For over thirty years I've been involved in the culinary world in one way or another. As a teenager, I spent many Sunday afternoons watching Julia Child's "The French Chef" with my Mom. It was Julia's lively approach and practical wisdom that piqued my interest in cooking. Since my Mom and big sisters were all terrific cooks, I rarely had the chance to do much cooking in our family kitchen. When finally on my own, I became fascinated with bread baking, vegetarian cooking and organic farming. All three interests mesh together naturally. Eating and preserving fresh produce from my kitchen garden impressed upon me the elemental beauty and value of foods grown close to home.

Thanks to a training program offered to young mothers by the Carter administration I received professional bakery training and became a bread baker and pastry chef for several restaurants in Key West, Florida. It was there that I became an expert in producing the definitive Key Lime Pie requiring the mastery of making meringue in a humid environment. Looking to expand my skills beyond basic food service baking and pastry, I landed job as assistant to Harry Petautschnig, the former pastry chef and chocolatier from the Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland who was pastry chef at a European style hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Harry introduced me to classic French, Swiss and Italian pastry and chocolate production, deepened my understanding of classic culinary disciplines and taught me to cook using the metric system. We collaborated in the development of new dessert offerings. I helped him expand his repertoire and style by adapting his very structured Swiss pastries to the American market's desire for moister, sweeter desserts.

I continued as a pastry chef for many years in numerous chef-operated restaurants and the Hyatt Regency Corporation in Florida. Production of fresh breads and pastries on such a large and elite scale gave me ease with the systemized planning and efficient organization needed for any food service operation. However, I didn’t want to restrict my abilities to the bakery so I decided to branch out into other areas of kitchen work. I became head chef and perishable foods manager for the largest gourmet specialty foods retail operation in the southeastern US. While there, I oversaw and expanded the sales of freshly made takeout offerings, in-store restaurant, bakery and catering services. Offering freshly prepared food in a retail setting differs greatly from a restaurant and requires an accurate understanding of the local population’s needs and expectations. I took the expertise I developed at the gourmet store and applied similar principles to expanding the food service and catering offerings at an upscale natural food cooperative. Again, I adjusted my approach and cooking style to adapt to the demands of a target market more dedicated to eating healthy and nutritious foods. My experience at these differing venues lead to the understanding that food offerings, through media or food service outlets, need to be deliberately attuned to a particular audience.

I began to feel particularly constrained working in food service establishments. The higher I rose, the more my duties became administrative, moving me farther away from the hands-on creative cooking I enjoy so much. I took a leap of faith. My search for a new outlet for my skills and passion lead me to attend a class in food styling taught by Delores Custer at NYU. She introduced me to the discipline of food communications that encompasses food styling, food writing, recipe development and testing. After many years in food service kitchens, I finally found a vocation that truly suits my nature, talent and expertise. By assisting Delores and other talented food stylists and working as test kitchen director for a national women’s service magazine I honed my abilities as a freelance food stylist, recipe developer and food writer. Through the research and exacting discipline of recipe development, I became a much better cook than I ever was as chef.

I offer my services as a stylist and developer confident that my strengths lie not only in being an accomplished cook and baker, but also in the understanding of market and audience, artistic design and presentation, organized planning and efficient execution, and especially, creative teamwork. My expertise spans all areas of food communications encompassing food styling and recipe development for advertising, packaging, promotional, Internet, television, film and editorial outlets. I work primarily in the New York Metro area, but as additional food media markets grow, I enjoy the pursuing opportunities offered by businesses in other regions of the country. Regional location work also appeases my adventurer spirit, my enthusiasm for ingredients and techniques unique to each locality.

Please peruse my website, then contact me to discuss how I can assist in the execution of any food related project you have in the works.