Our instructors
Our seasoned instructors and chefs have been chosen to be a part of PCC Cooks because of their culinary expertise and sincere enthusiasm and talent for teaching. Along with great cooking ideas, our instructors will share helpful nutrition advice and give you beyond-the-basics ways to incorporate your classroom experiences into your everyday cooking.
Jennifer Adler
Jennifer Adler, M.S., C.N., holds a master’s degree from Bastyr University. She has a mind-body approach to nutrition, integrating her training in Ayurveda and spirituality, health and medicine. She ...
[learn more about Jennifer Adler]
Iole Aguero
Iole Aguero credits her love affair with fine Italian cooking to the teachings of her mother in her homeland of southern Italy. After 25 years of refining her cooking techniques in the United States ...
[learn more about Iole Aguero]
Birgitte Antonsen
Birgitte Antonsen, N.T.P., is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City and holds a certification as a nutritional therapist in Washington state. ...
[learn more about Birgitte Antonsen]
Michelle Babb
Michelle Babb, M.S., R.D., is an adjunct professor at Bastyr University and has her own nutrition practices in West Seattle and Wallingford. She specializes in therapeutic, family-focused nutrition ...
[learn more about Michelle Babb]
Lee Baker
Lee Baker’s passion for cooking began at an early age while helping her grandmother prepare the delicious homemade meals for their family-owned Okemo Lantern Lodge. She graduated from the Culinary ...
[learn more about Lee Baker]
Eric Banh
Monsoon Restaurant
Originally from Saigon, Eric and his sister, Sophie, the co-owners of the restaurant, Monsoon, moved to Canada and then to the United States, where their passion for food and cooking remained central ...
[learn more about Eric Banh]
Karista Bennett
Karista Bennett admits that dinner at her house wasn't always memorable until she decided to attend culinary school. There she knew she had found her passion, and from that moment on, she has been ...
[learn more about Karista Bennett]
Goldie Caughlan
Goldie Caughlan, PCC’s Nutrition Education Manager, founded the FoodWorks program (now PCC Cooks) in 1983. Goldie writes, does staff training and consulting, and teaches the Walk, Talk and Taste ...
[learn more about Goldie Caughlan]
Christina Chung
Christina Chung was born and raised in Hong Kong, where she learned to cook from her grandparents. She studied Japanese cooking in Tokyo, and French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu, Japan. She also took ...
[learn more about Christina Chung]
Vida Collery
Vida Collery is a professional chef, caterer and party planner and has cooked at the PCC Fremont deli since 1994. Vida balances her time between cooking and art, creating colorful and whimsical ...
[learn more about Vida Collery]
George de Pasquale
George de Pasquale is the founder and head baker at the Essential Baking Company in Seattle. He believes that bread is one of the true joys of life and he is inspired by beautiful, richly colored, ...
[learn more about George de Pasquale]
Johnna Dietz
Johnna Dietz is a certified nutritionist with a master's degree from Bastyr University. Her passion for food and nutrition has led to unlimited delicious experiments. Her enthusiasm shines in class ...
[learn more about Johnna Dietz]
Seppo Farrey
Seppo Farrey is a culinary instructor, personal chef and author with more than 30 years' experience in the culinary fileld, and a background in exercise physiology and nutrition science. His first ...
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Devra Gartenstein
Devra Gartenstein is the owner of Patty Pan Grill, Seattle’s oldest farmers market concession. She has published two cookbooks: “The Accidental Vegan” and “Local Bounty: Season Vegan Recipes.” You ...
[learn more about Devra Gartenstein]
Sureyya Gokeri
Sureyya Gokeri is from Turkey close to the Syrian border on the coast, where Turkish food is a blend of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern styles. She loves the richness and uniqueness of her culture ...
[learn more about Sureyya Gokeri]
Ronit Gourarie
Ronit Gourarie has been making bread her whole life and has been teaching breadmaking at PCC since 2002. she holds a master’s degree in nutrition from Bastyr University. She has a passion for food ...
[learn more about Ronit Gourarie]
Alicia Guy
Alicia Guy enjoys welcoming children into the kitchen and encouraging a love for all things culinary at an early age. With two young children, she is always practicing inviting and fun ways to ...
[learn more about Alicia Guy]
Pranee Halvorsen
Pranee Halvorsen learned to cook from her mother and grandmother in Phuket, Thailand. When she came to Seattle, she brought her mortar and pestle and began cooking for friends. She is now a member of ...
[learn more about Pranee Halvorsen]
Jenny Hurst
Jenny Hurst trained as a personal chef at The School of Natural Cookiery in Boulder, Colo. Her passions include exploring new places, being outdoors and sampling fun foods along the way. One of her ...
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Julie Johnson
Julie Johnson moved to Seattle from Napa Valley, California, bringing with her a love of food and wine. She graduated from the Napa Valley Cooking School with a degree in professional culinary and ...
[learn more about Julie Johnson]
Ami Karnosh
Ami Karnosh, M.S., is a certified nutritionist, author of the children's book, Let's Eat: A Book About Food, and co-founder of the Yummy Mummy Baking Company. Ami loves cooking and encouraging ...
[learn more about Ami Karnosh]
Trina Kaufman
Trina Kaufman is a graduate of Bastyr University, where she earned a master's degree in nutrition and psychology. she is fascinated by the many intersections of her two areas of study, and she shares ...
[learn more about Trina Kaufman]
Paul Kohlenberg
Paul Kohlenberg is a life-long Seattle area resident, chef and resauranteur. He is passionate about cooking fresh, practical and delicious food, with an emphasis on adding Northwest flavor into his ...
[learn more about Paul Kohlenberg]
Kanako Koizumi
Kanako Koizumi is from Akita in northern Japan. She started cooking when she was in the third grade to help her working mother. She is a caterer and personal chef who has a passion for food and loves ...
[learn more about Kanako Koizumi]
Dawnula Koukol
Dawnula Koukol realized her connection and passion for food at a very early age while growing up on a ranch in rural Montana. She enjoyed working with her mother in the garden as well as baking ...
[learn more about Dawnula Koukol]
Karen Lamphere
Karen Lamphere, M.S., C.N., holds a master’s degree in nutrition from Bastyr University and is passionate about whole, natural foods. Karen believes that good nutrition is the foundation for optimal ...
[learn more about Karen Lamphere]
Olaiya Land
Olaiya Land's love of food grew out of the many years she spent studying, cooking and eating in Paris and Brussels. She is the chef and owner of Olaiya Land Catering, which emphasizes fresh, seasonal,...
[learn more about Olaiya Land]
Ivy Manning
Ivy Manning is the author of “The Adaptable Feast” and “The Farm to Table Cookbook.” Her work has appeared in Cooking Light, Sunset, and Fine Cooking magazines and in The Oregonian, among other ...
[learn more about Ivy Manning]
Katherine Oldfield
Katherine Oldfield, N.D., has been practicing naturopathic medicine for nine years and has owned West Seattle Natural Medicine since 2002. She is an avid cook and gardener, and is passionate about ...
[learn more about Katherine Oldfield]
Lisa Palmatier
Lisa Palmatier has been teaching for more than 15 years, and is constantly surprised by the imagination of children and their eagerness to learn new things. Cooking whole foods and living a healthy ...
[learn more about Lisa Palmatier]
Robert Petersen
Robert Petersen grew up surrounded by vineyards in California’s Livermore Valley and later worked at a winery in Sonoma County back when top Napa Cabernet was $7.99. He has worked for PCC since 1980 ...
[learn more about Robert Petersen]
April Pogue
April Pogue discovered her passion for wine while working with the 5th Floor restaurant in San Francisco and their award-winning wine list. According to April, early in her career she was the subject ...
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Tiffany Pollard
Tiffany Pollard is a Bastyr University graduate and a Chinese medicine practitioner. She has studied the energetic and healing properties of foods for years. In her practice, Tiffany's Healing Foods ...
[learn more about Tiffany Pollard]
Jayesh Rao
Jayesh Rao was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and grew up in an Indian household. This unusual background was the basis of his culinary training and allowed him to become adventurous with all forms of ...
[learn more about Jayesh Rao]
Omid Roustaei
Omid Roustaei, M.A., is a psychotherapist, culinary instructor and yoga teacher. He holds a master’s degree from Bastyr University and is a faculty member at the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, ...
[learn more about Omid Roustaei]
John Sarich
John Sarich has been in the Northwest culinary scene since 1976, when he was a tour guide at the newly opened Chateau Ste. Michelle winery. He has since owned successful restaurants, written ...
[learn more about John Sarich]
Patrice Savery
Patrice Savery spent her formative years overseas. While seated at dinner tables around the world, she gained an appreciation for food and culture and cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients. She ...
[learn more about Patrice Savery]
Becky Selengut
Becky Selengut is a graduate of the Seattle Culinary Academy, has had stints at La Medusa and La Spiga restaurants, and three years at the Herbfarm restaurant. She is the chef/owner of Cornucopia, a ...
[learn more about Becky Selengut]
Lesa Sullivan
Lesa Sullivan is a professional chef in the Seattle area. Since graduating from the Seattle Central Culinary Arts program in 1998, she has cooked, taught and written about the foods and flavors of ...
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Leika Suzumura
Leika Suzumura, R.D., has been cooking and studying nutrition since the tender age of 13. These early experiences were impressionable and led her to pursue a career in nutrition. She received her ...
[learn more about Leika Suzumura]
Tanya Trapalis
Tanya Trapalis has been cooking, baking and experimenting with food for many years, and loves to share her ideas and favorite dishes. While growing up, she and her siblings staged cooking shows ...
[learn more about Tanya Trapalis]
Lynne Vea
Lynne Vea is a graduate of the Executive Chef Program at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. She has been in the restaurant and catering industry for more than 20 years and has worked as an executive chef for ...
[learn more about Lynne Vea]
Archana Verma
Archana Verma is from a university town 300 miles from Delhi, India. She grew up in a home with health-conscious parents and a rich heritage of Punjabi North Indian cuisine; healthy eating and an ...
[learn more about Archana Verma]
Roxanne Vierra
Roxanne Vierra has traveled through 21 countries, enjoying their varied cuisines and bringing back many exciting food ideas. She loves sharing the gift of food through thoughtful choices, healthy ...
[learn more about Roxanne Vierra]
Christine Weiss
Christine Weiss is a Seattle-area culinary instructor who holds a master's degree in nutrition from Bastyr University. When not cycling around Puget Sound, she can be found in her West Seattle ...
[learn more about Christine Weiss]