I’ve had a passion for cooking
ever since I was a young girl, sitting on our kitchen counter watching
my mom cook. It was such a nurturing experience, not only for the
culinary talents I developed, but also for the warm and entertaining
conversations we enjoyed between mother and daughter. Being able to
share our creations with the rest of the family at the dinner table
further enhanced this experience.
This passion has continued to grow
into my adulthood. The satisfaction I get from seeing my own family
savor a nourishing home-cooked meal is overwhelming, and I’m
thrilled to have the chance to deepen others’ appreciation for
and connection to great food.
In addition to my personal chef and
in-home catering business, my experience includes a stint as on-board
chef for the MV Olympus, a 1929 wooden yacht, for a week-long charter
through the San Juan Islands & Victoria, BC in September 2003.
I was responsible for preparing a fine-dining menu for eight guests
and four crew members, including breakfast, two-course lunch, hors
d’ oeuvres, three-course dinner and dessert each evening. I
also served as a food stylist for Alaska
Smokehouse’s online and print catalogs and conduct cooking
classes at Pacific Culinary in Everett, Everyday Eats in Lake Forest
Park and North Seattle Community College.
I am a Certified Personal Chef with
the U.S. Personal Chef Association (USPCA) and president of the USPCA’s
Puget Sound chapter. My self-taught culinary skills span more than
25 years, and my formal training includes a weeklong “boot camp”
at the Culinary Institute of America
in Hyde Park, NY, classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and several
cooking series with the Bon Vivant Cooking School in Seattle. I’m
also a graduate of the Culinary Business Academy in Phoenix. I live
with my husband Matthew and a very fat kitty
in the Greenlake area of Seattle.
(c)
2004 Ovens to Betsy
