republic, he was surrounded by Italian, Greek and Latin cuisine. He has worked in Miami, Chicago, New York, Tampa and Palm Beach, and has owned many restaurants ranging from simple deli to gourmet fine dining establishments.


Ron Bohnert

is the executive chef at Stoneridge Golf Club. He has a long and varied career in the food industry, in opening and running restaurants, and has won numerous culinary awards.


Maureen (Molly) Brandt

is the founder of Cook in the Kitchen. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and has worked at many restaurants, most notably the critically-acclaimed Michelin starred Café Boulud in New York City under Gavin Kaysen. Molly is a co-founder and chef for Flavors of Italia, a company that offers intimate, culinary-focused vacations in Northern Tuscany.


Mike Dalton

is chef at Parma 8200. Originally from Santa Monica, his culinary internships took place in Italy and California before landing him in Minneapolis in 2004. He credits living, working and traveling though Italy, and cooking at the famed Il Falconare as the most formative time and experience in his life. He speaks animatedly when talking about waking up, picking herbs and heading to the kitchen to cook in Italy. He has brought that same enthusiasm to his work as chef at Campiello for the past four years, having transferred from D’Amico Cucina, where he worked under John Occhiato.


Rupa Dash

was born in India but brought up in the Twin Cities. She originates from Eastern India, and has a wide range of experience with south, east, and north Indian food preparation. She uses traditional, locally-produced, fresh ingredients to create the most flavorful Indian dishes.


Beth Dooley

is a cooking instructor, restaurant reviewer and cookbook author, and regular contributor to the Mix. Her latest book, “The Northern Heartland Kitchen,” builds on the subject matter of her previous book, “Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland,” which she co-authored with Twin Cities chef Lucia Watson. A New Jersey native, Beth moved to the Twin Cities 25 years ago and now shares her talent and love for all-things-food with local students at both The Lake Country Land School in Minneapolis and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.


Jenny Elliott

is a baker and owner of On Fire! Ovens baking and catering service. She is president of the Crossroads Kitchen Food Producers Co-Operative and writes two weekly columns for the Dunn County News. She is an advocate of the Slow Food Movement and uses as many local organic and sustainably-grown foods as possible. Her interest include nutrition and the promotion of personal health at all stages of life.


J.D. Fratzke

was born and raised in Winona, Minnesota. After moving to Minneapolis in 1992, he fell into an informal education in the nightclub kitchens and pizza parlors. After several years of scrounged skills, cadged meals and bargain-basement wages, JD realized his true calling as a cook while working in the kitchen of Parasole’s Pronto Ristorante. There he found a vocation in which all of his life’s passions could be transformed into flavor on a plate and shared with community. In 2007, JD partnered with restaurateur and close friend Tim Niver to open The Strip Club Meat and Fish, a modern American tavern proudly showcasing locally-raised ingredients sourced from farms and ranches that practice ethical husbandry.


Mark Hanson

is the chef owner of Stillwater's popular Marx Wine Bar, which has been a hit since the moment it opened, prompting him to expand almost immediately. Previously the owner of The Harvest Inn, also in Stillwater, he attributes his culinary skills to working in New York, LA, and the Virgin Islands.


Joe Hatch-Surisook

initiated his culinary experience in his family’s kitchens in Bangkok, and later in Chicago. He learned traditional techniques and careful balancing of flavors by observing and participating in the preparation of family meals. Locally, he worked at the much-beloved Chet’s Taverna and Nicollet Island Inn, before he and his wife, Holly, opened Sen Yai, Sen Lek (Big Noodle Little Noodle), their critically-acclaimed Thai rice and noodles restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis. Joe’s goal at Sen Yai Sen Lek is to offer authentic preparations of traditional Thai dishes. By specializing in single dish noodle and rice entrées reminiscent of Bangkok’s street food, he offers guests a full range of  Thai cuisine of simplified choices while still offering favorites. Community involvement, family ownership and an emphasis on local growers and producers round out the restaurant’s guiding principles, all influenced by Joe’s personal life philosophy.


Jeff Hertzberg

developed a love for great bread growing up in New York City, and refined his bread-making skills through extensive European travel. He is a co-author with Zoe Francois of “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” and “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.”


Jill Jacoby

believes that preserving is truly a culinary skill and a missing link in sustainability. Her first garden of patio tomatoes yielded four pints of stewed tomatoes. Over the past two summers, she produced and sold over 400 jars of jams and jellies of 28 varieties. Jill coordinates canning bees and teaches classes, and capitalizes on summer garden harvesting across Minnesota.


Nic Kervadec

is from Lorient, France, and is the lead pastry chef at Fresh Fields Bakery and Café. He is famous for his delicate croissants, mouth-watering “American” gourmet cupcakes and decadent Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake, an award winning cake.


Kristin Klemetsrud

has owned and operated Savories Bistro & Wine Bar with chef husband Jeffrey for 17 years. A Francophile since living in Paris, she brings a Euro-centricity to her cooking and a French “je ne sais quoi” to her fun and informative classes.


Manfred Krug

began his culinary career over 23 years ago. He is currently a chef instructor at St. Paul Technical College, teaching restaurant operations, meat fabrication, and breakfast cookery. He is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.


Jim Kyndberg

joined Crave’s corporate chef team as their new culinary director in the Spring of 2010. He is responsible for implementing fresh and new menu ideas for Crave while maintaining strict quality control standards in food for all of Crave locations. A native to Minnesota, Jim brings with him over 20 years of culinary experience. He is best known as the chef and owner of The Bayport Cookery which was one of Minnesota’s top fine dining establishments for nearly 11 years.


William Lendway

was sous chef at North Oaks Golf Club and Town & Country Club. He is currently finishing his master’s degree in human nutrition at the University of Minnesota as he researches whole grain use by local chefs.


John Michael Lerma

is a chef and author of “Garden County – Where Everyone is Welcome to Sit at the Table” and “Garden County Pie.” He can be seen on Food TV and was a winner at the 2005 and 2006 National Pie Championships. He is the director of “A Gathering in Tuscany,” food and wine adventures in Italy.


Michele Licata

is an accomplished chef, teacher and consultant with over 15 years experience in catering and food preparation. She has made regular appearances on HGTV, and is a featured commentator on WCCO-AM and FM107 Radio.


Lift Bridge Beer Co. crew – Brad, Steve, Dan, Jim, and Trevor

have established the newest craft brew to hit taps and shelves in Minnesota. Based in Stillwater, they have combined their love for all things culinary and fermented to release some interesting brews, some using spices such as star anise, vanilla, and cinnamon, and others utilizing market produce like lingonberries and pumpkin. Their passion for quality brewing has gained many followers.


Mark Leslie

is a self-proclaimed “foodie” who loves to cook for anyone with an appetite, and works across the country in professional theatre as a stage manager. Every year he vacations in Italy and lives to eat his way through every plate of pasta and cone of gelato placed before him! He shares his experiences of Italy on his blog at www.mark-leslie.net. A Chicago-area native and “Yankee” by birth, Mark has lived in Alabama for over 23 years, and celebrates the fact that he started life eating farina, progressed to grits, and finally arrived at polenta!


Antigoni Sander McCloud

is co-owner of Kafe 421 in Minneapolis. She works side-by-side with her business partner – her mom – where together they bring old-school hospitality to the Twin Cities. Raised with a strong appreciation for her Greek heritage, Antigoni’s journey with cooking began with foods that were so familiar to her as a child. She brings these favorite childhood recipes plus her own twists on Greek classics to the menu at her restaurant and to viewers of Twin Cities Live.


Tim McKee

is the executive chef and co-owner of La Belle Vie (formerly of Stillwater) and Solera in Minneapolis. A 2007 James Beard Best Chef nominee, he is one of the most recognized and respected chefs in the upper Midwest.


Charlie Means

is a passionate ãfoodie,ä and has been a representative of numerous high-end culinary lines for over twenty years.


David Merrill

was an investment banker for 22 years, in commercial real estate redevelopment, a music teacher, and has appeared on the Prairie Home Companion! He started Merrill Foods three years ago, specializing in high end food products with A-list clients like The Chefs Gallery.


Marianne Miller

has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years on three continents, earning such awards and accolades as Dish of the Year, first place at the Taste of Chocolate, and the National Beef Backer Award. She was educated at Le Cordon Bleu London and Paris, and Leith’s School of Food and Wine in the United Kingdom. A pro with both food and wine, she has won critical acclaim in the various executive chef and sommelier positions she’s held in the Twin Cities over the last decade. She owns and operates Saga Hill Cooking & Events.


Thom Miller

was formerly a high-level merchandising and marketing executive at Marshall Fields. He founded Two Rivers in 2002, and his clients include such retailers as Target, Sears, Dillards, Sur La Table, Amazon.com and Belk. He has been a featured presenter, discussing the state of U.S. retailing in Chicago, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Bangkok and Hong Kong. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.


Kristin Moffitt

is a special education teacher with the St. Paul Public Schools. She has always loved to cook, and chocolate has become one of her true passions. Kristin has completed on-line chocolate courses, interned at Chocolate Celeste in St. Paul, and studied in Belgium.


Chris Murray

joined Taher, Inc. as corporate catering manager. His culinary experiences include director of catering for the Vikings Food Service, chef at the Eden Prairie City Center, executive chef to the CEO and Board of Directors for the IDS/American Express Corporation, and owner of a successful personal chef service, catering dinners, proms and private parties. In 1998, Chris had the privilege of catering the U.S. Presidential visit of Bill Clinton.


Donna Nowicki

is known as “The Black Belt Chef.” In an era when so many individuals are looking to find stardom by becoming “food personalities,” Donna simply uses cooking to find herself. As a second degree Black Belt instructor, nobody understands the importance of gaining confidence better than she does! For years, she has incorporated her extensive training at Wilton Cakes into a self-defense curriculum that she has implemented at 3M. “If your life or your kitchen needs centering, just talk to the Black Belt Chef,” said Danny Klecko, CEO of Saint Agnes Baking Company.


Angel Obert

has researched foods and supplements for over 20 years. As a child, she was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, and her childhood until the present day has been full of life experience finding the most effective and efficient ways to be healthy through eating correctly, exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep and taking supplements. She practices and teaches a philosophy built on awareness of self and working from the inside out.


John Occhiato

completed training at The New England Culinary Institute, and was head chef at D’Amico Cucina for many years. He is now head chef at The Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis.


Christian Orosz

was born in New Jersey and grew up in England. He completed culinary school at Chichester, in West Sussex, England, and came back to the States at age 19 to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. From there he made his way from hotel restaurants, specialty food stores, and private yachts, traveling from the Canadian border to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Zuma Chain and up the Mississippi. While cooking on private yachts, Chef Christian experienced many cultures, gaining culinary knowledge and inspiration. Today Christian is chef at Water Street Inn in Stillwater.


Rachael Perron

is an award-winning chef, author, artist, and the owner and founder of Details Private Chef Services, which provides in-home personal chef and special event services. Her professional education includes work at a restaurant and B&B outside Florence, Italy, where she honed her specialty for updated regional home-kitchen classics that are fresh, elegant, flavorful and simple to prepare. She is the author of three cookbooks and the popular foodie blog, “The Refrigerator Diaries,” and is a regular guest on local television.


Marge Porter

has more than twenty years experience in the culinary industry and a lifetime of experience in the eating industry. Her style focuses on teaching basic techniques incorporated into class themes that enable and inspire the home cook to readily pursue a culinary passion. Her education includes the New England Culinary Institute, the Culinary Institute of America, and Warren Wilson College. Her experience includes restaurants, catering, vegetable and herb horticulture, specialty food purchasing for distribution, teaching and demonstrating.


Martina Priadka,

a native Minnesotan, is a sommelier and writer currently based in Hong Kong. Her training earned her a certification in wine through the Court of Master Sommeliers and led her to work with restaurants throughout Hong Kong, Shanghai, Thailand and North America. She has maintained award-winning wine lists at top restaurants around the world including awards from The Wine Spectator, Best of Award of Excellence and the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA) Award for the "Highest Standards for Wine and Spirits." She is a frequent contributor to a variety of wine journals including her column Wine Line, featured in www.theskini.com.


Deland Richter

grew up in the great north woods of Luck, Wisconsin, where tapping trees each spring and producing maple syrup was one of his biggest memory highlights. The operation has grown considerably since those days. Deland’s and his brother, David, now operate Richter’s Sugar Bush. He also formed Old Heritage Foods to market and distribute their wonderful syrup throughout the United States. Deland believes that the more people learn about the healthy benefits of maple syrup and how it’s loaded with antioxidants and minerals not found in other sweeteners, the more demand there is for this pure and natural product. Old Heritage is committed to bringing you the highest quality maple syrup available.


Jack Riebel

is the executive chef of The Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. Formerly the executive chef of La Belle Vie in Stillwater, and former sous chef at Goodfellow's in Minneapolis, he has cooked in Aspen for Food and Wine's top new chefs dinner in 1992, for Mikail Gorbachev at the governor's mansion, and at fund-raisers at the James Beard house in New York.


Kevin Ryan

has a master's degree in gastronomy from Le Cordon Bleu, and in food science. He has owned catering and wedding cake businesses, consulted for Cook's Illustrated, and authored ãWhy It Works: Insider Secrets to Great Food.ä He is currently at General Mills and teaches classes as a sideline.


Erik Sather

is head chef at the highly-acclaimed Bar La Grassa in Minneapolis. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2002, having completed an internship in California. He returned to the Twin Cities and worked at Bobino, The Nicollet Island Inn, The Corner Table, The Craftsman, and helped open La Belle Vie and Solera.


Suzanne Schilling

was the executive chef and owner of Suzanne’s Cuisine for 30 years. She has taught both hands-on and demo classes for All-Clad at Bloomingdales, adult education classes and numerous community organizations, as well as worked in recipe development for the Jack Daniels Distilleries. She has also cooked in Mexico with Diana Kennedy and Susanna Trilling.


Kathleen Schubert

is owner and creator of Schubert Catering Company. She is influenced mainly from traditional American, European, and Asian flavors. Introduced to food at an early age while working at her family’s restaurants, her love of food continued while living and cooking in Europe.


Anu Seshadri

is the founder and CEO of Exotic Palates, and is a renowned caterer and culinary instructor in the Twin Cities. A native of India and food scientist by profession, she uses cooking classes to help her clients demystify the world of spices and help them understand, appreciate and nourish their love for Indian cuisine. Whether you are new to Indian cuisine or an old hat, Anu makes it fun and delicious.


Tom Skold

has been cooking professionally for 25 years. He is chef at The Harbor View Café in Pepin, WI, and when the kitchen is closed for the season, he teaches cooking classes in the Twin Cities, and provides recipe and menu development for consumer food companies. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales College and recently earned his Food & Nutrition degree at UW Stout.


Matt Stabenow

is co-owner of Revé 324 in Stillwater. After many years of managing for others in the bar and restaurant business, he has been able to share his passion of great food and wine pairing in the opening of his own business with the atmosphere of fine dining with a small town feel.


John Sugimura

was involved in the Japanese food industry in Los Angeles, where Japanese food first found its roots outside of its homeland. He is a Master Journey Sushi Chef, trained by two giants from the food industry: Mutual Trading Company, the premiere Japanese foodservice supplier, and the Katsu-Ya Restaurant Group, Sushi industry trendsetters. All are united in a vision to promote the true spirit of traditional Sushi, to educate in the proper techniques, and to share the integrity of the Sushi business.


James R. Taylor

was born and raised in South Florida near the Atlantic Ocean, giving rise to an interest in seafood. He was educated in the military and at Indian River State College by Executive Chef Jack Fredericks. Now with 30 years of experience, Chef Taylor daily studies culinary arts to expand his food knowledge.


April Torzewski

is a wine industry representative for Cat and Fiddle Beverage. She has a rich background of experience, having worked with wine on the retail, winery and now the wholesale side. She leads introductory wine appreciation classes around the metro area, and is known for her dynamic and fun personality.


Nathan Utsch

is co-owner of Revé 324 in Stillwater. After completing culinary school, he worked as head chef for many years at The Dock Restaurant. There he met his future business partner and the dream of Revé 324 was born.


Rachel Wille

is a celebrated cake designer at Fresh Fields Bakery and Café. She is a graduate of Johnson Wales University in Colorado, and has an innate eye for detail. To Rachel, cake decorating is not a hobby or a job – it’s who she is. Fresh Fields was voted Bride’s Choice by Wedding Wire in 2009.


Jeff Woodward

is one of the premier natural foods cooking teachers in the United States. For 26 years, he has presented his unique approach to creating joy and vitality through high-quality food, and has lectured at conventions, corporations, and health care clinics around the U.S. and Canada.


Ray Zemke

is a wine buyer and educator for The Cellars Wines & Spirits. His focus is on sustainable/organic/biodynamic viticulture, food and wine pairing, and wine education programs to enhance wine enjoyment. A number of local chefs have collaborated with Ray for his pairing ability.


Terry John Zila

has fifteen years in the restaurant industry in a wide variety of cooking styles, which he uses to create fail-proof recipes geared to the home cook. He operates JohnJeanJuan, a wedding cake and special occasion dessert business, and is also a Master Gardener, a member of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals), and a regular food and entertaining contributor to KSTP-AM 1500 Talk Radio.