About Our Chef Instructors - Relish Culinary School, Healdsburg, California

Our Chef-Instructors come from a wide variety of culinary backgrounds, resulting in classes that are diverse and stimulating. We offer classes with well-known chefs from successful restaurants, cookbook authors, caterers and private chefs, wine experts, food purveyors, and other culinary authorities. In alphabetical order:

John Ash founded his restaurant, John Ash & Company, in Northern California’s wine country in 1980. John has written three books including John Ash Cooking One-on-One: Kitchen Secrets from a Master Teacher, From the Earth to the Table: John Ash’s Wine Country Cuisine and American Game Cooking. He writes regularly for the Los Angeles Times and is a contributor to publications such as Bon Appétit and Fine Cooking magazines. He also has a new winery venture called Sauvignon Republic Cellars. Nationally renowned as a wine and food educator, John served for many years as the Culinary Director for Fetzer Vineyards and is on the faculty of The Professional Wine Studies Program at the CIA Greystone. He travels widely teaching to both home and professional cooks.

With over 16 years experience in Australian restaurants and catering, Chef Victoria Blumenstein brings a unique insight into Australian cuisine and the fusion between European tradition and Asian influence that it embodies. With a strong emphasis on regional and seasonal cuisine, Chef Blumenstein loves to share the joy of good, simple food, treated with care and the pleasure a shared meal can bring. With a wide range of experience in the food industry, including owning and running two restaurants, working with wineries on food and wine pairing and developing commercial charcuterie products with free-range pig producers, Chef Blumenstein has many unique recipes, tips and tales to share, and loves doing so.

Although Dino Bugica was born in Reno, Nevada he still considers himself a "transplant" from Pisa, Italy. He grew up with the influence of his Italian mother and grandmother always cooking with fresh ingredients from his grandfather's ranch and farm. At 18, his passion for food and his heritage took him back to Italy where he lived and cooked for seven years, including stints at three restaurants, a Dutch chocolate maker and a butcher shop and salumerie. As the co-owner and chef at Diavola Pizzeria in Geyserville, Dino is passionate about authentic, old world Italian cuisine where everything from the pizza to the salumi and sausages is made from scratch.

Born and raised in Stansted, Essex, England, Martin Courtman pursued a culinary education at Harlow College in Essex, where he was awarded top honors as valedictorian of his class. Schooled in classic French cooking techniques, he believes that sauces are the key to effectively tying a dish to a particular wine; he favors wine reduction sauces for their ability to enliven the fresh flavors of ingredients. As the executive chef of Alexander Valley Grille at Chateau Souverain Winery for fifteen years, Martin created a bistro-style menu suited to his love of cooking “to the market.” Courtman’s talent is creating menus based on Sonoma County’s vast resources ranging from artisan cheeses, seafood, meats and free-range poultry, to locally grown fruits and vegetables, to maximize freshness and reflect the seasons.

The Epicurean Connection's Sheana Davis is celebrating 20 years as a Chef, Caterer and Culinary Educator. You will find Sheana teaching cooking classes, conducting workshops and participating as a guest chef at local and national culinary events. Sheana is the founder and host of the annual Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference featuring local and international guests. A new project for Sheana this year is the national release of a new cheese called "Delice de la Vallee". Sheana offers a creative and versatile range of food experiences and services while traveling between Sonoma and New Orleans.

After a 30 year career building high-tech telecommunications equipment, it occurred to Dave Ehreth that now people telecommunicate with each other, the next thing they’d need would be a really good pickle. Combining a lifelong passion for food with his hobby of making pickles in the summer from cucumbers grown in his garden, Dave started Alexander Valley Gourmet maker of barrel-fermented pickles and raw sauerkraut. Dave's products have been featured in Food and Wine and 7x7 magazines, and he recently served his raw sauerkraut at Slow Food Nation. Today, Alexander Valley Gourmet provides a variety of all-natural pickles to stores and restaurants throughout the West.

John Franchetti is co-owner and chef at Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa. A Sonoma County native, John graduated from USF/Johnson & Wales before working in kitchens at Commander’s Palace and Emeril’s in New Orleans with Emeril Lagasse and the Mission Lodge and Gesine’s Restaurant in Alaska where he was voted best chef two years in a row. Chef John was manning the pizza oven at Pizzeria Tra Vigne when he met future business partner Kevin Cronin in 2005 and ideas for a joint venture were conceived. Two years later, Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar opened and since then has garnered amazing reviews for its wood-fired pizzas and piadines.

The Gluten Free Lab technicians are Aly Anderson, Heather Prandini and Molly Jackel. The Lab is located in Northern California’s beautiful Sonoma County, where fresh produce and artisan ingredients are readily available and culinary expectations are high. Our recipes incorporate fresh, healthful food (and sometimes not so healthful) and encourage gluten-free folks to expand their minds and palates, and, in turn, their options. Through years of trial and error inside the kitchen and out, we have learned that being gluten-intolerant is not a curse, but can be a fun and rewarding journey.…Join us, we have a really good time!

In addition to being utter food-nerds, Heather and Aly are the creative brains at notion:creative, a full-service design team, while Molly is a freelance editor specializing in food and cookbook projects.

Christopher Greenwald is a maverick chef who has cooked in California’s wine country since 1998. From the Chez Panisse-sponsored garden project at the Sierra Youth Center to multi-course, pinot noir soaked soirees at Iron Horse to intimate VIP receptions for some of the biggest names in rock and roll, chef Christopher provides a unique and exciting forum for the palate. As the Chef/Owner of Bay Laurel Culinary, Chef Greenwald continues to combine his years of experience in the kitchen and on the farm with his passion for travel and different cultures, presenting wine-friendly global comfort cuisine that is both casual and elegant.

Kathy Gunst is a freelance writer, editor and radio personality living in Maine. She is the author of thirteen cookbooks, including Stonewall Kitchen Favorites and Stonewall Kitchen Harvest (best American Cookbook 2005). Kathy is a graduate of the London Cordon Bleu School of Cookery and a former culinary editor at Food & Wine magazine. She has been a contributing editor at Parenting Magazine and has written for the New York Times; Travel & Leisure; Bon Appétit; the Los Angeles Times; Better Homes and Gardens; O, The Oprah Magazine; Country Living; and the Boston Globe. Since 2000, she has been the "Resident Chef" for the award-winning show Here and Now on WBUR National Public Radio. She just published two new books—Stonewall Kitchen Winter Celebrations and Stonewall Kitchen Breakfast (Chronicle Books, September 2009). She is currently teaching classes at the new Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School and working on two more Stonewall Kitchen cookbooks—Stonewall Kitchen Grilling and Stonewall Kitchen Appetizers—to be published next spring.

Lia Huber had an auspicious start to her food career when she won a gold medal in a beanstalk growing contest at her kindergarten. But it wasn’t for another two and a half decades, when she moved from New York to San Francisco in 1997, that she cultivated food into a full-time pursuit. Since then, Lia has contributed several hundred recipes to nearly a dozen publications, and her approachable and curious style combined with a you-can-do-it-too attitude has inspired millions of readers. Lia’s articles and recipes have appeared in Cooking Light (where she is a contributing editor and media spokesperson), Prevention, Health, Natural Health and other national publications. Lia looks forward to using the experience she’s amassed both professionally and personally to develop a platform for teaching people how to nourish themselves, body and soul.

Mei Ibach was born in a small, Malaysia fishing Village near Singapore where she learned the secrets of cooking fresh, seasonal cuisine from members of her extended Chinese family while growing up. She gathered her own spices, grew her own vegetables and grilled the catch of the day over an open fire. In Sonoma County, she has worked in a variety of Asian kitchens, including Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Pacific Rim restaurants. More recently, she has shared her professional techniques and authentic recipes at Santa Rosa Junior College Culinary Arts program and other community cooking classes. Her passions include Dim Sum and Tea, cooking with children and showcasing artisan ingredients from local farms and purveyors.

Master Sommelier Geoff Kruth brings vitality, passion and extensive knowledge to his role as Wine Director of The Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant in the Russian River Valley. He has helped lead the Farmhouse to critical acclaim; with a Michelin star, a 27 score in Zagat, and the recent naming by Gourmet magazine as one of the world's top 36 food destinations. Having worked at some of America's finest dining establishments, Kruth is on a short list of the top young American wine professionals. In 2008 he became one of less than 150 people worldwide to have ever earned the designation of Master Sommelier.

After teaching elementary school and educating teachers, Jennifer Lange turned to her other passion—cooking. She graduated from the Bauman College Natural Chef Program and found her greatest love—teaching cooking to adults and children. As the owner of The Vital Gourmet, a personal chef business specializing in healthy gourmet cuisine, Jennifer loves to inspire others to find their way back to the kitchen, improve their eating habits through healthy gourmet choices and connect with the abundance we find here in Sonoma County.

Jeff Mall is the Executive Chef at ZIN Restaurant and Wine Bar. Jeff attended the University of San Francisco where he earned a degree in Hospitality Management. He then went on graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Jeff moved back to Northern California and began working with chef/mentors of different disciplines, such as, Jeremiah Tower and Mark Franz at Stars Oakville Café, Bradley Ogden at Lark Creek/Walnut Creek, and Anne and David Gingrass at Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco. This variety of experience helped Jeff to develop his own vision for ZIN, featuring updated and enhanced American home cooking, farm fresh produce (much of it from his own ZINgarden), and Zinfandel wine.

A native Californian, Todd Muir has been surrounded by the Sonoma wine country most of his professional life. Todd perfected his culinary talent at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. One of the highlights of his early career was his training under Alice Waters and Joyce Goldstein at Chez Panisse. He was Executive Chef at the Five Star, Wine Spectator Award-Winning Madrona Manor, owned and operated Mangia Bene, an Italian style trattoria, both in Healdsburg, and was Culinary Director at St. Francis Winery. Currently, Todd is focusing his talents on a new venture called Wine Country Chefs offering a variety of exclusive culinary services to wineries.

After college and serving in the U.S. Army, Richard G. Norgrove (aka Ricardo) started working for mountain bike company Salsa Cycles. At night Ricardo was homebrewing in his basement. By enlisting the help of his family, Ricardo turned his hobby into Bear Republic Brewing Co. in 1995. Ricardo is nationally recognized as a beer judge and as a brewer in pursuit of making honest ales, true to traditional methods. The daring and bold brews of Bear Republic have earned top honors in American brewing, including the Great American Beer Festival® Small Brewing Company and Brewer of the Year in 2006. Inspired by fatherhood, the challenges of firefighting as well as the fast lifestyle of race car driving, Ricardo continually strives to set himself apart by cultivating the success of Bear Republic.

One of the most highly regarded chefs in America today, Charlie Palmer has received critical acclaim for his signature “Progressive American” cuisine, a style which reinterprets classic European cooking using American artisanal products and small farm producers. Beginning in 1988 with the opening of Aureole in New York, Charlie has combined his creative cooking spirit with his flair for business to establish an impressive roster of restaurants across the country, including the local Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. Charlie is the author of three cookbooks, Great American Food, Charlie Palmer’s Casual Cooking, The Art of Aureole, and Charlie Palmer's Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen.

Elissa Rubin-Mahon’s foraging and gleaning business, Artisan Preserves, specializes in wildcrafted and rare heirloom fruit. She writes a culinary column for Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming, is past president and founding culinary chairperson of the Sonoma County Mycological Association and teaches about foraged and heirloom foods and preserving. Elissa works with Slow Food USA to research and evaluate rare and endangered foodstuffs for Slow Food's Ark of Taste and specializes in creating menus and recipes that feature them.

Monica Sallouti, a Certified Natural Chef, is a graduate of Bauman College in Penngrove, CA, a Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts School. Sallouti has been cooking for family and friends since she was a teenager and was influenced by her Lebanese and American grandmothers and the ten years she lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A life-threatening (and life-transformative) encounter with metastatic melanoma in her late 20s created an interest in self-healing when food, cooking and health became inextricably linked in her quest for health. Sallouti now works as a personal chef and caterer, planning, preparing and serving delicious, highly nutritious and beautiful food.

Amy Schaefers graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park. After working at restaurants in California and New York, Amy cultivated her interest in the Pastry Arts. After moving to Sonoma County, she worked at both the Graton Bakery and the Downtown Bakery. She is now a freelance caterer and pastry chef available for private parties, specialty desserts, and wedding cakes.

Tom Simoneau is a former country rocker turned grape grower, winemaker, wine marketer, educator, wine judge and critic—the living definition of “The Wine Guy.” Tom farms 12 acres in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley and has transitioned from award-winning amateur wines to the 2005 launch of Simoneau Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. After winning the prestigious Sonoma County Harvest Fair Sweepstake Award for the Best Amateur Red Wine in 1992, Tom began broadcasting The Wine Minute on Santa Rosa’s News Talk 1350 KSRO where he is still heard daily. He is the director of sales for Windsor Vineyards and an adjunct professor at Santa Rosa Junior College where his wine education courses are perennial favorites.

Kathleen Stewart is the owner of the wonderful Downtown Bakery and Creamery, a delectable Healdsburg landmark, that also sells its goodies at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market. Master baker Kathleen is an alumnus of Chez Panisse in Berkeley where she was part of the original Bakers Dozen organization lead by Marion Cunningham and contributed to the The Baker's Dozen Cookbook. Kathleen's luscious and well-tested recipes have also been featured in Fine Cooking, Gourmet Magazine, 101cookbooks.com and seriouseats.com.

Gayle Okamura Sullivan and her husband Brian (with son Patrick) own Dry Creek Peach and Produce in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley of Healdsburg. Surrounded by world-renown vineyards, Dry Creek Peach is the last remaining fruit farm in the valley and the only dedicated, certified organic peach farm in the county. Gayle and her family split their time between the peach farm and San Francisco where Gayle works as a pastry chef at Postrio restaurant. The Sullivans and their orchard have been featured in House and Garden and Savor Wine Country magazines.

After graduating from the California Culinary Academy in 1987, Yvonne Tally's adventurous spirit took her to France and Italy. Upon returning to the US, she began a catering business while teaching aerobics for fun; this was the beginning of Your Fit Gourmet, a food and wellness lifestyle coaching system. In 2000, Yvonne co-founded Poised®, an exclusive personal fitness and wellness center in Menlo Park. As a single mom and CEO of her own company, she knows how eating healthy can be challenging in our hectic fast-paced lives. She combines her years of experience as a professional cook into a wellness system for balanced living that is fabulously gourmet! Her book Your Fit Gourmet: Cooking Secrets for the Overscheduled Woman is the first book in her healthy lifestyle series. Delightfully entertaining, she is a frequent guest on CBS and Fine Living Network.

Poppy Tooker is a culinary activist who has worked tirelessly to promote and preserve the historic food ways of New Orleans. With her motto “Eat It To Save It”, she has helped revive endangered foods across the U.S. and abroad in collaboration with Slow Food’s Ark of Taste. Poppy's efforts to rebuild culinary landmarks after Hurricane Katrina earned her a "Hero of the Storm" award from the Times Picayune. She is a contributing editor for Hallmark Magazine and regular columnist for LA Cookin’ and has also written for Fine Cooking. Poppy’s on-camera flair has made her a sought-after guest on the Food Network, the History Channel and in multiple PBS documentaries. Her new book The Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook was published in March 2009.