For 2017, Bay Area Tasting Week would like to welcome the following chefs who have graciously agreed to give workshops on taste and flavors. We recognize how busy these chefs are and are extremely appreciative of their support in educating our children.
- Reylon Agustin, Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park
- Charlie Ayers, Calafia, Palo Alto
- Guillemette Bouche-Erbsen, L’École Gourmande, Campbell
- Pablo Estrada, Fattoria e Mare, Burlingame
- Elianna Friedman, Bay Leaf Kitchen, San Francisco
- Gram Gould, Facebook, Menlo Park
- Ellie Lavender, Vegetarian Personal Chef, Santa Cruz
- Dennis Leary, Chef and Restauranteur, San Francisco
- Sophie Le Dore, Personal Chef, Palo Alto
- Jannai Mapanao, Facebook, Menlo Park
- Brendy Monsada, The Left Bank, Menlo Park
- Douglas Sprous, LB Steak, Santana Row in San Jose
- Laura Stec, Innovative Cuisine, Portola Valley
Reylon Agustin, Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park
A California local, Reylon Agustin embraced the craft of cooking at a very young age. Chef Agustin’s Filipino heritage and time spent in the kitchen with his grandmothers was the kick-start of his culinary career. After honing his culinary skills at several Michelin starred restaurants in the U.K., Chef Agustin returned to California to refine and expand his cuisine at Jardiniere in San Francisco under Chef and Restauranteur Traci Des Jardins. Together they traveled to Lake Tahoe to open Manzanita at the Ritz-Carlton, Highlands. Today, Chef Agustin is the Executive Sous Chef at Rosewood Sand Hill, where he assists in the oversight of daily operations. Read more about Chef Reylon Agustin.
Charlie Ayers, Calafia, Palo Alto
Ayers began his professional career in New Jersey working for Hilton Hotels, at their Meadowlands and Parsippany locations in New Jersey. Later he left Hilton to attend culinary school in Providence, RI at Johnson & Wales University. He cooked at several restaurants in the Providence and Boston areas, before moving to California and serving as a chef for the Grateful Dead. View video: Charlie prepares Cubed Salmon and California Figs with Orange Fire Glaze.
Guillemette Bouche-Erbsen, L’École Gourmande, Campbell
Chef Guillemette was born in France near Paris. Her family’s roots are in Bretagne, the Western part of France but she spent most of her childhood living abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy and Tunisia. Living in all these different places with different cultures led her to discover a variety of ingredients, tastes and food cultures. It also made her realize that in every culture, sweet foods always bring people together for a party or celebration. This led Chef Guillemette to Culinary School and after a first training in Cuisine, she went on to learn the techniques and secrets of French Pastry. She graduated from the famous Ferrandi Culinary School in Paris in 2007. Read more about Chef Guillemette.
Pablo Estrada, Fattoria e Mare, Burlingame
Chef Pablo Estrada moved to San Francisco from Mexico in 1993 after being raised in his family’s bakery. Since then, he has worked with some of San Francisco’s top restaurants including, Campton Place, Restaurant LuLu, Palio d’Asti, Red Herring, St. Regis Hotel, and Luce at Intercontinental Hotel. While at Luce, Estrada was awarded a Michelin Star four years in a row. Read more about Chef Pablo Estrada.
Gram Gould, Facebook, Menlo Park
Originally from Indiana, chef Gram Gould, grew up outside of Chicago. He attended The French Pastry school in Chicago and has specialized in bread for more than 10 years. Gram moved to the Bay Area in 2013 to join the Facebook culinary team as their Bread Chef. When he’s not in the kitchen, he likes to spend time outdoors and with his two kids.
Ellie Lavender, Vegetarian Personal Chef, Santa Cruz
My journey as a self-taught vegetarian Mediterranean chef started at age 7 with my decision to become a vegetarian. Having asked my mom to prepare vegetarian foods, her reply was: “It’s time for you to learn how to cook so that you can make any kind of food you want”. I started cooking and found absolute joy in experimenting with the bounty of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs (lavender always being my favorite). This early encounter with the joy of cooking led me to create Lavender Cuisine because cooking truly is my greatest passion! Read more about Chef Ellie Lavender.
Dennis Leary, Chef and Restauranteur, San Francisco
Dennis Leary began his professional culinary career at the age of 14 as a dishwasher at The Red Lion Inn in his hometown of Cohasset, Massachusetts. By the time he graduated high school he had already moved on to become a line cook. While attending Wheaton College to study English literature, he worked at both Kimball’s, also in Cohasset, and at the renowned Parker House Hotel in Boston. Read more about Chef Leary.
Sophie Le Dore, Personal Chef, Palo Alto
Chef Sophie Le Dore is a French Chef expatriate and mother living in Oakland, California. She grew up in the French Alps, between the lake and the mountains in Annecy, near Geneva; and from a very young age she has been fascinated with food and the blending of flavors.
Before moving to California, Chef Le Dore lived in Paris where she worked as a food journalist for the French national radio. Her passion for food and the culinary experience led to her current career as a French Personal Chef teaching and cooking for families, dinners and events.
Jannai Mapanao, Sous Chef, Menlo Park
Chef Mapanao is a Sous Chef at Facebook working in the Menlo Park and Palo Alto campus restaurants, as well as consulting for the Facebook cafes in New York City. Prior to Facebook, he worked in more traditional Michelin rated fine dining restaurants, and also worked as a private chef to multiple clients. Chef Mapanao grew up in Mountain View and currently lives in Redwood City. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York City and graduated with a degree in culinary hospitality and management. Chef Mapanao is excited to be a part of Tasting Week “because nutrition and kids is an important issue that just doesn’t get enough emphasis.”
Brendy Monsada, The Left Bank, Menlo Park
Chef Monsada has significantly refocused the Left Bank Menlo Park menu to highlight south-of-France Provencal flavors with California influences and his dishes are based in local, natural, sustainable and organic ingredients. A notable new appetizer Monsada created is the Gateau De Crabe, a delicious Dungeness crab cake with mandarins, watermelon radish, and blood orange emulsion. And of course, there is nothing quite like his show-stopping Mauritius Redfish preparation, Ombrine Tropical!
Douglas Sprous, LB Steak, Santana Row in San Jose
Chef Douglas studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, Fl. After graduation, he moved to California’s Bay Area to grow and learn more about food and cuisine. Working under a Michelin star chef for several years, Chef Douglas began to refine his skills. He then continued to new endeavors including corporate cooking for a local tech company, fine dining in downtown Oakland specializing in northern Italian cuisine, and downtown San Jose and downtown Campbell. Leading now to LB Steak where he is becoming a strong addition to the chef team, helping to build new and exciting menu items.
Laura Stec, Innovative Cuisine, Oakland
Laura Stec is a corporate and private chef, nutritionist, corporate wellness educator for Kaiser Permanente and Bay Area businesses, owner of Laura Stec – Innovative Cuisine, and author of Cool Cuisine – Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming. The Food Party! is her featured blog for Embarcadero Media (Palo Alto Weekly, Menlo Park Almanac, Mountain View Voice). Her work has been featured at NPR, Martha Stewart, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and numerous local and national media sites. Read more about Chef Stec.
my company is Sweet Kneads – don’t have a website yet -I’m a gluten free baker
I’m very interested in participating in the project
look forward to hearing from you
mb
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