Meet Our Cooking Instructors

Misty Callies has worked in the culinary world for 30 years. She co-founded the Zanzibar restaurant on State St. along with her brother, and served as head chef until the closing in 2009. She enjoys experimenting with new flavors, gardening, preservinig, traveling, and of course, eating.

 What Misty's Students Say:

"Excellent instructor. I loved that she was able to make 3 complete meals plus a salad in 2 hours." - M. Sturtevant

"Misty is experienced, knowledgeable, and creative." - L. Perlman

"Misty has an easy and informative speaking style. She made all of us comfortable, regardless of skill level." - M. Krull

Wendy Watson is a gardening and cooking enthusiast. Recently she worked with Growing Hope offering classes in gardening and cooking. She has been making tasty meals that are gluten-free for years. She looks forward to helping people explore what it means to be gluten-free and have fun doing it.

What Wendy's Students Say:

Steve Meyers worked as an executive chef for 25 years. Upon retiring he built his own bakehouse where he can pursue his love of baking. His training includes artisan breads and French pastries.

What Steve's Students Say:

"Loved the relaxed atmosphere and group involvement. - S. Fiske

"One educator to another: I like his nice combination of supervision and freedom." - R. Hough

 What Sonia's Students Say:

 "I thought Sonia was great! The brioche was delicious and I learned a lot of tips to use at home."  - A. Reineke

"Sonia was a great instructor. Her lesson plan was very organized and her explanations touched on virtually every situation you could encounter with brioche at home." - D. Stodlak

Francesca Giarraffa began her cooking career as a young girl helping her Mother and Aunt prepare meals in her native Naples, Italy. Later as a young adult she worked in her Aunt's restaurant in Italy. Francesca is married to a retired chef and lives in Ann Arbor where she runs a catering business and teaches cooking classes. Students enjoy her warm, open personality and her wealth of knowledge of traditional Italian cooking.

What Francesca's Students Say:

"Francesca is a treasure. Her instructions are clear, the recipes are simple and easy to follow."

              - L. Thomas

"Recipes were simple to prepare but tasted like eating at a 5 star restaurant."

                 - S. Jordon

"Just one class and you too will become a Francesca groupie!"

                  -V. Cameron

"Francesca is an amazing teacher and her handouts are easy to replicate at home."

                 - M. Baneju

"Best Italian food/recipes in Michigan. Francesca's recipes ALWAYS have the freshest ingredients and she gives us a lot of food knowledge."

-S. Jordan

Jyothi Mathews Abraham's love of cooking and baking began at the age of 7 when she created her first birthday cake. Today she is a certified teacher of the Wilton Cake Decorating Method and an instructor of Indian cuisine who is about to open her own catering business this fall. Jyothi is originally from the region of Keral but her knowledge of Indian cuisine covers most of the country thanks to the tutelage of an aunt who loved to travel and cook.

What Jyothi's Students Are Saying:

"I enjoyed all the cultural background associated with the dishes."

                   - G. Woodroofle

"The instructor was delightful, well informed and easy to understand."

                   -J. Almeida

"This class made Indian food seem less intimidating to make."

                   - C. Okon

"I finally learned how to make my favorite Indian dish!"

                  - F. Dorr

Sharon Sheldon is a cooking enthusiast and health educator who brings years of cooking experience to each cooking class. Sharon's passion for healthy cooking focuses on fresh ingredients and tantalizing flavors that spice up a meal and give you energy for life! She runs a cooking school in Northern Michigan.

http://www.sagechef.com/SageChef/about.html

What Sharon's Students Say:

"This class was Rec & Ed at its finest. Knowledgeable instructor and great recipes that you can really do at home - wonderful!!"

               - A. Putallaz

Byong Hyon (Andy) Kwon

What Andy's Student Say:

"I appreciated learning different techniques and the detailed explanations. I enjoyed his stories about his early days as a sushi chef."

   - L. Astrike

"Andy was phenomenal! Very knowledgeable and friendly."

   - J. Patton

 Website:

Natalie Park, owner Coffee House Creamery

Website:  coffeehousecreamery.com