Alex started his cooking career handmaking gnocchi with his Italian grandmother. His culinary aspirations were not fully realized until he moved from east to west coast, swapping the suit and tie of his corporate marketing career for chef whites on the plane ride over. Chef Alex (also known as Senior Sauté, Gourmet Guru, and Alexander the Grate) trained at the California Culinary Academy upon his arrival in San Francisco. He then worked at Chez Panisse where he acquired his love for fresh, seasonal ingredients, and California cuisine, followed by an apprenticeship under Roland Passot at La Folie where he fine-tuned his gourmet palate and French accent. Alex is also co-founder of Cook Club, which offers in-home cooking parties and cooking lessons, and Wally's Food Company, a fresh and healthy premade meal delivery service in San Francisco.
Chef Charles (aka The Professor of Food) hails from New York and has always had a knack for numbers and food. Eventually, his hunger for cooking won and he left the mathematical world of finance for the magical world of the culinary arts. He studied at San Francisco's acclaimed Tante Marie Cooking School followed by a stint at Loretta Keller's Coco 500 soon after which he became a personal chef and launched his own catering company.
Originally hailing from Washington State, Chef Don has spent his culinary career gathering knowledge and know-how about the West Coast's variety of ethnic cuisines. After graduating from the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy in Spokane, he moved south to San Francisco to sharpen his culinary skills and explore California's unique culinary traditions.
Chef Tony thinks about food. Almost all of his spare time is spent cooking food, sharing it with people he loves, and eating more than his fair share. It's a simple life, really. Rarely the same dish twice, always wickedly experimental. Things that used to get in the way of this lifestyle include graduating from Santa Clara University with a Marketing degree, and then working in high-tech and non-profit public relations in Silicon Valley. You could argue that earning a degree at the California Culinary Academy also took valuable time away from the Lifestyle, though now he's much, much, much better at what he does.
Born and raised in Switzerland to an Irish mother and Swiss-Austrian father, Darius grew up amidst a multitude of cultures and cuisines. After a ten year career in graphic design and brand management consulting, Darius made his love for food his full-time profession and studied at the California Culinary Academy to do so. Soon after graduation he started SpringLoaf Catering, a high-quality catering business specialized in full-service catering for corporate events and private functions in the SF Bay Area. Darius is also a former sergeant of the Swiss Army, fluent Italian-for-chefs and Spanglish, and well known for making the very best fasnachtsküchlein this side of the Rhône.
Chef Gerard was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida during which time he developed tastes for both the tropical flavors of the Sunshine State as well as the Southern-style home cooking of nearby Georgia. Eager to further develop his culinary knowledge, skills and tastes, Gerard moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to study at Laney College. At Laney College he served as President of the school's Gourmet Society, graduated at the top of his class with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts, and was named to the National Dean's List and was a Phi Theta Kappa scholar.
Chef Cisco fell in love with food early on in life. Dominican-born he discovered his passion for food growing up in New York City's Upper West Side where he shared many eclectic holiday meals with family and friends at his mother's table. He has worked all over the US both as a restaurant chef and as a pastry chef including senior positions at the Four Seasons Hotel and with chefs Thomas Keller and Mario Batali. Chef Cisco also owns his own catering company, 9 Catering Services, which specializes in high-end corporate and private events, and is a former winner of the Bay Area's Regional James Beard Competition.
Born and raised in Southern California, Chef Patrick was exposed to great food at an early age including the region's Tex-Mex and local Mexican fare. After a brief stint in North Carolina, he returned to Southern California to dedicate himself to the culinary field and worked in notable resorts such as Cal-a-VIe and Four Seasons as well as at Wolfgang Puck's flagship Spago in Beverly Hills. Chef Pat migrated up California's coast to San Francisco in the mid-1990's where he has continued to refine his craft with his work with the Bay Area's best catering companies.
Coming from a large Italian family Chef Bianca has always known the secrets to preparing a hearty meal, but after graduating at the top of her class at San Francisco's California Culinary Academy and working in the San Francisco Chronicle's Food & Wine sections, she rounded out her culinary knowledge in vegetarian and vegan cooking at The Millenium Restaurant. Whether plant or game, this outgoing chef can whip it into a veritable feast. Mangia, mangia with Chef Bianca.
Chef Amanda gets very excited about food. She loves cooking it, eating it, but most of all sharing it with people. Her first "real job" was in a neighborhood restaurant in Maryland complete with a crab shack serving succulent steamed Chesapeake Bay Blue crabs. Lured by stories of the even more delicious Dungeness variety, Amanda relocated to SF. After receiving a Psychology degree from USF, Amanda was a school teacher during which she developed a home economics program, managed a student run café, and realized her true passion for food and teaching. She soon graduated from the California Culinary Academy which was followed by a stint at the San Francisco Chronicle's Food and Wine section.
Chef Sam dove into cooking at the tender age of fifteen and by the time he realized what he had gotten into it was too late - he was firmly hooked! It was not just the food, but the culture and tradition of cooking that he found particularly fascinating. He has cooked his way all over the country including stints at French bistros, Spanish tapas restaurants, and numerous fancy schmancy eateries that require reservations months in advance. Sam studied at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, defrosted, and made a beeline to the Bay Area where he has lived and cooked since the turn of the century. Sam is well-known in the Bay Area culinary scene for his stylish headwear.
Chef Pauly has pursued his love for food his entire life. He began his culinary career as young chef experimenting in his mother's cramped kitchen in Philadelphia and spent his high school years learning the trade at various restaurants in town. Seeking more formal training, Chef Pauly studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY (aka the CIA) where he learned how to bake, braise, and blend while wearing a fake mustache and a long trenchcoat. Upon graduation, Chef Pauly worked at a number of top restaurants in Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area.
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