Tante Marie's Cooking School

Chefs Farina Achuck Jackie Apple Jim Dodge Bob Helstrom Margaret Hemley Laxmi Hiremath Malcom Jessop Jen Knapp Heidi Krahling Jessica Lasky Jodi Liano Shelley Lindgren Alice Medrich Carlo Middione Christa Resing Mary Risley Tori Ritchie Frances Wilson Tom Worthington				Farina Achuck FARINA ACHUCK was raised in a traditional Cantonese family in San Francisco and travelled extensively in Southeast Asia. After graduating from the Full-Time Culinary Course at Tante Marie's, she attended the Hong Kong Kowloon Restaurant School in Hong Kong and the Oriental Hotel Thai Cooking School in Bangkok. Farina specializes in French and Asian Cooking and integrates Asian ingredients with western cuisine in many of her classes. Farina has been teaching at Tante Marie's for many years and is a dedicated teacher. Go to Farina's Website

				Jackie Apple JACKIE RESCALVO APPLE, a graduate of the Six-Month Full-Time Culinary Course at Tante Marie's, spent her early childhood assisting her mom prepare Argentine specialties. By 12 she was baking and cooking on her own. During the last five years, she has been practicing her craft as a private cooking teacher developing weeknight family menus with an emphasis on quick techniques and fresh, sustainable ingredients. She enjoys spending time in the kitchen with her students and encouraging them to try new techniques and ingredients. After taking one of her classes, students feel inspired to bake and cook to their best potential!

				Jim Dodge JIM DODGE is best known in the Bay Area as the former Pastry Chef of The Stamford Court Hotel. Since leaving there 10 years ago, he has been senior vice president of New England Culinary Institute; food and beverage manager of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and he is now returning to San Francisco to be the Director of the Specialty Culinary Programs of Bon Appetit Management Company. He is the author of BAKING WITH JIM DODGE, and THE AMERICAN BAKER (Simon & Schuster).

				Bob Helstrom BOB HELSTROM has 25 years experience in the restaurant business. After twelve years as executive chef of KULETO'S on Powell Street, he left to work as a corporate chef for Kimco. He returned two years ago to KULETO'S and is making all kinds of salumi from hogs. (See Tante Marie's December Newsletter for the kinds of preserved pork items you can eat at Kuleto's.) He not only loves hogs and what he can make with them, but he loves to share his knowledge.

				Margaret Hemley MARGARET HEMLEY, a graduate of the Six-Month Full-Time Culinary Course at Tante Marie's, cooked for a year at INSALATA'S in San Anselmo and then at Desiree in the Presidio. At the School, she has taught Basics, Entertaining, and cooking parties. She loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for food with her students.

				Laxmi Hiremath LAXMI HIREMATH has over 15 years of experience writing about and teaching Indian Cooking. She teaches family recipes with creative adaptations learned by observing the classic styles of her grandmother and mother. She is a columnist for THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE and is Food Editor of INDIA CURRENTS. Her first cookbook was LAXMI'S VEGETARIAN KITCHEN (Harlow & Ratner, 1995). THE DANCE OF SPICES, CLASSIC INDIAN COOKING FOR TODAY'S HOME KITCHEN was published last year by John Wiley & Sons.

				MALCOLM JESSOP MALCOLM JESSOP comes to San Francisco with over 30 years of experience in fine dining restaurants and hotels. A graduate of Westminster Culinary School, he completed a 4-year apprenticeship at London's Grosvenor House. It was in his two-year stay in France that he truly learned to appreciate cooking with the freshest seasonal ingredients from local farmers markets. He moved here from Chicago with experience in food development, teaching cooking, and catering private events. We welcome him to Tante Marie's.


				Jen Knapp JEN KNAPP worked at various Bay Area restaurants and in Ketchum's Food and Nutrition Marketing Group after graduating from the Six-Month Full-Time Culinary Course at Tante Marie's Cooking School. For the past several years, she runs a personal chef business and teaches parties at Tante Marie's. Her classes are very informative, and her food is delicious. Jen recently returned from a cooking week in Chiang Mai with the Tante Marie teachers.

				Heidi Krahling HEIDI KRAHLING trained at Tante Marie's after running her own restaurant in San Luis Obispo. From here she went on to cook at Square One, become the executive chef of Butler's in Mill Valley, and then of Smith Ranch in Marin County. Ten years ago she opened INSALATA'S in San Anselmo, which serves fabulous Mediterranean food in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Heidi has just opened her second restaurant, MARINITAS, also in San Anselmo which specializes in Latin flavors. Her classes are always fun!

				Jessica Lasky JESSICA LASKY graduated from the Full-Time Culinary Course at Tante Marie's after being sous-chef at the Restaurant Enoteca in the East Bay. Specializing in Mediterranean cooking, she has been teaching at Tante Marie's for ten years. She has studied with Lydie Marshall in Provence, Anna Tasca Lanza in Sicily, and most recently in Turkey. She is a terrific cook and teacher—her students love her energy and enthusiasm.


				Jodi Liano JODI LIANO graduated from the Six-Month Full-Time Culinary Course of Tante Marie's several years ago and has since worked in many aspects of the food business. She has spent time in the kitchens of THE FOOD NETWORK in New York City, on the line at Rose Pistola retaurant here in San Francisco and worked many hours with Mary Risley testing the recipes for THE TANTE MARIE'S COOKING SCHOOL COOKBOOK. Her true passion is teaching cooking, particularly classes relating to cooking and entertaining at home, and her focus in on making the kitchen an approachable and fun place for everyone. Go to Jodi's Blog: Mmm...that's good!

				Shelley Lindgren SHELLEY LINDGREN is co-owner and wine director of A16 Restaurant and SPQR in San Francisco. She is also a graduate of Tante Marie's Cooking School. As a native of the Bay Area, Shelley has been in the restaurant business for eighteen years. She was previously a sommelier at Bacar and worked in the dining rooms of Fleur de Lys, Boulevard, and Left Bank. Shelley was named Best Wine Director 2005 by SAN FRANCISCO MAGAZINE.

				Alice Medrich ALICE MEDRICH founded COCOLAT in 1976, a world-famous store specializing in chocolates and desserts. Alice has been written up in many food magazines. Her cookbooks, COCOLAT, CHOCOLATE AND THE ART OF LOW-FAT DESSERTS, and BITTERSWEET were named cookbook of the year by the James Beard Foundation and received Awards from the IACP. Her most recent book is PURE DESSERTS (Artisan), which is a pure delight! Photo courtesy of Dave Lauridsen.


				Carlo Middione CARLO MIDDIONE is the well-known Chef/Owner of VIVANDE PORTA VIA on Fillmore Street. He has taught at the California Culinary Academy, done television series on Italian Cooking, and written several books. He has been a guest chef at Tante Marie's since 1979. His classes are very popular!

				Christa Resing CHRISTA RESING is the former producer of KRON-TV'S Bay Cafe cooking show. Her love of food led her to Tante Marie's Cooking School, where she graduated recently from the Full-Time Six-Month Culinary Course. Christa has worked for several Bay Area catering companies, notably Insalata's in San Anselmo. She has also run her own catering and personal chef business. Christa's friendly, encouraging teaching style makes even novices feel like "top chefs." Go to Christa's Website: Marin Cooking Go to Christa's Blog: bake at 375

				Mary Risley MARY RISLEY started Tante Marie's Cooking School as a full-time School over 25 years ago. In 1998, she was honored "The Cooking Teacher of the Year" by BON APPETIT magazine. In 1999, she was awarded "Humanitarian of the Year" by the James Beard Foundation, for her efforts to help alleviate hunger in San Francisco, through the volunteer organization she directs called Food Runners. She is the author of THE TANTE MARIE'S COOKING SCHOOL COOKBOOK published by Simon & Schuster in 2003. She now travels and eats and writes about it on www.tantemarie.com.

				Tori Ritchie TORI RITCHIE graduated from Tante Marie's Cooking School and has taught cooking and food writing classes at the School for many years. She spent 20 years as a cookbook author and editor, was the food editor of SAN FRANCISCO MAGAZINE, and is a frequent contributor to BON APPETIT. Tori hosts the Five-Minute Cooking School on THE CBS EARLY SHOW and was host of Ultimate Kitchens on the FOOD NETWORK. Her latest cookbook is BRAISING AND STEWING; Everyday Slow-Cooked Recipes (Chronicle 2006). Go to Tori's Website



				Frances Wilson FRANCES WILSON has 20 years of experience both as a chef and a teacher. She was educated in her native Ireland to be a home economics teacher, was the chef of LALIME'S in Berkeley for 10 years, and has been a private chef and teacher at a chateau in the south of france for the last five years. She is takes full responsibility for the Six-Month Full-Time Culinary Course and gives the demonstrations on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons unless otherwise noted. Watch Frances' Video: Cutting Up Chicken

				Tom Worthington TOM WORTHINGTON graduated from the culinary program at City College over 20 years ago. He is the partner with Paul Johnson of the Monterey Fish Co., which for 25 years has been the best purveyor of fresh fish and seafood to the Bay Area's best restaurants. He has a great knowledge of fish and shellfish.