Scroll below to learn more about the best chefs from the best local restaurants that teach classes at Kitchen Conservatory.

Josh Allen

Josh Allen, Chef-owner of Companion Bakehouse, started his career in the San Francisco Bay area working in small bakeshops. At the tender age of 24, Josh opened the doors of Companion with a goal to provide the good folks of St. Louis with simple honest food that tastes extraordinary. When he's not baking, Josh spends time with his three beautiful daughters, two great dogs, and close friends. Though his passion is baking, he admits his guilty food pleasure is French fries with garlic! Chef Allen teaches a bread class quarterly at Kitchen Conservatory which sells out every time, so be sure to sign up early!

Jean Pierre Auge

Chef Jean-Pierre Auge became an apprentice chef in his hometown of Vatan, France at the age of thirteen. He has served President Charles de DeGaulle, the Queen of England, President Dwight Eisenhower, the Kennedys, Aristotle Onassis, actors, vice presidents, secretaries of state and several U.S. astronauts. Chef Jean-Pierre Auge has taught cooking classes for over thirty years. He is an entertaining story-teller, and offers delicious classic French cuisine. He has a flair for elegant presentations and sophisticated recipes.

Todd Bale

Chef Todd Bale grew up in St. Louis, and went to culinary school at age of 18 at Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI. With a Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts, Todd worked at Vail's Hotel and Wildflower, then as the catering sous chef for Gourmet Catering in Boston, cooking for prestigious clients including Senator Kennedy and the king and queen of Jordan. Todd returned to St. Louis with his fiancee in 2009 and became the executive chef at Mazara's in Clayton, and is now part of the Steven Becker Fine Dining culinary team. Todd found time to get married, and his wife, Nancy Renee, is a pastry chef.

Glenn Bardgett

Glenn Bardgett has been the Wine Director at Annie Gunn’s Restaurant and the Smoke House Market since 2001. He studied wine at the University of Hawaii.  Glenn worked the retail wine business for 30 years, including owning The Wine Cellar for 12 years. Glenn has taught at community colleges for over 15 years and at Missouri Botanical Garden.  He has been a member of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board for over 15 years and judges wine competitions. He hosted a weekly wine chat on America Online for eight years. Glenn is a certified sommelier and a certified specialist of wine. Glenn writes two monthly columns “MO Wine” and “Drink This” for Sauce Magazine. A passionate promoter of Missouri wines, Glenn was awarded the Pioneer Award in 2009 from the Missouri Grape and Wine Programs. Glenn uses his corkscrew collection on a daily basis.  

Price Barrett

After serving nine years in the army, Price Barrett started his bread baking career with Wonder Bread of Interstate Breads Corporation, spending four years learning the business. Price has been with Companion Bakeshop since 2000 working his way up to Operations Manager, and is always introduced in classes at Kitchen Conservatory by Josh Allen as the head baker of Companion. Price wittily refers to himself as a "mix"ologist and a whip-cracker! The Crusty Bread class they teach together is one of our most popular classes, and always sells out!

Chris Bolyard

Chris Bolyard graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY in 2000. Upon returning to St. Louis, Chris joined the kitchen at Cardwells at the Plaza working under chef Bill Cardwell and Dave Owens for over 3 years. Chris then took on position as sous chef later becoming chef de cuisine in 2004 under Chef Kevin Nashan at Sidney Street Café. Chris is an extremely passionate chef and enjoys the diversity of St. Louis restaurants, and also finds much inspiration and pleasure in exploring other culinary metropolises with his wife. He is excited to show home cooks just how simple and fun it can be to prepare restaurant worthy dishes in the comfort of their own kitchens.

Chris Bork

Chris Bork attended school at Westminster Kingsway College in London for two years, and worked under chefs who trained with Marco Pierre White and Michael Lamby. Chris returned to St. Louis in 2005 becoming sous chef at Wild Flower, chef at Roxane, sous chef and chef at Revival, chef at The Mud House, and currently executive chef and Blood and Sand.

Bradley Burns

Bradley Burns of Lorenzo's Trattoria on the Hill teaches the secrets of delectable Italian potato gnocchi and sauces.

Jane Callahan

Jane Callahan, owner of Pie Oh My!, grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and learned to bake pies from her Mom, whose effortless and experienced hands made the task seem simple. Since her mom whipped out pies practically with her eyes closed, Jane assumed that everyone had access to mouth watering pies made from scratch. After moving away from the farm, she began baking pies on her own and loved incorporating her Mom’s deft techniques while experimenting with new recipes. For Jane, making pies is a rewarding sensory experience - touch, smell, sight and taste. And, more than anything she loves the simplicity of bringing a contented smile to someone’s face as they bite into a delicious homemade pie and say....”oh my”! Jane's pies can be delivered right to your door, and are also available at Straub's in Clayton.

Steven Caravelli

Chef Steven Caravelli has had an interest in food since he was young, but his culinary career didn’t begin until after completing a degree at the Missouri School of Journalism in 2002. While writing for Sauce Magazine, Chef Caravelli realized he wanted to do what he loved. He took a position at Chez Leon where he would later become Pastry Chef. After, he seized the stellar opportunity to work for Certified Master Chef Aidan Murphy at Old Warson Country Club. This led him to the American Culinary Federation and the St Louis junior team of 2003, where he competed across the region.

His career quickly accelerated while working at Larry Forgione’s An American Place, and his knowledge and confidence grew as an instructor at L’Ecole Culinaire. As sous chef for Gerard Craft at Niche, he developed bonds with local farmers.

In 2007 he was hired as opening sous chef at SLeeK Steakhouse where he was quickly promoted to Chef de Cuisine. Working closely with Chef Hubert Keller and Chef Laurent Pillard, he helped to create a steakhouse that is unique and rivals other great steakhouses across the country. As Executive Chef of Araka Restaurant, chef Caravelli used the techniques and local connections he has gained from working in some of St. Louis’ top restaurants.

Steve Caravelli is the executive chef of Pi.

Robin Chestnas

For 16 years, Robin worked in the radio and television industry, then married and moved to another city where she went from career woman to stay-at-home Mom. Along with motherhood, Robin's love of cooking became her passion. She moved back to St. Louis, and started a catering company. She still loves to cater, but has focused her attention to baking with the creation of Sweet Annie Rose Baked Goods, Chocolates and More.

Bob Colosimo

Robert “Bob” Colosimo was born and raised in Warren, Pennsylvania and upon graduation from high school attended the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY graduating in April 1980. Bob began his traveling food career in 1981 joining Holland America Cruise Line sailing on board several oceangoing cruise ships, including a world cruise in 1984. In 1984, Bob joined St. Louis-based Clipper Cruise Line as executive chef. During this period, Bob had the opportunity to work on passenger ships, river boats in Europe and on the American Orient Express Luxury Train. Bob also has worked as an adjunct instructor at St. Louis Community College, Forest Park.

In 2008, Bob joined the Eleven Eleven Mississippi Restaurant team and in 2009 became the general manager/executive chef. Bob is a Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Administrator.

Katy Colson

Katy Colson, who has taught cooking classes for more than five years, trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, and The Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in New York. Katy has been cooking up healthful, luscious, gourmet meals for over 20 years. She believes that food is meant to enjoy, to share and to nourish. Her simple philosophy of delicious food full of goodness makes her cooking classes memorable.

Anne Cori

The owner of Kitchen Conservatory, Anne Cori has taught cooking classes for over fifteen years. She trained by working in restaurant kitchens in Italy, France, and New Orleans. She operated a catering business, Amuse-Bouche Catering, in St. Louis for ten years. She has produced several videos on cooking called Mastering the Kitchen. She is a Certified Culinary Professional by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Christine Cradock

Christine Cradock grew up in Webster Groves, went to Nerinx Hall (don't we all want to know?) and graduated with a degree in Public Relations from Fontbonne College. She got her feet wet at the eclectic Radio Maria restaurant in Champaign, IL, and at Blue Water Grill in Kirkwood, MO. She graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 2005. Christine worked under Ming Tsai at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA. She worked as a line cook and sous chef at Niche. Christine was the chef at Big Sky Cafe until 2010. She is part of the opening team of instructors at the Culinary Institute of St Louis in Maryland Heights, and recently completed the Certified Executive Chef program through the American Culinary Federation.

Gerard Ford Craft

Gerard Ford Craft, the chef-owner of Niche, Brasserie by Niche and Taste by Niche, is one of the most celebrated chefs in St. Louis and has been honored by Food and Wine magazine as one of the ten best new chefs of 2008 in the United States. In 2009, Gerard was a best chef finalist for the James Beard Award, and is a finalist for 2010. Chef Craft and Niche have been named Chef of the Year and Best Restaurant by Sauce Magazine readers for the past four years.

Derek Craig

Derek Craig is the executive chef at Jimmy's on the Park, a lovely restaurant in the DeMun neighborhood in Clayton.

Ann Cuiellette

Ann Cuiellette Marr grew up in a large Creole family in New Orleans, the twelfth of thirteen children. When three of Ann's siblings lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina, along with family heirlooms, Ann was determined to preserve the family recipes with a cookbook: Classic Creole: A Celebration of Food and Family. It exemplifies the integral part that food plays in the everyday lives of a large family. Ann is vice president of human resources at World Wide Technology.

Jeff Davis

Jeff Davis is the executive chef of the popular Clayton restaurant, Cafe Napoli.

Jay Dedkard

Chef Jay Dedkard, of Oishi Sushi, creates beautiful and delectable sushi, teaching one of our most popular classes. His knowledge and expertise are always appreciated by students.

Mark Engel

Mark Engel has taught several hands- on cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory over the last 6 years. Mark loves cooking ethnic food and while he has taught classes on regional Italian and Mexican cooking he has a particular fondness for Asian Cuisine. Mark spent almost 5 years living and working in Asia including Japan, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong and loves to share recipes and his experiences with his classes. Mark is self-taught and loves to explore the kitchens at restaurants he frequents especially when he is in foreign lands.

Jon Feraro

Jon Feraro is co-owner and manager of Feraro's Jersey Style Pizza, with two locations in Soulard and South County.

Bryan Flaxbeard

Chef Bryan Flaxbeard, executive chef at Molly's in Soulard, has been in the restaurant business for thirteen years, including working at Commander's Palace in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Bryan spent some time in Alaska, before coming to St. Louis to be near family and working as sous chef at Herbie's Vintage 72 in the Central West End. Bryan shares his passion for Creole food at Molly's.

Helen Fletcher

Helen Fletcher comes from a food writing background which included newspapers and magazines, and was a consultant to Cuisinart before writing her first book, The New Pastry Cook in 1986. Three years later she opened Truffes, Inc., her wholesale bakery which services restaurants, caterers and hotels. Helen focuses her time on the bakery, as well as restarting her writing career with articles appearing in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Helen is the pastry chef of Tony's, and her love of teaching is equaled by her enthusiasm for all things food.  She considers it a privilege to teach at Kitchen Conservatory.

Ericka Frank

Ericka Frank is owner of the Cakery Bakery in Dogtown. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, she made her first wedding cake at the age of 14 and has been passionate about pleasing the eye as well as the palate ever since. Her enthusiasm for all things culinary led her to St. Louis to complete her master's degree in dietetics.

While the transition from nutrition to buttercream may seem like quite a stretch, dessert fans everywhere are glad she took the leap. After years of baking for friends and family out of her home, Ericka opened the Cakery in March of 2005. She has now been baking and decorating cakes for over 25 years and is eager to please even the most exacting clients with her exquisite creations. She has an incredibly talented team of individuals working with her to consistently ensure the highest quality cakes, cupcakes and cookies around.

Joshua Galliano

Growing up in South Louisiana gave Joshua Galliano a great appreciation for the life of the city and the ways of the country. After working at various restaurants in Baton  Rouge, Josh was lucky enough to find two mentors who encouraged his passion for food. The quest for knowledge and experience in cooking led Josh past a Master's degree in Political Science to a Grand Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu in London. Josh has worked at Commander's Palace and Brennan's in New Orleans, and also with  Daniel Boulud in New York.

 After evacuating New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, Josh and his wife have begun a new life in the Midwest. Now, Josh has a new home at Monarch where he highlights the bounty of local farmers and modern interpretations of American regional cuisine.

Kelly Green Gardner

Kelly Green Gardner joined the Kitchen Conservatory staff in April 2008.  A cookbook addict and self-taught cook, Kelly chronicles her kitchen adventures on her food blog Sounding My Barbaric Gulp (www.barbaricgulp.com).  She is also a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher and an occasional contributor to St. Louis's Sauce Magazine.

Jeannie Gearin

Jeannie Gearin has always loved baking, but her passion for cake decorating began over 15 years ago when she took her first class. Since then, she has studied under Nicholas Lodge, Bronwen Weber, Cheri Elder and many others. She loves teaching the art of cake decorating in all of its forms. She is the past president of the St. Louis Sugar Art Guild. Her work has appeared in American Cake Decorating, Woman's Day and on the cover of Mailbox News. She is thrilled to be teaching at Kitchen Conservatory.

Brian Hale

Chef Brian Hale began his career in Milan, Italy and boasts over sixteen years experience as a St. Louis culinary professional in such premier dining locations as Al Baker's, Harry's Downtown, Sqwires, and Monarch Restaurant. Chef Hale finds inspiration in the flavors of the Southwest and Asia as well as classical French cooking techniques. He is the executive chef at Eau Bistro and Café in the Chase Park Plaza.

Nate Hereford

Nate Hereford, chef de cuisine at Niche, grew up in Massachusetts and is an anthropology graduate of the University of Vermont. Nate attended the Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, and worked at several Chicago restaurants, including Bonsoiree, Graham Elliot, and Moto. Nate has been with Niche since October, 2009 and is currently the chef de Cuisine.

Wes Johnson

Wes Johnson, chef-owner of Salt, is a food junkie, a complete food junkie. He has spent the last fifteen years traveling across the United States perfecting his craft and sampling the best flavors America has to offer. Having found his way back to his home state, Wes set to work preparing dishes that combine the gourmet food of his travels with the comfort food of his youth in a delicious and whimsical way. After spending the last few years working at The Scottish Arms, Shaved Duck, and Eclipse, Wes is excited to showcase his talents at Salt.

Margi Kahn

Margi Kahn, who bakes fresh bread in her home every day, has been teaching bread baking and other cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory for almost twenty years. Her engaging and passionate personality inspires all of her students to start sourdough starters, hand-knead doughs, and bake irresistable breads. Many local and national publications have featured her excellent bread-baking skills.

Mickey Kitterman

Chef Mickey Kitterman did not know at a young age that he would become passionate about food, and did not attend culinary school until he was thirty! Mickey grew up in Peoria, Illinois, graduating from Western Illinois University with a degree in business administration and journalism. His first career was as a European clothing importer in Chicago. In 1983, Mickey got his culinary degree at the New School in New York City, and returned to Chicago to work with chef Michael Foley, becoming obsessed with learning French cooking. Mickey came to St. Louis, working with Richard Perry at the Jefferson Avenue Boarding House, then opened Pro-visions on Cherokee Street, which was his life for twenty years. Mickey continues to influence the St. Louis cooking scene as the executive chef at Gallagher's in Waterloo, IL. Mickey shares his love for food on his blog, kitcheninferno.blogspot.com.

Nupur Kittur

Nupur is a native of India and has been studying in the US for several years, earning a PhD in molecular biology and a degree in public health. As an escape from the world of research, she started a food blog in 2005 dedicated to the joys of home cooking. Nupur's biggest passion is to understand Indian regional cooking and make it contemporary and accessible to everyday home cooks like herself. Like expatriates everywhere, she chases the taste of home even as she lives thousands of miles away. Nupur volunteers as a cooking instructor at Kitchen Conservatory.

Adam Lambay

Chaumette Vineyards & Winery's culinary program is headed by Executive Chef Adam Lambay, whose goal is to appeal to a wide audience by focusing on the overall tasting experience for each dish, matching visual appeal and taste. “A balance of all the senses is the fundamental component of a good dish. The dish must not be overdone in presentation but should be straightforward, appealing and suggestive of its taste.” Contemporary American is the most befitting category for Chef Adam’s menus with French, Indian, Asian and Italian influences. Classically trained and a Zagat award-winner, Chef Adam and has spent the past decade “chef-ing” at such St. Louis favorites as Café Mira, 12 North Café and Portabella Restaurant, and he is a regular chef instructor at Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton. Chef uses local foods whenever possible from such producers as Ladd Family Farms, County Line Farms Windrush Farms, Flieg Family Farms, Stonie’s Sausage Shop, Baetje Farms and SayersBrook Bison. Chef Adam is a big supporter of the Mississippi River Hills Association, of which Chaumette Winery is a member, comprised of local food producers, wineries and craftspeople to further promote the local products of our region. Adam works closely with Chaumette’s horticulturist to cultivate herbs and other produce for use in his menus.

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Francis Howell High School. He then enlisted in the United States Navy where he worked long hours in an environment with an average temperature of 160 degrees. To this day, "the heat in the kitchen" doesn't get to him. He then went to work for the late Jean Claude Guilloussou at L'Auberge Bretonne, who he considered his mentor and friend. He has also worked at Cafe de France, the Ritz-Carlton, the Chase Park Plaza and Melange, which was owned by his family.

Chris takes a simple, light approach to food, with a serious interest in food as a restorative and he cooks with lots of spices and herbs. He is currently the executive chef at Cafe Ventana, Sanctuaria, and Chuy Arzola's. Chris thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to teach and to share his passion with so many people.

Simon Lehrer

Raised in rural Wisconsin on a family farm, Simon Lehrer has had a passion for locally grown, sustainable, artisanal foods. He is an award winning cheesemonger with an exceptional record of service for locally notable establishments including Niche, Tony’s, Pomme, and The Scottish Arms. He has been featured in articles in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sauce Magazine and various industry periodicals. With more than eight years of expertise in all facets of cheese and specialty foods, he is known as one of St. Louis’ experts in all things cheese! (Photo courtesy of Corey Woodruff.)

Justin Leszcz

Justin Leszcz is a seasoned veteran of St. Louis’ culinary scene. He began his culinary training at the St. Louis Community College at Forest Park and spent years working in the kitchens of the area’s most notable chefs including Eric Brenner, Christopher Lee, Kenji Nemoto, and Bruce Piatek II. In 2008, fueled by a passion for wholesome, ethical food, Justin and his wife started YellowTree Farm, a sustainable urban homestead where Justin is in charge of growing the food they eat. Justin also frequently sells the homestead’s excess harvests to local restaurants, offers consulting services to other gardeners in need of help, and can grow specific varieties of vegetables or herbs upon request.

Theresa Liu

Cookbook author Theresa Liu has been teaching cooking classes for twenty years. Her specialty is the food and culture of her native China, plus other Asian cuisines. As a reading specialist in the Parkway School District, she has the ability to simplify and explain the foods of Asia.

Jon Lowe

Jon Lowe, Executive Chef at Oceano Bistro, was born and raised in Central Kentucky. Since the age of eleven, he has been working toward his goal of becoming an Executive Chef. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University in 1998, Jon accepted a sous chef position at a nearby catering company in Charleston, South Carolina. Vanna White and Bill Murray were just a few of the celebrities he entertained with his artistic culinary skills. Shortly after, Jon obtained a position at The Charleston Grill under renowned Chef Bob Waggoner. While there, he experimented with what the locals in the area call low-country cooking and combined it with French influences.

In 2000, Chef Lowe moved to Memphis to open a Mediterranean concept for a small company outside of Kansas City, Missouri. Eventually the company transferred him to St. Louis where he was able to contribute with handling daily operation and creating special dinners for the community.

Ivy Magruder

Ivy Magruder was born in St. Louis and graduated from Vianney High School. He attended Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, and after working at various restaurants, including Flying Fish Cafe at Disney's Boardwalk, he moved back to St. Louis in 2001. He had been the chef at Eleven Eleven Mississippi since it opened, and is currently at Vin-de-Set. Ivy's cooking motto is KISS (keep it simple stupid), and his fun-loving and "simple" approach are evident in his teaching style. 

Barry Marcus

Barry Marcus is a pastry chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City. A one time instructor in the Microcomputer Program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, he "got the New York bug" and with his wife and dogs close behind, moved from the Midwest to find his place in the big city restaurant scene. He succeeded, landing positions in the prestigious pastry and confectionery kitchens of Payard Patisserie, The Tribeca Grill and Le Cirque 2000, before being offered a full-time faculty position at ICE by Chef Nick Malgieri, dean of Pastry Arts.

Now residing once again in St. Louis, he regularly makes the trip east to teach specialty professional development courses in pastry, confectionery and sugar art. His three- and five-day seminars in the Art of Pulled Sugar are popular with recent graduates of the Institute's Professional Pastry Program as well as with seasoned culinary professionals in and around the New York area. A blue-ribbon graduate of ICE, Barry studied the art of pulled sugar under the tutelage of Ewald Notter at the International School of Confectionery Arts in the U.S. and with Othmar Fassbind at the Fabilo International School of Sugar Art in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Emily Marshall

Chef-owner Emily Marshall of Napa Catering is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She worked for three years in restaurants in Napa Valley, including Tra Vigne. She has been catering elegant parties in St. Louis since 1999 and is known for her creative hors d’oeuvres. Her popular participation classes at Kitchen Conservatory allow all the students to master essential culinary techniques.

Carl McConnell

Carl McConnell, the chef, founder and co-owner of Stone Soup Cottage in Cottleville, MO, has been in the culinary field for over 18 years. While working towards his culinary degree in Michigan, Chef McConnell apprenticed with Chef James MacDonald at Trattoria Bella Ciao in Ann Arbor, MI. There, Chef McConnell learned and practiced his skill in the art of traditional southern French and Italian cookery. Chef McConnell then continued his education at the Ljungstedtska Skolan (Nordic Culinary School of Europe) in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he mastered his knowledge of classic European preparations. Upon completion of his regional studies, Chef McConnell accepted an Executive Chef position with Clipper Cruise Line, working on-board ships around the world for this affluent and renowned small ship cruise line for the next four years. In 1997, he was invited to create and operate a gourmet culinary program for the American Orient Express rail line. During his year with the luxurious American Orient Express, the Chef honed his skill of nouvelle American cuisine, specializing in the elegant preparation of regional North American dishes and wild game. After finding success within the luxury travel industry, Chef McConnell expanded his horizons to include around the world private jet excursions, taking on the responsibility of Corporate Executive Chef with TCS Expeditions in Seattle, Washington. During his three-year tenure with the private jet company, Chef McConnell broadened his knowledge to include many types of international cuisines, traveling to 82 countries of the world and working with an elite clientele. He continued his part-time academic and occupational study at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley and often visits for special classes.

Chef McConnell has been featured in publications including the San Francisco Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Victoria Magazine, Traveler's Tales, National Culinary Review and Fine Cooking. Television appearances include "The Rockies by Rail"(PBS). In addition to his media recognition, Chef McConnell is the recipient of professional awards presented by the American Culinary Federation and the National Restaurant Association. Stone Soup Cottage has won the honors of Best new Restaurants 2009 St. Louis Magazine and St. Louis Post Dispatch, and Restaurant of the Year, 2010 St. Louis Magazine.

Cary McDowell

Cary McDowell began his career in New York City under the mentorship of Daniel Boulud. Inspired by all the great restaurants of New York, he moved to St. Louis to open his own restaurant, The Crossing, which he co-owned with a friend for 8 years. He then took a position with Wolfgang Puck's as Regional Executive Chef. After traveling extensively for the next few years between St. Louis and Indianapolis, Cary returned to open Revival and he is now at Winslow's Home. Cary's students appreciate his enthusiasm and easy-going approach to cooking.

Frank McGinty

Frank McGinty, the director of sales and marketing for Kaldi's Coffee, attended Apicius Culinary Institute of Florence, Italy, and studied business administration at Lindenwood University.

Neville McNaughton

Neville McNaughton’s career started on a 30 cow dairy farm in Riverton New Zealand where his father as a Director of the local Dairy Cheese Factory. No coincidence that Neville gravitated to another local Dairy operation when he graduated High School in 1972. By 1977 Neville had graduated from Massey University in Palmerstone North with a Diploma in Dairy Technology. In 1975 Neville had commenced employment with The New Zealand Cooperative Rennet Company as a Cheesemaker, it was here that his extensive knowledge of cheese began. Having moved from a Conventional Cheddar Cheese plant it was hear that he gained knowledge in Blue, Havarti, Danbo, Gouda, Edam, Emmental, Romano, Feta, Parmesan and Process Cheese. When Neville departed this company in 1975 sales had increased 600% and he was managing 55 people. But the entrepreneurial spirit saw him team up with Ross McCallum in 1983 and begin what was to become a bellwether operation for the New Zealand Dairy Industry. Kapiti Cheese became New Zealand’s premier brand for specialty cheese in the 80’s and 90’s and achieved sales of nearly $25 million prior to being sold in 2003. In the USA Neville has held various positions with, The New Zealand Dairy Board, (now Fontera), Marin French Cheese, Imperial Biotechnology, Innovative Ingredients and since 2001 has operated CheezSorce,L.L.C. a consulting company providing technical services to the emerging and existing Cheesemakers in North America. Neville is a member of the board of directors for the ACS (American Cheese Society – www.cheesesociety.org) Has a contract with the DBIC (Dairy Business Innovation Center) since its inception.

Jack West MacMurray, III

A native of New Jersey, Chef Jack Mac found his way to St. Louis after spending 10 years as a chef in Vail, Colorado. A 1992 silver-medalist graduate of the Academy of Culinary Arts in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Chef MacMurray has cooked for many famous people, including Emeril Lagasse and President Gerald Ford. He has held the executive chef position at Wild Horse Grill and Old Hickory Country Club in St. Louis. His local favorite restaurants are Fuji Sushi and Monarch. Chef MacMurray was the executive chef at Sage, which opened in 2007 to rave reviews. Jack's engaging teaching style and passion for cooking make his participation classes especially fun.

Dawn Meyer

Dawn Meyer has been teaching cooking classes for ten years. She specializes in the cuisines of Mexico and Spain, which trace her family heritage. Plus, she enjoys teaching charming classes for children and gingerbread house making. She team-teaches couples classes with her brother-in-law and amateur cook, Larry Meyers.

Matt Middeke

Matt Middeke is from New Baden, Illinois and in 1999, moved to Saint Louis becoming a pizza chef at Onesto's Pizza and Trattoria. Matt attended the World Pizza Games in Las Vegas in 2010, and placed fourth in the world as the fastest dough tosser. Matt teaches the popular cooking class "The Art of Pizza Throwing" at Kitchen Conservatory.

David Molina

David Molina started his cooking career nearly fifteen years ago at the Blue Water Grill in St. Louis. After a few years of working his way through the kitchen, he helped open the Kirkwood location of Blue Water. As a Texas native, David was exposed to many different styles of southern and Mexican cuisine. After many years in St. Louis, David moved to Nashville, TN, where he worked at Boundr’y, an upscale restaurant that served global cuisine with a southern twist. David was exposed to ingredients from around the world.

After a year stint in Nashville, David moved back to St. Louis to open Figaro, a French/Italian restaurant with Frank Schmitz and Mike Johnson. David was then transferred one block over to open Barcelona Tapas. Since 2002 Barcelona tapas has grown into the Clayton hotspot. In 2007 Barcelona expanded and David moved to Indianapolis, IN to open a second location. The second location became Indianapolis’ first tapas restaurant and was named best new restaurant.

In 2009 David returned to St. Louis to work on other Barcelona expansion projects with Frank Schmitz. David’s future plans are to keep traveling, learning and opening more new restaurants. In April, 2011 Bocci Bar is the newest restaurant to open with David as executive chef.

Clara Moore

Born and raised in St. Louis, Clara Moore has enjoyed a diverse culinary career so far. She started working at Duff's at just age 16 as a busser. There she learned the culinary basics under the guidance of the talented Jim Voss, who imparted the value of utilizing seasonal and local produce. Driven by food and cooking, Moore went to culinary school in Baltimore. Days were spent learning fundamentals, while at night she learned by fire on the saute station of a fine restaurant, Ixia. After graduation, she moved back to St. Louis and worked her way through the lines at Trattoria Marcella - ultimately becoming their first female grill cook - and Mangia Italiano - ultimately becoming head chef. Clara has found an exceptional opportunity with Local Harvest Cafe and Catering, where she has realized her dream of working with local, small farm produce and artisan products.

Barb Nack

Barb Nack is our fabulous director of the Kitchen Conservatory cooking school. Barb had a mid-life career change; she followed her heart and love of cooking when she quit her job in the medical field and went full-time to culinary school. She is a graduate of the culinary program at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Barb loves to cook and entertain for her family and friends, and enjoys being with fellow foodies. Her favorite cuisine is American comfort food.

Kevin Nashan

Kevin Nashan, owner and chef of Sidney Street Cafe, studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Honored as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Awards 2009 - Best Chef Midwest, Kevin is also an avid tri-athlete.

Phil Nekic of Bob's Seafood

Phil Nekic, who has worked at Bob’s Seafood for many years, teams up with local chefs for very popular classes on how to cook fish. He brings in a market basket of fresh fish and shows how to select and cut the freshes fish.

Brendan Noonan

Brendan Noonan, the sous chef at Harvest, is a native of St. Louis. Brendan has been working in the industry in various capacities since high school. Leaving St. Louis to study in Chicago and Rhode Island, Brendan began to develop his signature style. Upon returning to St. Louis, Brendan worked as the executive chef at the Scottish Arms and then helped open the Shaved Duck where he once again served as executive chef. Combining European techniques with American sensibilities, Brendan oversaw the kitchen of a favorite restaurant. Brendan also joined the team at Eclipse as the executive sous chef, and is now the sous chef at Harvest.

Cindy Ott

A certified elementary school teacher who taught pre-school for ten years, Cindy Ott has taught the children’s gingerbread house making classes at Kitchen Conservatory for over 12 years. Her enthusiastic and easy-going style inspires everyone to enjoy cooking.

Wil Pelly

Wil Pelly started cooking as a youth, watching his Cuban born Mother and Grandmother in the home kitchen. Starting at local St. Louis restaurants at age 17 he worked his way from bus boy, waiter, line cook, and now chef of Sanctuaria, where he uses his Latin roots to create unique spins on tapas staples.

Bruce and Anne Piatek

Bruce Piatek II has worked as the executive chef at several St. Louis restaurants, including Eleven Eleven Mississippi. His wife, Anne Piatek, is a personal chef. Together, they team-teach memorable cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory.

Bernard Pilon

Chef Bernard Pilon, of Norwood Hills Country Club, has been teaching classes regularly at Kitchen Conservatory for over 10 years. Hailing from Montreal, he refined his culinary craft in restaurants, hotels and country clubs. It is also important to note that he spent a year in another “St. Lou” – St. Lucia in the Caribbean – because it was where he met his future wife while both were working at the renowned Club Med Resort.

A resident of St. Louis since 1996, Chef Pilon is very active in the cooking community. He is on the advisory board for L’Ecole Culinaire, is an active member of the Chef de Cuisine Association of St. Louis, and is involved in Operation Food Search. When he’s not cooking, he can be found running marathons, playing ice hockey, quoting Shakespeare, or enjoying jazz music with a glass of wine on one of his yearly visits to Napa. Everyone looks forward to his patient teaching at monthly cooking classes with amazing food preparations.

Stefani Pollack

Stefani Pollack has always enjoyed baking from scratch. At dinner one night, some good friends mentioned that they were trying to decide where to buy cupcakes for their wedding. Having never baked a cupcake before, Stefani decided to master the cupcake for this occasion. She has been experimenting with all kinds of cupcakes ever since. Stefani writes a cupcake blog, Cupcake Project, which is read by over 40,000 people a month. On the blog, she shares with her readers the lessons she has learned from all of her experiments - both what works and what doesn't.

Ben Poremba

A native of Israel, Ben Poremba moved to St. Louis to earn a BA in philosophy from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He learned the art of cooking [and eating] from his mother Rachel who has been a chef and a culinary educator for nearly forty years. An extensive world-traveler, Ben staged in kitchens in France and Italy, and attended the Universita degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche [University of Gastronomic Studies] in Parma, Italy where he studied Food Culture and Gastronomy. Ben owned and operated a small catering company called Taste - Fine Catering, and was the executive chef at Winslow’s Home in University City and The Maryland House in the Central West End. In 2009 he joined Salume Beddu as co-owner. Salume Beddu is an artisan salumi company that is dedicated to utilizing hormone-free and antibiotic-free locally-raised pork for their products.

Naam Pruitt

Naam Pruitt is a Thai cuisine expert and author of Lemongrass & Limes, a colorful introduction to Thai cooking. A Thai native, Naam was raised in Prachuabkirikhan, Thailand. Her father, raised by Thai Buddhist monks, worked as a Thai government spy in Burma and later as a journalist. Naam learned the secrets of Thai cooking from her mother, who taught her how to find the best fruits, vegetables and meat at the lowest prices. She learned how to master the subtle techniques and skills of Thai food by watching her mother cook every day.

Naam first came to the U.S.  in 1987 as a high school exchange student, spending a year in Maryland. After returning to Thailand, she met her future husband, an Iowan who had moved to Asia as a teenager along with his family. They were married in 1990 and moved to Texas, where she worked as a special food assistant at the athletic dining hall at A&M University, creating attractive food presentations for hungry football players. She graduated from the Wilton School of Cake Decorating, where she learned to decorate cakes and make pulled sugar creations. Later she operated her own catering business.

After living in Independence, Kansas for the past decade and teaching Thai cooking, Naam and her family moved to Saint Louis in 2008. She has taught at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education. She also has regular Thai demonstrations at The Giant Eagle Market District in Pittsburgh, PA. She returns to Thailand at least once each year to find new flavors and ideas.  She and her husband Dennis have two children.  Naam is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.

Vito Racanelli

Vito Racanelli, Jr. says that "food has been my life since I was a little boy. My parents are from Italy and I was very lucky to grow up around traditional, homemade Italian food for "real" people." His passion is to cook with fresh ingredients and with the love for food. A native New Yorker, chef Vito is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and has been cooking for almost 20 years, including working at the Le Parker-Meridien in Manhattan and the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. He has passion, fun, and a kind-hearted attitude. "I love food, it is my life; it is my soul." Vito is the chef-owner of both Onesto's and Mad Tomato. Once each year, his mother helps him in teach a cooking class in December to honor their family Christmas tradition.

Mary Ann Robinson

Mary Ann Robinson's interest in making cookies started when she began collecting cookie cutters over 30 years ago. During this time, she has accumulated over 7,000 in her collection.

Mary Ann taught herself through trial and error how to hand-paint the cookies with icing, using tiny artist brushes. In 2000, she turned this hobby into a business when she opened Cookie Creations. During the years her retail store was open, her cookies won awards, were featured in the Food Section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and she was featured several times on TV shows such as Show Me St. Louis. She even had the opportunity to make cookies for celebrities, such as Ozzie Smith, Bob Costas, the Cardinals baseball team and President Bush.

After closing her store, she and her husband had a character education program that they presented to schools and church groups, where he was the Gingerbread Man and she was the Baking Lady. Mary Ann enjoys sharing her knowledge of cookie making. She hopes to encourage families to take time to share this fun activity and to make special memories together. She and other members of the Cookie Cutter Collectors Club want to ensure that making cutout cookies doesn't become a lost art in a fast-paced world.

Lou Rook

Lou Rook has been the executive chef for Annie Gunn's in Chesterfield for 15 years, and has transformed Annie Gunn's from a little known local spot with good pub food, to a nationally recognized, Zagat award-winning, restaurant with an outstanding wine list and consistently superb food. 

Lou grew up in the restaurant business, beginning at the age of thirteen he helped in his family's diner, King Louie's in Wood River, Illinois. By the time he was sixteen, he was managing the restaurant himself, and establishing a thriving catering business. From that early experience, his career path was decided.  He went to the University of Missouri, Columbia and graduated with a B.S. in Food Service and Lodging Management. He then attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Throughout college he worked at various restaurants and catering companies, gaining as much practical experience as he could.  He worked for two years at the Trellis restuarant in Williamsburg, VA under the tutelage of chef Marcel Desaulniers. He returned to St. Louis and worked as assistant chef at Cardwell's in Clayton and was chef-owner of Grappa in the Central West End.

At Annie Gunn's, Lou offers hearty, American cuisine. He changes the menu on a monthly basis to incorporate the freshest quality ingredients, as well as seasonal produce.  Lou believes in using the highest-quality, farm-fresh produce.  Annie Gunn's has received numerous pretigious awards including Top Tables from Gourmet Magazine, the Award of Excellencefrom Wine Spectator Magazine, and Lou and Annie Gunn's were featured on the Food Network's Taste of the Nation, representing the best restaurants in the Midwest.  Lou was a James Beard nominee for the Best Chef in the Midwest.  He is an active member of the James Beard Foundation, The Chef's Collabrative, The Missouri Restaurant Association, and the American Culinary Federation. Married to his wife Shannon for 11 years, Lou has three daughters and resides in Wildwood. 

Christie Saali Maggi

A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Christie Saali Maggi is the pastry chef for Sidney Street Cafe. She has been passionate about cooking delicious food for many years. She worked at the St. Louis Club and in France. She has taught cooking on a wide variety of cuisines and themes. Christie has taught cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory for three years and spent four years in Chicago teaching cooking classes. Her favorites include French pastries, Indian food, and anything made with pork.

Mark A. Sanfilippo

Mark A. Sanfilippo received a B.A. in German Literature as well as a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Missouri - Saint Louis. He then went on to earn his M.A.L.A. in Philosophy from St. John's College in Santa Fe. He spent the next few years working as a freelance writer in Los Angeles, before joining the culinary arts and landing a Prep Manager position at Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton's three-star Pizzeria Mozza. He worked his way up the ranks at the restaurant, and ultimately managed a team of prep cooks, in addition to helping develop the restaurant's nascent salumi program. At Mozza, Mark trained in the traditional Italian art of curing meats, including guanciale, lardo, pancetta, coppa, and salami. Mark and his wife recently relocated back to his hometown of St. Louis to start a small artisan salami company, called Salume Beddu. He specializes in high-quality salumi, fresh salsiccia, and other Italian delicacies. Salume Beddu is dedicated to utilizing hormone-free and antibiotic-free locally-raised pork for their products.

Maria Sakellariou

Maria Sakellariou is a true lover of Mediterranean cuisine. After many years in the corporate world, and living abroad in Greece, Belgium, and Switzerland, Maria moved to Florida and joined her family in the restaurant business. In 2002 she moved to St. Louis and expanded her love of cooking when she created and opened a personal chef service, Culinary Odyssey LLC. Be sure to tap into Maria's culinary genius by joining her in a class at Kitchen Conservatory (hint: her phyllo classes are tops!).

Matt Seiter

Over the past year, Matt Seiter has become one of the familiar faces on the bar scene in St. Louis. After learning the craft of mixology under Master Mixologist Bridget Albert in Chicago, he returned to his home town to share the wealth and help increase cocktail culture in the city. With the help of Ted and Jamie Kilgore, T.J. Vytlacil, Nate Selsnor and Heather Dodderer, they started the St. Louis Chapter of the United States Bartenders' Guild, further enhancing the knowledge of mixology to others. Matt has been recognized in various local, state and national publications for his unique style, methods and personality behind the bar. He has unselfishly shared his secrets for house infusions, homemade liqueurs, tinctures and bitters with various bartenders, while continuing to produce cutting edge cocktails along the way. He has earned various awards: RFT Best Bartender 2010, St. Louis Magazines' A-List Mixologist, and was mentioned in Sauce Magazine's Best of 2010 for his work behind the bar. He also was a member of the Midwest Team in Cabana Cachaca's Bartender Olympics at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this past summer (they took the Bronze). Matt is a member of Drink Lab, founded by Matt Obermark and Chad George, and is pursuing certification as a Master Mixologist through the USBG.

Clark Stone

A veteran of the knife business, Clark Stone of Wusthof-Trident Cutlery teaches great classes on how to choose, use, sharpen, and maintain knives at peak performance. Participants in the knife classes learn confidence in using this most important tool in the kitchen. Clark makes everyone feel comfortable with sharp knives.

Ruth Sparrow

Ruth Sparrow, the Director of Marketing for Kitchen Conservatory, has been teaching children and adults for 30 years and loves to cook!  Ruth books our fabulous classes with the best chefs from the best restaurants in the St. Louis area and writes our newsletter, What's Stirring.  Yes, Ruth creates the clever titles that make every class sound irresistable. She also works in our store part-time, and when she is not busy with her passion for cooking, she is running her needle art design business, Twisted Threads.

Karen Tedesco

Karen Tedesco grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, where her grandmother's southern Italian home-cooking influenced her love of food and cooking. Karen apprenticed as a pastry chef and cooked in some of south Florida's finest restaurants before she enjoyed a career as a wine consultant. Now, she's a full-time mom and card-carrying foodie, who reaps the financial and personal rewards of cooking contests, both locally and nationally. She started her own business, DinnerStyle, in August 2007, which specializes in fresh, seasonal meals for busy families.

Stephen Trouvere

Stephen Trouvere combines years of experience in the natural foods movement and 12 years as a culinary professional. He apprenticed with Bryan Carr of Pomme Restaurant in Clayton, then teamed up with restauranteur David Bailey to improve and expand Rooster, the busy downtown creperie and cafe. He returned to Pomme as the chef de cuisine in 2009.

Cassandra Vires

Chef Cassy is the owner and Executive Chef of Home Wine Kitchen in Maplewood, Missouri. She received her culinary training in Houston, Texas at The Art Institute. There she gained an appreciation of American cuisine as a true melting pot of cultures, traditions, ingredients and techniques. Since then, she has put her talent to work as a chef, instructor and food writer. During her time at The Viking Cooking School, she was able to expand her technical knowledge while also finding a way to adapt classic techniques to the home cook. Since then, she has used the same philosophy as a monthly columnist for Feast Magazine, for which she was nominated for a James Beard Award. Her knack for recreating dishes people know and love comes across on her menu as she re-imagines American classics like pulled pork, BLT and her award-winning grilled cheese sandwich.(Photo courtesy of Feast Magazine.)

Doris Vogt

In addition to a full time day job, Doris enjoys expressing her culinary interest at night. She has been with the Kitchen Conservatory staff for seven years and has assisted in instructing several Fondue classes. With over twenty years of hospitality and cooking experience, Doris’ professionalism and attention to detail will definitely enhance your adventure in the kitchen.

Kirk Warner

A native of Paw Paw, Michigan, Kirk Warner began his restaurant career at a young age. In his mother's small bistro adjacent to the family winery, he was both waiting tables and preparing simple bistro fare before he was a teenager. Following college, and after working in a variety of restaurants, traveling extensively and reading every cookbook he could get his hands on, he landed in St. Louis where a cousin had opened a tavern called King Louie's. In just over five years as executive chef at King Louie's, he helped transform what was once a fledgling college bar into one of the most respected restaurants in St. Louis. In the process, he garnered numerous local and national accolades for both the restaurant and himself. Kirk signed on to help open Savor in April 2004.

As chef-owner of Kirk's Traveling Kitchen, Kirk’s goal is to bring the craftsmanship and dedication of a professional restaurant into the home kitchen for those who love great food.

Carol Ann Welsh

Carol Ann Welsh has been baking with some of St. Louis's best ever since she graduated from art school at Washington University. At Companion and then at Niche's Veruca Bakeshop, Carol Ann's precision and art background made her a standout baker and cake decorator. When she's not baking, Carol Ann can be found studying Italian, caving with her boyfriend, or walking their amazing dog, Charlie.

Bryan Young

Bryan Young received an associate degree in hotel restaurant management in 1974 from Forest Park Community College and worked his way up in the restaurant business ladder starting out as a busboy in 1971.

Bryan was the President of Catering Plus, a company founded in 1995, and managed the full service catering and event planning company for the corporate and private sectors. Each year, he catered such events as the St. Louis Business Journal's Top 150 Companies annual dinner and the St. Louis Black Repertory Company' annual Woodie Awards. In 2011, Bryan joined Steven Becker Fine Dining as a Catering Sales and Business Development Manager.

Bryan has received numerous citations and awards for his work in the community including the Michael Edlin Award from Doorways. He serves on the boards of Doorways, Peter and Paul Community Services, the advisory board of Catersource, and the advisory board hotel and restaurant school at Forest Park Community College. Bryan is also a member of The National Association of Catering Executives, The International Special Event Society, and the International Caterers Association.

Greg Ziegenfuss

Chef Gregory P. Ziegenfuss has been working within the catering industry for 30 years. Though Greg is a native St. Louisian he has traveled the world extensively in order to broaden his culinary knowledge. He finished first in his class from The Culinary Institute of America and in 2008, he competed in the Food Network Challenge Series, “BIG Bash Catering Challenge”. Where is he now? Greg has returned to his home town and has been with Butler’s Pantry for nine years. He is the Executive Chef and Vice President of Operations there, specializing in creative food design and presentation. His motto in the kitchen? Stay calm and focused, work hard and, most importantly, have fun. Fun for Greg includes sailing, hiking, biking, gardening, walking his dogs and of course dining with his favorite taste-tester: his wife, Melissa.