Meet our Chef and Culinary professional instructors...

To create a successful culinary program one must have access to a roster of amazing talent. Program Director Chef Lena has called upon friends and colleagues in the culinary world to join her vision for Chef Angels Culinary Program. Here they all are, in no order of importance:

Chef Lena has been a private chef in the San Diego area for 15 years, catering to an eclectic crowd of business leaders, philanthropic leaders, and people who simply enjoy good food prepared in the comforts of their home. Her other passion in life, helping San Diego foster children and at-risk youth in need, came to life when she co-founded our parent organization, San Diego Foster Angels, with her longtime friend Peggy Goldsmith. #cheflena

Chef Jenn has been a culinary teacher and private chef in San Diego for more years than she can count! Her versatility in cooking, mixology, and wine knowledge spans the globe and she gladly shares her knowledge to our San Diego community in the form of classes, delicious private catered dinners, and her myriad of popular TikTok videos.#chefjenn

Chef Jillian, team gold medal winner of the American Culinary Federation championship, finds herself at home in Temecula’s wine country. Her private culinary services range from Los Angeles to San Diego, covering a vast territory in SoCal. Her passions include creating custom menus for wine pairing dinners. As can be seen on her many Instagram reels, her fresh pasta skills can rival that of any nonna in the villages of southern Italy. #chefjillian

Chef Scott, a New York transplant, brings his craft to his home base in San Diego, with the occasional forays to the NY area. He, along with his wife Heidi, runs a successful cooking school. They also provide personal chef services in the form of catered events, meal prep, and any other requests that come their way.#chefscott

Chef Christina, a leader in San Diego food sustainability and education, sits on the board of the Berry Good Foundation, and heads their Berry Good Food Academy. One day you may find Christina harvesting produce from a farm then teaching a rapt audience how to turn it into something delicious. The next day, she will be busy in her kitchen baking up the delicious pies that she is known for. Then she heads off to Rancho Santa Fe to whip up a fabulous feast in a mansion for a hungry and appreciative crowd. #chefchristina

Sushma spends her work days making sure our young ones are properly educated as a school administrator in Rancho Santa Fe. In her spare time, her real passion is all things Indian cooking! Whether it be catering Indian feasts, or teaching eager students all about the use of spices in her heritage cuisine.#sushma

Chef K is founder of The Fast Food Company. She can be found bi-coastal in San Diego and Virginia, both in the kitchen and out in the community, inspiring future chefs on how to turn their passion for culinary into a marketable branded service. Need a customized event planned? Chef K can make it happen for you.#chefK

Last but certainly not least, San Diego’s most famous fishmonger, Tommy Gomes. Tommy is a 4th generation commercial fisherman based in San Diego. He is the star of The Fishmonger, watched by millions of viewers nation-wide, currently filming season 3. When he’s not busy traveling to seafood destinations around the country, he can be found slinging fish at his seafood market Tunaville, located at Driscoll Wharf, where many commercial fishing boats call home-port. Tommy can also be found educating our youth about seafood, teaching classes for Kitchens For Good apprenticeship program. #tommythefishmonger

We can’t wait to see what the instructors have planned for our eager students. Up next in December will be Chef Jenn, followed by Chef Jillian…

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