Malini Bartels grew up cooking traditional Indian food with her mother and cultivated a love for Indian cuisine. Malini learned how to transform complex Indian cuisine into everyday meals using techniques adapted for the American kitchen. She loves the Indian food she grew up with and wants to share it with others who enjoy flavorful dishes and believe in the continual evolution of this multitude of flavors. Malini has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is now a stay-at-home mom with two kids. She has performed with OpenStage Theater and Bas Bleu Readers' Theatre. Malini was also chosen as a 2010 MOCA Mask Artist. She has been featured in 25 North magazine and Clear Channel Radio of Northern Colorado. This is Malini's seventh year teaching at The Cupboard.
Chef George Gastl grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. As a young teen he began working in local restaurants. After a short time cooking in these small, local kitchens he had found his passion for food and in life. Since graduating from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute of Arizona in 1992, George has built his expertise by working in kitchens around the United States and abroad. He has held chef positions in Colorado, New Mexico, Louisiana and in Oldenburg, Germany. He brings his zeal for cooking and his love of fresh ingredients to you for an evening of great food and fun at The Cupboard.
Robin Gravelle is a French language teacher who is also a passionate cook and enthusiastic Francophile. Robin's favorite hobbies include watching Food Network, shopping for gadgets at The Cupboard, hiking and cooking with her daughters. She is eager to share her love of French cooking as a new instructor for The Cupboard.
Gil Hersh has always been an amateur cook but for reasons of actual and aesthetic survival, he learned to cook well. Gil was a Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia (the Central Pacific) on the Island of Yap. He has traveled to many parts of the world and is well versed in the seasoning and preparation methods used in different lands.
Bruno Krioussis is of French origin from the Loire Valley; he settled in Northern Colorado in 2002. A devoted husband and father of two, Bruno flies for the Civil Air Patrol and loves to climb the breath-taking Rocky Mountains. His culinary interest began at age six when he first assisted his mother in their kitchen. He studied in France and Switzerland and first entered the restaurant business in 1981. After moving to Loveland, Bruno made his debut as a popular instructor, personal chef and restaurant owner. He is featured on local television, and continues to share his joie-de-vivre through his cooking classes. In total, Bruno has lived in and traveled to over 35 countries. Now, he brings this experience of cultures and cooking to Northern Colorado. When you join him for this season's classes, be sure to ask about his new partnership with the Institute of Ecolonomics.
Barb Lance has been a Personal Chef since 1999, cooking for hungry clients all over Northern Colorado as Your Personal Chef. She is a senior member of the United States Personal Chef Association. In addition, she works as Corporate Chef for Asia-etc., a company that assists Asian manufacturers in bringing their products to the American market. Barb also enjoys preparing in-home dinner parties for clients, and also does some occasional small event catering. Her interests definitely revolve around anything in the culinary world, which has led her to explore new techniques and cuisines and to share this with others. Barb loves cooking and baking gluten-free, wine tasting, dark chocolate, herb gardening, traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Dianne Moeller is a foodie dedicated to the principle that truly fabulous food is pleasing to all the senses as well as healthy and nourishing to the body. Her love of food and cooking has led her from cooking for commercial backpacking trips in the US and Guatemala, to consulting with five-star resorts. Fascinated by nutrition, she became a registered dietitian and is dedicated to teaching about and cooking with whole, natural foods.
Gloria Picinini has a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University. Her passion for cooking comes from an early age, watching her grandma cook in the kitchen. Her diverse career includes working at Whole Foods and various restaurants, and also as a Culinary Demonstrator for Johnson and Wales. She is currently the Personal Chef for Denver Nuggets NBA star Nenê. She is Brazilian and loves sharing the simple, different and delicious food from Brazil in her classes.
Barbara Trujillo has been around Cuban cooking her entire life. Her family fled Fidel Castro's regime over forty years ago and settled within the second largest Cuban community in the United States. It was in this Little Havana, just outside Manhattan, where her love and fascination for Cuban cooking began. For over twenty years, she has learned alongside authentic Cuban cooks. Barbara has been a consultant and contributor for Beverly Cox's cookbook, Eating Cuban. She has provided personal instruction to many groups and individuals in the Fort Collins area. Barbara is overjoyed by the recent explosion of interest in Cuban food and thoroughly enjoys sharing this Spanish-Caribbean fare with friends and students alike. Barbara is a graduate of Rutgers Law School and lives in Fort Collins with her husband and four children.
