Author Archives: Carol
Meet the Chefs… Aurea-Anne McCrumm of the Sagamore Inn
Aurea-Anne McCrummSagamore Inn
Standing on a stepstool in the kitchen of her Italian grandmother’s house in the Boston area, Aurea-Anne at the age of eight, fell in love with the art of baking. Now thirty-five years later, she continues to follow her craft in her second season at the Sagamore Inn as Head Baker creating her specialty cakes pies and desserts working with and for the Bilodeau family.
Self-taught, she continues her passion of baking by learning from watching other master chefs and reading on the latest techniques. The dream of attending a culinary art school was put on hold as …
Meet the Chefs…Meet Chef Brett Mayer of The Cape Grille
Executive Chef Brett Mayer
Chef Brett, a native of Cape Cod found her calling while growing up in a chef family. It was from working beside her grandfather, who was a chef where she learned some of her greatest lessons about navigating in a busy kitchen. She enrolled in the culinary arts program at Newbury College in Brookline, MA. Shortly after graduation, she found herself working at Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. After eight years she decided to move back home to Cape Cod. Securing a job at the Woods Hole Golf Club as the Executive Sous Chef in 2009 …
Meet the Chefs… Pastry Chef Jamie Chernesky, The Coast Guard House Restaurant
Jamie Chernesky, Pastry Chef
Jamie grew up in the boonies of New York, spending most of her time baking for her friends and teammates. From a family of nurses, she branched off and pursued her passion of baking and pastry. With good grades and drive, she continued her education at Newbury College in Brookline, MA. Jamie balanced six-hour classes, playing on her college’s soccer team and a full-time job at the beginning of her pastry chef career as only a sophomore. In this time she refined and sophisticated herself in her field. After graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Culinary Management, …
Meet the Chefs…Chef Michael Rostafin of Miel
Chef Michael Rostafin
With more
than a decade in the industry, chef Michael Rostafin is the Restaurant Chef
at Miel, a Provence-themed Brasserie located in the award-winning
InterContinental Boston. He skillfully applies his market-driven culinary
inspirations to each menu offered in the three-meal signature restaurant, as
well as RumBa Rum & Scotch Lounge, and seasonal Five-10
Waterfront. Rostafin and his team focus on contemporary French cuisine with
clean flavors and local, seasonal ingredients, elevating brasserie fare without
overwhelming flavors or excessive accoutrements. ‘We like to grow the
ingredient to taste like that ingredient, prepared simply, but really, really
well”, said Rostafin.
Rostafin
often passes through local farmer’s markets for inspiration and strives to
source produce from within the …
Meet the Chefs…Sarah Williams, Head Baker Seven Stars Bakery
Sarah William, Head Baker Seven Stars Bakery
Sarah hails from Pennsylvania, where she grew an affinity for baking and pastry. Prior to attending Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Sarah worked at Crossroads Bake Shop. Sarah has been an integral part of the Seven Stars Bakery team for 13 years, leading both the Pastry and Bread Departments as the Production Manager and Head Baker. Sarah enjoys creating new recipes and all things fermented.
Sarah always creates a delicious cookie for Rhode Island Bakes for Breast Cancer. Visit any of their three locations and get their cookie …
Meet the Chefs… Pastry Chef Deanne Steffen Chinn of Fool’s Errand
Pastry Chef Deanne Steffen Chinn As a child growing up in Manchester, NH, Dee was always interested in cooking. She spent countless hours observing, learning, and working in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. At 13, she was fortunate to witness for the first time a 6-foot wedding cake being made. Dee marveled at the care and attention to detail that went into the cake and she knew right there and then that she wanted to work with desserts. Little did she know she was about to embark on a successful career in Pastry Arts. After …
Meet the Chefs… Pino Maffeo, Executive Chef Il Molo
Executive Chef Pino Maffeo
Pino Maffeo is an award-winning chef with an impressive background
in culinary training and a unique food philosophy. Maffeo’s strong
Italian roots have kept him drawn to the culinary world since a young age and
after attending Newbury Culinary College, the East Boston native took off on a
culinary “tour” around the country, working at numerous restaurants within
different cities such as San Francisco and New York City, where he learned the
art of world cuisine from an impressive roster of European chefs.
In San Francisco, Maffeo opened Molhern & Shackern alongside
Laurence Vito, who, at the time, was a spokesperson of Californian cuisine,
before taking over as …
Meet the Chefs… Pastry Chef, Shawn Dresser of Rowes Wharf Sea Grille
Pastry Chef Shawn Dresser
Shawn was born and raised in Abington, Massachusetts, Shawn Dresser realized his passion for culinary at the young age of eight. He found a love for cooking shows and admired through his screen the talents of Julia Child and Jacques Pépin. Picking up new skills along the way, Shawn committed to cooking full Sunday dinners for his family, unknowingly beginning his successful career in hospitality.
Despite his young age, Shawn always showed an eagerness to learn and grow as a chef- even asking for a wok on his 10th birthday! This drive and passion to succeed only grew …