Kenneth
Casella
• Former Owner of
Peppercorns LLC in New
Haven, CT.
• Member of the American
Culinary Federation since
1985
• Graduated Johnson and
Wales College in Providence,
RI with a degree in Culinary
Arts.
• Executive Chef to Bayer
Pharmaceuticals for a
successful 10 years.
• Active member in
Connecticut Grown
Association with the CT
Department of Agriculture.
• Designated “Visiting Chef
Presenter” in 1996 and 1998
at Johnson and Wales College
• Executive Chef for
celebrities and events
including Robin Leach and
Billy Joel.
• Rated favorably in the New
Haven Register, New Haven
Advocate, and televised on
the “Channel 8 Morning Show”
in 2004.
Kenneth Cassella now resides
in Woodbridge, CT along with
his wife and 2 children.
Amongst Ken’s passion for
cooking he enjoys collecting
culinary antiques, and
participating and donating
to charitable events around
Connecticut.
|
|
Chef Jake Koski
has been in the food
industry since 1985, moving
through Chef Apprentice in
Richmond Virginia to date
Executive Chef and General
Manager of the Dragonfly
Restaurant and Lounge in
Stamford Connecticut.
Dragonfly is a Zagat-rated
contemporary American
restaurant that caters to a
young, upscale business
clientele. Chef Jake is
responsible for the menu
development which features
small plates, great drinks
and wonderful entrees
infused with some Asian and
other ethnic influences.
Jake loves to be creative
with fresh and seasonal
foods. His unusual
repertoire ranges from White
Truffle Caesar Salad, to
dishes like eggplant frites,
Kobe Beef Meatballs. Lobster
Nachos and General Tso’s
calamari. Everything from
Grilled Elk Chops to
Chocolate Ravioli is on the
menu. Jake’s inspirational
passion for food and
entertaining make him an
extraordinary addition to
Cook’s Kitchen’s classes.
Fun and educational, our
clients love hanging out
with Jake.
Maureen Nuzzo,
formerly of Tastebuds Eatery
and Catering in Guilford is
another wonderful asset for
Cook’s Kitchen. Maureen’s
expertise through her café
and catering allow for a
wide range of ethnic foods,
locally grown and baking
specialties to be included
in her classes. From Paella
parties, to soups, and
cupcake classes, Maureen has
developed a strong following
in Cook’s Kitchen. Her easy
style and beautiful smile
bring ease to all of her
classes.
Girish Patel,
The Madison Wine
Exchange is a
family operated
fine wine and
spirit store
that offers a
full range of
products and
services at
exceptional
prices. Opening
it’s doors in
OCT of 08, the
Madison Wine
Exchange was
created by
long-time
industry
professionals
Ray and Sue
Patel. Having
been in retail
fine wines since
1990 in the U.S.
and before that
in London,
England, the
Patel’s have
seen the
evolution of the
fine wine and
it’s increasing
demand. Over
the years,
they’ve opened
over ten stores
throughout the
State of
Connecticut,
introduced the
online presence
of
GetWines.com
and have become
known as
industry
leaders.
Their two sons,
Hitesh and
Girish grew up
in the business,
watching their
parents weave
through world of
wine. Taking on
very early
interests in the
subject, both
grew their
knowledge
through
independent
tasting,
evaluation and
research. In
2006, Girish
took the 20
Sommelier
Society of
America's course
to become a
Certified
Sommelier and
passed with
flying colors
and was
immediately
invited to
attend the
Advanced
Course.
In the company’s
various forms,
online, unique
store
presentation and
world-class wine
tasting events,
the Madison Wine
Exchange is a
destination
store for wine
enthusiasts to
collector’s
alike.
|
Chef
Daniel
Chong
Jimenez
I
believe
in
expressing
my
personal
and
professional
dedication
to
health
and
wellness
through
great-tasting
food.
In
don’t
think
you
can
have
one
without
the
other.
Healthy
living
is
made
healthier
when
food
feeds
the
soul.
Exciting
food
is
made
with
locally-grown
(or
caught),
fresh
ingredients
sprinkled
with
a
dash
of
the
best
and
most
exotic
ingredients
from
around
the
globe.
This
is
how
you
add
the
'secret'
flavor
and
maximize
the
nourishment
and
happiness
potential
of
every
meal.
Currently,
I
serve
as
Executive
Chef
to
the
Spa
at
Norwich
Inn,
Connecticut
where
guests
enjoy
dining
in
Kensington's
restaurant
or
in
larger
scale
wedding
and
social
celebrations.
My
team
and
I
make
sure
that
each
meal,
whether
presented
for
one
or
one
hundred
is
made
tasty
and
flavorful.
We
also
work
to
make
it
fit
for
a
food
magazine
photo.
The
eyes
have
to
eat
too!
The
Norwich
Inn
is a
versatile
venue
for
any
chef,
but
more
so
for
one
also
focused
on
healthy
cooking.
I
can
fix
any
food
in
the
classical
way
with
cream
and
butter
as
some
of
the
guests
demand,
but
many
others
want
meals
prepared
not
so
richly.
Because
of
this,
I
write
my
menus
and
recipes
in
satisfying
portions
based
on
the
use
of
ingredients
and
cooking
techniques
that
enhance
the
nutritional
value
of
the
total
meal
without
sacrificing
the
satiety
of
luxury
and
flavor.
Before
coming
to
New
England,
I
was
Executive
Chef
at
Red
Mountain
Resort
and
Spa
in
St.
George,
Utah,
in
the
beautiful
high
desert.
I
remember
two
guests
that
came
looking
for
me
the
second
day
I
arrived.
They
appeared
at
my
door
demanding
that
I
start
my
job
–
and
cook
dinner
that
night.
Their
pleas
were
justified
because
prior
to
the
resort’s
conversion
into
a
resort-spa,
it
had
been
a
weight
loss
destination
and
all
the
cooks
knew
how
to
cook
was
devoid
of
flavor
and
totally
undesirable.
(It
made
perfect
sense
– if
people
were
there
to
lose
weight,
why
should
the
food
be
good?)
I
can’t
remember
what
I
cooked
up
that
night,
but
it
was
good
enough
for
the
guests
in
the
dining
room
to
give
me a
standing
ovation.
It
was
kind
of
funny,
really.
Prior
to
Red
Mountain,
Miraval
Life
in
Balance
became
the
place
where
I
was
formally
introduced
to
“spa
cuisine.”
This
spa
has
frequently
been
rated
the
best
in
the
country.
The
chef
there
at
the
time
was
Cary
Neff,
now
a
well-know
cookbook
author
and
personality
that
has
appeared
on
Oprah
numerous
times.
It
was
there
that
I
decided
to
focus
my
career
on
healthy
cooking
in
and
for
the
world
of
spa.
Chef
Neff
helped
me
discover
an
appetite
for
creating
all
foods
good-tasting
and
good-for-you.
Our
styles
differ
now,
but
I
took
a
few
of
his
techniques
and
philosophies
and
made
them
my
own,
just
as
all
cooks
and
chefs
have
done
since
the
beginning.
I
gave
my
culinary-nutrition
style
and
philosophy
a
name:
Powerful
Nourishment.
In a
few
words,
it
is
all
about
making
food
more
nourishing
by
utilizing
ingredients
for
their
nutrient
and
antioxidant
contribution
to
the
total
meal.
In
my
forthcoming
book,
I
will
describe
in
detail
what
Powerful
Nourishment
is
and
how
to
use
these
techniques
to
eat
better,
feel
better
and
look
better
–
stay
tuned.
A
few
words
about
my
ethnic
heritage:
I am
a
mixed
race
Chinese-Mexican.
I
grew
up
eating
great
Chinese
and
great
Mexican
food.
At
home
we
ate
very
well
because
both
my
mother
and
father
knew
how
to
cook
well
and
they
enjoyed
cooking.
For
a
time,
my
parents
employed
a
lady,
Margarita,
from
Puebla,
Mexico,
who
was
a
great
cook.
She
made
mole
and
pipian
sauces
from
scratch
in
addition
to a
multitude
of
traditional
Mexican
desserts.
I
truly
enjoy
eating
foods
and
cuisines
the
world
around,
but
my
favorite
are
Chinese,
Mexican
and
French.
These
are
the
styles
I
meld
into
my
own.
I
cook
in
the
French
style
with
Asian
and
Latino
notes
through
and
through.
For
example,
a
recent
dish
I
prepared
is
braised
lamb
shoulder
with
star
anise
and
chocolate
in a
broth
made
of
Merlot
wine
and
veal
stock.
My
classical
French
training,
I
sought
at
The
California
Culinary
Academy
in
San
Francisco.
I
had
some
excellent
teachers
there,
one
of
whom
was
chef
Bo
Friberg,
author
of
The
Professional
Pastry
Chef
and
Jean-Michel
Jeudy
who
is
currently
president
of
Association
des
anciens
élèves
de
l'École
hôtelière
de
Strasbourg.
I
remember
these
personalities
vividly
because
these
men
were
in
command
of
their
knowledge
–
true
professionals
given
to
excellence.
Both
men
were
brought
up
through
the
time-tested
method
of
apprenticeship
and
firmly
secure
in
each
step
they
took.
I
studied
my
other
passion,
animal
science,
at
the
University
of
California
at
Davis.
I
took
a
special
focus
in
aquaculture
–
the
farming
of
aquatic
species.
This
career
gave
me
the
ability
to
understand
human
nutrition
and
to
move
from
the
world
of
food
preparation
into
the
world
of
culinary
nutrition
seamlessly.
More
than
the
standard
application
of
nutritional
parameters,
calorie
counts,
food
exchanges
and
portion
sizes,
UC
taught
me
to
think
critically
and
expand
into
concepts
far
beyond
the
textbooks.
In
San
Francisco,
I
worked
at a
few
places,
one
of
which
was
Aqua.
Chef
George
Morrone
opened
Aqua
with
Chef
Michael
Mina.
They
were
both
at
Aqua
when
I
was
there.
I
had
some
interaction
with
Chef
Morrone;
he
is
very
intense
and
very
talented.
I
had
very
little
exchange
with
Chef
Mina,
but
more
with
Sous
Chef,
Traci
Des
Jardines,
she
was
a
caring
individual
and
excellent
to
work
with.
I
was
also
fortunate
to
spend
some
time
in
Spain
at
one
of
the
best-known
restaurants:
El
Meson
De
Candido
in
Segovia.
A
friend
introduced
me
to
the
founder’s
grandson,
Candido
Lopez
Cuerdo,
who
had
taken
over
as
chef.
The
specialty
there
is
the
“Cochinillo”
(pronounced
koh-cheen-eeyoh)
roast
sucking
pig.
People
come
from
all
over
Spain
to
enjoy
the
dish
and
the
ancient,
charming
beauty
of
Segovia.
Mexicali,
Mexico,
after
Spain,
brought
me
an
executive
chef
position
at a
cozy
70-seat,
eclectic
restaurant
called
“La
Papa”
which
means,
literally,
“the
potato.”
In
the
vernacular,
it
means
“out
to
lunch.”
This
was
a
lot
of
fun;
opening
a
place
is
always
a
positive
experience,
but
more
so
here
because
I
had
a
hand
in
the
design
of
the
place
from
door
to
restroom
–
kitchen
too.
After
three
years,
I
left
for
Arizona
to
learn,
work
and
play
in
Chef
Cary
Neff’s
kitchen
at
Miraval,
Life
in
Balance.
. .
.
Chef
Daniel
has
received
high
praise
from
Connecticut
Magazine's
restaurant
critic
and
has
been
the
focus
of
feature
articles
in
the
Hartford
Courant,
Providence
Journal,
The
(New
London)
Day
and
the
Norwich
Bulletin.
His
work
at
Kensington's
has
won
the
restaurant
four
stars
from
The
Practical
Gourmet.
He
has
appeared
on
Connecticut
Public
Radio's
The
Food
Schmooze
with
host
Faith
Middleton
and
demonstrated
his
cuisine
in
the
University
of
New
Haven's
Institute
of
Gastronomy
and
Culinary
Arts
Seminar
Series.
He
was
one
of
two
chefs
who
shared
the
bill
with
the
Chef
Jacques
Pepin
in
the
demonstration
kitchen
at
Connecticut
Magazine's
Best
of
Connecticut
2002
event
at
the
Oakdale
Theater
in
Wallingford,
Conn.
He
also
has
demonstrated
his
techniques
and
shared
his
spa
food
philosophy
with
students
in
the
culinary
nutrition
program
at
Johnson
&
Wales
University
in
Rhode
Island.
|
Uli Weil
LaCuisine
Catering executive chef, Uli Weil is a Culinary
Institute of America graduate, class of 1985. He has
honed his skills and gained valuable experience
working in a variety of settings throughout
Connecticut. This includes numerous years in a la
carte service at such prestigious restaurants as
Robert Henry’s and Union League Café. Uli has also
spent numerous years in the catering business,
serving large and small events for clients including
Yale University, University of New Haven, and a
numerous satisfied newlyweds, family and friends.
Throughout his career, Chef Weil has
received recognition for his creativity in
menu design and presentation. Under his
guidance, Perfect Parties Café received a
much coveted “Very Good” by Mark Bittman,
then, The New York Times Connecticut food
critic.
Uli
loves cooking, however in is his rare spare
time, he enjoys hanging out with his
children, running and fishing.
Pam Simmons
started her food career baking European
Breads for an all-natural food co-op in RI.
She was a food service accommodator before
working at Du Village, Daniel's Table,
Vanderbrooks, and Friend's &Company. She was
chef / owner of a gourmet eatery in Madison,
called Sweet & Savoury for 7 years. Leaving
the restaurant kitchen for the test kitchen,
Pam became the recipe developer for an
international importing company. There she
has developed hundreds of recipes as well as
food products in Thailand with a R&D team.
Her recipes, food styling and photos have
been published across the country and into
Canada. She was also featured in Woman's
Day Magazine, in their "In The Kitchen
With." column. Pam was billed as the "Artful
Chef."
Kimberly Welch,
owner of the "Red Rooster Baking Co."
Deborah Abrams
Deb has been in
the fitness industry for 28 years and holds a
master’s in exercise physiology from Southern
Connecticut State University. Deborah is NASM-certified
personal trainer (National Academy of Sports
Medicine) and owner and operator of Personal Edge in
Madison, CT for the past 3 and ½ years. This is
where Deb does what she loves best, personal
training and small group classes. We thank her for
coming to Cook’s Kitchen to share her love of
fitness with great nutrition.
 Chef Andrea Tiberi
Chef Andrea Tiberi from Assisi, Italy has been a
guest chef many times at Cook’s Kitchen. His grace,
style, humor and incredible food have made him one
of our most popular visiting chefs. His accolades
range from the honor of being flown in from Italy to
cook for two special events at the Italian Embassy
in Washington DC., to private parties and catering.
Chef Andrea
and his partners at Eatalian Syle Corporation have a
tasteful goal: to promote authentic Italian cuisine
and culture worldwide. While he tours the world
promoting the “real” Italian cuisine, we also have
reciprocated and brought groups to Umbria for
cooking classes with his partners.
“It doesn’t
matter how many times I am in the presence of Chef
Tiberi, I always learn something new!” Quote
from Debbie Harris, Owner of Cook’s Kitchen
Beth Cafferty
Chef Beth has over three years experience as a
personal chef. She combines this experience with her
in-depth knowledge and understanding of physical
fitness, healthy life styles, and nutrition to
develop meals that are healthy and affordable!
Chef Beth
specializes in formal and informal Dinner Parties.
You be the hostess. Chef Beth will do the rest!
Her clients
are her best fans, and request frequent repeat
performances.
She is a
Dietetic Technician Registered (Nutritionist), and
has the knowledge and experience to help members
with an array of nutritional issues. Beth is a NASM
Certified Personal Trainer, Spinning Instructor, as
well as a BodyPump and BodyStep instructor at the
local gym.
Beth's
Food and Fitness offers you:
-
Customized Menus
-
Meal
Preparation in Your Home
-
Variety of Healthy Meals
-
Freshest Vegetables
-
Fresh Fish
-
Top
Quality Meats
-
Fresh Herbs and Seasonings
-
Exercise Program
-
Nutrition Consulting
|
 |
 Carmen
Capriles
From where does
the passion of cooking begin? I can only
speculate. My mother left for a month to go to her
homeland after 13 years of not seeing her mother.
So, I had the opportunity to be the chef of the
month for my family. In college, my housemates
would pool their money, hand it to me, and I would
return from shopping riding my bicycle with
overflowing baskets that would inevitably spill onto
the four lane highway and stop traffic. But within
an hour, the apartment would be wafting with
flavorful recipes from Adelle Davis, and my
roommates would bask in the unexpected succulent
healthy delights.
A teacher since
1974 who taught sixth through twelfth grades in
German, Spanish, French, English, and ESL for 12
years, I always enjoyed exciting children to work to
their potential and to experiment with their
passions. Yoga, dialoging and science experiments
were a common sight in my classroom to approach
education with a set of fresh eyes.
From 1988-1998,
I taught cooking classes in adult education in North
Haven and Guilford. During the summers, we would
hold informal gatherings in my home, some grilling
outside, some cooking in the kitchen, and some
observing from the deck. Everyone was able to
express creativity in his/her own way.
In 1998, I
opened The Market in New Haven and sold gourmet food
products, prepared foods and catering services and
served the Yale and Shoreline communities.
Gleaning my
favorite parts of cooking from the past years, I
attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in
NYC to become a nutritional holistic health
counselor. And I have had the honor to work with
Debbie at Cook’s Kitchen to host special cooking
events as well as teach children’s cooking classes.
They run the gamut of young children cooking with
moms, Brownies attaining their cooking badges,
children pursuing their love for cooking or
celebrating their birthdays with friends to young
adults hosting tailgate and dinner parties for a fun
event on a weekend night.
I invite you to
explore the love of cooking through all your senses
– most importantly the sense of joy!
Franck Iglesias,
Born in
Argenteuil, France, just north of Paris, Franck was
raised in the food and restaurant business. While
his mother cooked traditional French specialties at
home, his father worked as a restaurant chef. Many
summer vacations were spent at his uncle’s hotel and
restaurant where Franck got his first tastes of
homemade pate, game stew, and river fish that he
caught himself that same day.
At the age of
twelve, Franck’s family moved to Andorra to open
their own hotel and restaurant business. It was in
this small principality in the Pyrenees that Franck
learned to speak Spanish and Catalan and began to
experience a new culture of food. After working
alongside his father in the kitchen for many years
Franck decided to study the culinary arts. At the
age of sixteen he entered Andorra Culinary School,
where spent two years learning the basics of French
cooking. Upon graduation he moved to Perpignan,
France to begin a two year program to study and
learn the art of pastry making. With his formal
training complete, Franck set out to gain work
experience.
After many years
of working as both a cook and pastry chef in
restaurants throughout France and Andorra, Franck
made the life changing decision to move to America.
In 2000, Franck began work as a pastry chef at
Patisserie Mirabelle in Old Saybrook, CT with
owner/pastry chef Francois Trawalter. After two
years at Mirabelle, and having fallen in love with
the American culture, Franck decided make yet
another move and enhance his culinary skills in New
York City.
 In 2002, Franck
was honored with a job offer from the esteemed
Francois Payard at his Upper East Side Payard
Patisserie & Bistro. Franck spent three years with
Chef Payard, learning and perfecting the discipline
and artistry for which the master patissier is
renowned. During that time Franck traveled with Chef
Payard to major culinary events, such as the South
Beach Food & Wine Festival, Wolgang Puck’s Los
Angeles Event, and Meals on Wheels in NYC. In
addition, much of Franck’s creative work at Payard
has been published in Food & Wine, Gourmet, Art
Culinaire, and Modern Bride.
After the most
challenging and interesting time in Franck’s career,
he decided to return to Connecticut to enjoy more
time with his wife and two children. He is currently
the pastry chef at Mystic Market, a catering
business in Mystic, Connecticut.
Debbie
Harris, Debbie’s
background in Fine Arts with a Master’s degree in
Art Therapy along with her extensive travels and
love of food led her into the world of Gourmet Food.
Learning
to cook at her grandmother’s knee, Debbie was taught
“if you put good ingredients into your food,
something good will come out of it.”
In 2003,
along with her husband Stan, they opened the
original Cook’s Kitchen in Madison, Connecticut.
Wanting to make culinary tools more available to the
local population on the shoreline, the need for a
recreational cooking school was soon realized. This
environment allows food lovers to explore cooking
techniques and new flavors under the guidance of an
instructor without intimidation. The introduction of
foods and customs from various countries inspired a
growing interest in sharing a more global
experience.
This was
the inspiration for Cook’s Kitchen’s International
Culinary Tours. These annual tours limited to 12
guests have traveled to many regions in Italy and
Chile, allowing immersion into the local foods and
cultures, cooking classes, medieval walled cities
and many vineyards.
The
numerous cooking classes with wine paring and
travels to vineyards made Debbie want to learn more
about wines and became the impetus for Debbie to
attend Le Cordon Bleu, becoming a certified
Sommelier, Spring 2008. Now a member of the United
States Sommelier Association, wine education classes
have been added to Cook’s Kitchen’s repertoire.
The next
culinary tour is planned for March, 2009 to Buenos
Aires Argentina, again for cooking classes, markets,
vineyards, this time coupled with Tango Dinner
Theater. Most recently in 2008, Cook’s Kitchen won
an award for the best Gourmet Shop in Madison.
July
2008, Debbie and Stan moved Cook’s Kitchen to
Guilford, Connecticut to a facility with a private
dining room and kitchen to keep up with the demand
for more cooking classes and private parties.
Debbie has been actively involved in the teaching of
classes at Cook’s Kitchen over the years and will
continue in this capacity at the new Guilford
facility. Of course, Cook’s Kitchen has always had
other visiting and guest chefs contributing to this
endeavor.
Debbie is
a local columnist in the ShoreView Issue of the
Shoreline Times, writing a weekly column called
“Cook’s Corner” which shares anecdotes of food
preparation along with recipes. Many of her recipes
are available, posted on Cook’s Kitchen’s web site,
www.cooks-kitchen.com. Most
recently Debbie was a guest on Branford TV on the
show Classroom Connections, teaching children fun,
healthy and easy food ideas.
Our past list of celebrity
and local chefs who have presented demos at Cook’s Kitchen:
Pam Anderson, Food Columnist and Cookbook
Author
Jeff Renckl, Chef at Café Routier in Madison, CT.
Robert F. Puerto, executive chef at Soul
de Cuba Café in New Haven, CT.
Fred Thompson, food writer
and author of 3 cookbooks.
Laura Brody, Cookbook Author
Robin Miller, Food Network Host
Sara Moulton, Gourmet Magazine and Food Network
Host
James Peterson, Cookbook Author
Arthur Schwartz, Radio Host and Cookbook Author
Cynthia Keller, Restaurant du Village
James Gallagher, Saybrook Point Inn
Prasad Chirnomula, Thali Restaurant
Hasni (Jeff) Ghazali, Bentara & Central
Steakhouse
Jamie Roraback, TV Personality & Chef
Daniel Chong-Jimenez, The Spa at Norwich Inn
Andrea Tiberi, traveling Italian cooking school
And many more to come… |
