Meet Our Chefs At Marcel’s Culinary Experience, our kitchen is your kitchen. Assembled from a variety of different backgrounds, yet bound by a common thread, the professional chefs and chef educators are the foundation of the culinary program at Marcel’s. Marcel’s culinary team will ensure that each and every guest has a place to learn, watch, and meet new people and old friends – a place to pull up a chair, gather around the table and discover fabulous food adventures. A place to cook, create, and celebrate. Kelly Sears, Executive Chef Rachel Cuzzone Brandy Fernow Rudy Galindo Roger Herring Robin Nathan Paul Richards Heather Ude Kelly Sears Marcel’s & Maison Executive Chef Chef Instructor Dry mix, water, and a light bulb. Kelly began cooking under 40 watts of power with the Easy Bake Oven; her poor parents ate more than their share of “delicacies” baked under a light bulb. Moving beyond the light bulb, she graduated from the College of DuPage culinary program and continued her education. In the kitchen, Kelly’s goal is to provide an environment in which students can experiment, create, learn culinary techniques, share recipes, and express their own talents. Her philosophy concentrates on creating an important balance between the foods that we put on the table and the people that gather around the table. Favorite food memory: My father was the youngest of twelve. By the time I came along, I was the 35th grandchild. One family meal, there were what felt like forty people surrounding my grandparents’ dining table. Money was scarce and so was the food — grabbing to fill your plate was considered a necessity, not bad manners. I was 3 or 4 at the time and my grandmother was a woman of few words and a giver of even fewer “warm fuzzies”. As I sat there watching the food disappear my grandmother put a bowl of homemade warm buttered spaetzel noodles in front of me. My own bowl! It was at that moment I knew that sometimes food can say things that some people just can’t. 3 Items always in Kelly’s refrigerator: Sriracha, half and half, spicy mustard View Classes Presented by Kelly Sears Back to top Rachel Cuzzone Chef Instructor Rachel started in the industry as a dishwasher for a cake decorator. She continued to work alongside her mentor into culinary school. During those years she took on many different jobs, which ultimately led her to run the kitchen and teach full time at Sur La Table. She has had the opportunity to compete in a chocolate competition, as well as assist for the Coupe du Monde Pastry Team USA. Currently, she now runs her own pastry business called Madeleine and the Traveling Bakeshop, in addition to teaching. She loves showing people how easy it can be to cook. But she also loves to hear everyone’s stories, and how food places such an important role in it. Three items always in your grocery cart are… Butter, heavy cream, and eggs. My friends and family make fun of me – but you never know when you need to whip a batch of cookies or lava cakes!. Favorite Food Memory: This changes a lot for me – and a lot hit when I vacation. But recently, it was this past Thanksgiving. My husband and I moved into a house in September 2019 and hosted that first Thanksgiving. There were over 20 people sitting at one long 18’ table. I love gathering people around the table. View Classes Presented by Rachel Cuzzone Back to top Brandy Fernow Chef Instructor A gift of cooking lessons from her husband prompted Brandy to leave her career as a consultant for Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young to train at Kendall College where she earned her culinary degree. Brandy has a passion for teaching cooking classes and lessons, having taught at Parties That Cook, Sur La Table, Flavour Cooking School, and her alma mater, Kendall College, where she developed the curriculum for and led their recreational cooking school program. She enjoys the connection made around food and the energy from the excitement of guests as they create and enjoy food together. What music do you listen to when you cook? My parents had 1000’s of records and I grew up on the classics – thanks to Pandora, I enjoy Zeppelin, The Eagles and other greats while I cook! Brandy’s guilty pleasure food: Gummy ANYTHING! From Swedish Fish to Gummy Worms, I am a connoisseur of all things chewy and sugary. View Classes Presented by Brandy Fernow Back to top Rudy Galindo Chef Instructor Graduated from The Cooking Hospitality Institute of Chicago in 2002. Rudy has worked in French Restaurants, had an internship at Chez Francois in Geneva and was also an Executive Chef at Filos Spinatos in Dekalb. He then worked at Northern Illinois University in Catering and Food service and mentored the interns in the Dietary and Hospitality programs. My most memorable food memory: Watching my mother cook wonderful Mexican food. The wonderful smells of spices and ingredients. If I weren’t a chef? I would be an Artist. Which I am. I love to paint when im not cooking. I feel that cooking is just like painting. Layers of paint is like layers of Flavors. Items that are always in my refrigerator Cheese, sriracha and eggs View Classes Presented by Rudy Galindo Back to top Roger Herring Chef Instructor Chef Roger, a Chicago native, completed his degree at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, NY and began his career as the opening sous chef for Green Dolphin and 312 restaurants. After moving to Limoges, France, he was able to further develop his French cooking techniques and expand his knowledge of international cuisine. Returning to Chicago as The Executive Chef for Taste of America catering, he combined his passion of food and love of music by catering meals for various artist including U2, Sheryl Crow, Prince, Linkin Park, Cypress Hill and the Phish tour in 2003. For most of the next decade he was the Owner and Chef of Socca in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. In the summer of 2014 Chef Roger returned to the music world as one of Katy Perrys chefs of her North America tour. In 2015 He was Imagine Dragons’ chef of their summer tour along with Halsey, The Weeknd, Incubus, The Deftones, Willie Nelson, Neil Young and a few others. Chef Roger is always looking for new inspiration and opportunities to further his unique innovations. His goal is to create experiences that allow people to connect with the occasion and each other rather than simply creating meals. A few items in my grocery cart: Any cheese, salmon, uni My Favorite Ingredient: Fennel in any shape or form My best food memories: Eating cherry pie without my hands at the Traverse city Michigan Cherry Festival with my Grandparents. And picking an acorn and butternut squash from my garden then flying to Tampa to make Mick Jagger a Chicken stir fry with these homegrown veggies as his after-show meal! View Classes Presented by Roger Herring Back to top Robin Nathan Chef Instructor California girl Robin Nathan attended culinary school after a successful 20-year career as a national advertising executive and she understands busy working families who enjoy cooking but don’t have all day to spend at it. Her cuisine is all about simple, seasonally appropriate preparations, global flavors, and a naturally light touch. She loves nothing better than to twist up what she’s learned, combining the authentic with the new and different. Life should be a taste adventure! Three items always in Robin’s grocery cart: Organic milk, baby arugula and tomatoes Best food memory? I have so many…. The first time I tasted good olive oil, back in the early ‘80s, the first time I tasted the sour-salty-sweet of Thai food, the row of avocados my grandmother always kept ripening on her window-sill, from the tree in her yard…. View Classes Presented by Robin Nathan Back to top Paul Richards Chef Instructor The Food Biz was just the ticket during his early teens; working summers in a local restaurant was a natural fit stemming from many days spent cooking with his Dad at home. After attending Purdue University for, oddly enough, chemical engineering, he was offered an “old world style” Culinary Apprenticeship, sponsored in Switzerland, and took it. For years, he worked side by side with Master Chef Haakon Blanken in a variety of resorts, hotels, catering companies and restaurants developing an interest not only in his preferred discipline as a Saucier, but the Hospitality Industry as a whole. The natural evolution of his career brought him to teaching, an enriching and gratifying endeavor that he holds dear. He lives with his wife of nearly 20 years in the Streeterville area of Chicago, enjoying cycling on the lakefront, golf (when time permits), and travel (will make the time for that!), and has recently taken up archery. Paul can “fake his way” through somewhat intelligible versions of speaking French and Spanish and definitely understands when and what someone is yelling at him in German (due to his apprenticeship as a Chef). Three items always in your grocery cart: Greek Yogurt, Rapini, & Bone-in Chicken Thighs What’s your best food memory? At the peak of my professional career…I think I was about 12 years old😉…I helped my Aunt make a lavish luncheon for a group of hers that featured a saddle of Veal Orloff with Sauce Soubise. I cannot tell you how much the smells of mushroom duxelles and onion laced bechamel made me a very happy young man! Later, in my actual career, I used a short-cut version of the dish in a “Stage” (cooking interview) for a prospective employer and I got the job! What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Uni (Sea Urchin). I love Sushi/Sashimi, but that texture…..I just can’t wrap my palette around it. View Classes Presented by Paul Richards Back to top Heather Ude Chef Instructor As I grew up with amazing women and wonderful cooking, I knew I wanted to pursue the culinary field as a profession. I attended and graduated the Elgin Community College Culinary Program. I then went on to get my Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and Event Planning from Roosevelt University. I spent 10 years at home raising my three kids, engaged in cooking and baking. One of my favorite things to bake are pies, and currently have a small pie business. I also enjoy working with and teaching kids. I can’t get enough of their enthusiasm when it comes to cooking! I have a passion for teaching people of all ages the fundamentals and importance of cooking. I love the excitement that comes from learning new cooking skills and creating new food experiences. What’s your favorite spice? My favorite spice would have to be cinnamon. The warm and cozy feeling I get from the simple, yet complex, aroma is so inspiring. Although there are so many possibilities with the use of cinnamon, my favorite are the simple recipes like apple pie with cinnamon whipped cream. What is your guilty food pleasure? My guilty pleasure food is chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! I try to incorporate chocolate in my cooking whenever possible. I love anything sweet, but chocolate (especially chocolate cake} always makes me smile. View Classes Presented by Heather Ude Back to top