Our Teachers
We are so fortunate to work with such a diverse and talented group of teachers. They have years of experience spanning different cuisines and techniques and they are ready to help you become a better home cook.
Meghna Agarwal
MEGHNA AGARWAL teaches Indian cooking classes, caters parties, runs her private chef business, and occasionally feeds the hungry souls of San Francisco’s numerous startups. When asked about her ... READ MORE
Jackie Apple
As a youngster, JACKIE APPLE loved hanging out in the family kitchen, sitting on the counter watching her mother prepare classic Argentine food. Throughout her youth, Jackie traveled often to Europe ... READ MORE
Viola Buitoni
VIOLA BUITONI, chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her dishes cross the best of California agriculture with ... READ MORE
Sasha Crehan
SASHA CREHAN studied the Pastry Arts at Tante Marie’s Cooking School. After years of working as a pastry chef at Bay Area restaurants and bakeries such as... READ MORE
Amanda Cushman
Amanda Cushman is a culinary educator, cookbook author and recipe developer who has cooked professionally for over thirty years. She has taught students in their homes, as well as at ... READ MORE
Deirdre Davis
DEIRDRE DAVIS has worked as a culinary instructor and pastry chef for over 20 years in the Bay Area. Originally from the east coast, she moved to California to attend the ... READ MORE
Naz Deravian
NAZ DERAVIAN is a writer, home cook, and actor born in Iran. She grew up in Italy and Canada and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is the award-winning voice behind the ... READ MORE
Karen Diggs
KAREN DIGGS (Chief Fermentation Officer) is a classically trained chef, Certified Nutrition Consultant, author, and fermentation expert. She teaches cooking and fermentation classes around San ... READ MORE
Kitiya Ditpare
KITTY DITPARE is the owner and chef of TACOTHAI in San Francisco. ... READ MORE
Greg Dunmore
GREG DUNMORE is a San Francisco chef and co-founder of The Japanese Pantry, a company dedicated to bringing artisanal Japanese ingredients to cooks in the United ... READ MORE
Agustín Gaytán
AGUSTÍN GAYTÁN is a chef, teacher, consultant and culinary researcher. Born in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, in central Mexico, he learned to cook at an early age in his mother's kitchen, and ... READ MORE
Tracy Goh
TRACY GOH was born and raised in Damansara Utama, near Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Food was a medium of love and played a central role in family bonding. Her working mother insisted on ... READ MORE
Marlene Sorosky Gray
Chef MARLENE SOROSKY GRAY loves to teach cooking and she’s been doing it successfully for over 40 years. She has taught in 46 of the 50 states and for many years owned a cooking school and cookware ... READ MORE
Tom Herndon
Chef TOM HERNDON has been a resident chef, personal chef, cooking instructor, and culinary tour director. A member of the American Personal and Private Chefs ... READ MORE
Dianne Jacob
DIANNE JACOB is the author of the multiple award-winning book, Will Write for Food: Pursue Your Passion and Bring Home the Dough Writing Recipes, Cookbooks, Blogs, and More, now in its Fourth ... READ MORE
Camila Loew
CAMILA LOEW is the founder of Sobremesa and Sobremesa Culinary Tours. After receiving her Ph.D. in Humanities and an academic career, ... READ MORE
Michelle McKenzie
MICHELLE MCKENZIE was the longtime Program Director and Chef at 18 Reasons, a community cooking school in San Francisco. She is the author of Dandelion & Quince: ... READ MORE
Jen Nurse
As The Civic Kitchen’s co-founder and lead instructor, CHEF JEN NURSE’S passion is teaching home cooks the skills they need to gain confidence in their own kitchens. She relishes seeing the ... READ MORE
Kathryn Phelan
KATHRYN PHELAN is a butcher, baker and culinary educator who trained in Paris, France at Le Cordon Bleu. What began as a fascination with the precision of pastry has ... READ MORE
Jill Silverman Hough
JILL SILVERMAN HOUGH is all about happy cooking and delicious food. Her cookbooks include Finger Lickin’ Chicken, 100 Perfect Pairings: Small Plates to Enjoy with Wines You Love, 100 Perfect ... READ MORE
Frances Wilson
CHEF FRANCES WILSON can’t remember a time when her life has not revolved around food, from an early age cooking with her mother and then professionally as a chef and teacher. There are some that ... READ MORE
Lorraine Witte
LORRAINE “The Chinese Lady” WITTE was born in Hawaii to Chinese immigrants and first became aware of her multicultural heritage through food. Her father showed her how to cook with his hands over ... READ MORE
