Saturday 8/13
11:45am Carol Kozlowski, Kozlowski Farms
1:00 PM Daniel Kedan, Peter Lowells
2:30 PM Jacquelyn Buchanan, Laura Chenel
Sunday 8/14
10:30am Chris Maritzen, Sebastopol Whole Foods
11:45am Elissa Rubin-Mahon, Artisan Preserves
1:00 PM Mei Ibach, Malaysian Mei
2:30 PM Billy Reid, Hopmonk Tavern
Chef Bios
Carol Kozlowski, Kozlowski Farms
Carol Kozlowski comes from a third generation of Sonoma County agricultural heritage. She is involved in the daily operations and management of Kozlowski Farms along with her brother Perry Kozlowski, Sister Cindy Kozlowski-Hayworth and Mother Carmen Kozlowski.
Mei Ibach
Mei Ibach was born in a small fishing village near Singapore. She learned her secrets of cooking fresh, seasonal cuisines from members of her extended Chinese family while growing up. She gathered her own spices, grew her own vegetables and grilled the catch of the day over open fire. In Sonoma County, she has shared her professional cooking techniques and authentic recipes at Santa Rosa Jr. College – Culinary Arts Dept and other community culinary centers. Once or twice a year she leads a special culinary tour to Southeast Asia. Her passions include cooking with children, healthy Asian cooking and showcasing artisan ingredients from local farms and purveyors.
Malaysian’s Cuisine: This unique cuisine is a blend of four distinctive cultures of Chinese, Malay-Indonesian, and Indian, and sub-culture known as “Nnoya – Food of Love” , cooking, which grew-out of the marriage of Chinese men to Malay women. The contemporary food of Malaysia and Singapore is best represented by the open-air street food stalls.
Jacquelyn Buchanan, Executive Culinary Director, Laura Chenel Chevre
Jacquelyn is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy; Bauman College’s Nutrition Educator Program; and Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. She is a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the San Francisco Professional Food Society, the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, and Slow Food, USA.
Billy Reid, Executive Chef, Hopmonk Tavern
Billy’s culinary background includes studies at the Las Vegas Culinary Institute with Master Chef Raimund Hoffmeister, followed by two years in the kitchen at Fiamma Trattoria and Bar at the MGM Grand under Chef Michael White and three years at the New York New York Hotel and Casino. Billy moved to the wine country in 2007 to work with Thad Lineman and Ryan Jackson of Tavistock Restaurants, including the Napa Valley Grille in Yountville, before shifting his attention to Sonoma County. Billy is thoroughly enjoying running the kitchen at Hopmonk where he gets to introduce people to unexpected flavors in food and beer pairings.
Elissa Rubin-Mahon
Elissa Rubin-Mahon’s foraging and gleaning business, Artisan Preserves, specializes in wildcrafted and rare heirloom fruit. She writes a culinary column for Mushroom: The Journal of Wild Mushrooming, is past president and founding culinary chairperson of the Sonoma County Mycological Association and teaches about foraged and heirloom foods and preserving. Elissa works with Slow Food USA to research and evaluate rare and endangered foodstuffs for Slow Food’s Ark of Taste and specializes in creating menus and recipes that feature them.
Daniel Kedan
Chef Daniel Kedan’s culinary roots began with working his way through restaurants on his native East Coast. With a growing desire to expand to explore the roots of Italian cooking, he made his first ever trip to Italy at age 26. This would be Daniel’s first exposure to authentic rustic Italian cuisine, leading him to dedicate himself even more fully to his dreams of being a chef.
After returning home from this trip, Daniel quickly jumped at the chance to move to California and begin CIA’s new Associates program. A week into his program at CIA, Daniel began working at Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc, where he began his professional training in a demanding kitchen setting. After graduating from CIA with an Associate’s degree in 2007, and with a desire to take on more responsibility in the kitchen, Daniel made a move as Sous Chef to The General’s Daughter in Sonoma. The General’s Daughter gave Daniel an opportunity to work with a restaurant utilizing its own farm to supply fresh produce for the restaurant. Garnishing everything he could from this experience, he then went on to cook at Solage in Napa, then a final stint at Ad Hoc to showcase his progression and take on more of a leadership role in the kitchen.
His last venture before taking on the Executive Chef role at Peter Lowell’s would be working as the Executive Sous Chef from September of 2009 through December of 2010 at Cantinetta Piero. Here, Daniel learned how to open a restaurant, hire and train staff, and refine the art of cooking wood oven pizzas and fresh pastas.
With a growing desire to be a part of a restaurant whose ideals are in line with his dedication to local, organic and seasonal food, he decided to take on the role of Executive Chef at Peter Lowell’s.
Chris Maritzen, Sebastopol Whole Foods
Chris Maritzen is the Prepared Foods Team Leader at the Sebastopol Whole Foods Market. Chris has been a chef and restaurateur for decades. In his twenties Chris traveled all over Europe through France and Italy where he found his passion for cooking. It was in Italy where Chris really learned how to cook, and he took what he learned overseas back to California where he opened numerous Italian restaurants. After successfully running his restaurants in San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Marin he decided to take a break from the stress of running restaurants to doing what he loves best in a more relaxing setting. Chris shares his passion for eating a nutrient dense diet full of local and green produce with team members and customers through his diverse menu at Whole Foods Market Sebastopol.
