Our chef instructors are highly qualified industry professionals from a myriad of backgrounds. We have cookbook authors, restaurant owners, executive chefs, caterers, private cooking teachers, and food editors instructing our many classes. They bring expertise from every aspect of the kitchen, and have experience teaching culinary skills at all levels. Whether you're an expert at caramelizing onions within a cranberry reduction, or you're just grateful to figure out a can opener, our teachers make you feel right at home in our comfortable kitchen. And, of course, the classes follow with a great meal you had a part in preparing!

Jennifer Goren is a proud graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food & Health’s Chef Training Program. Her expertise focuses on health supportive cooking methods using whole foods and converting any recipe into a healthy and scrumptious alternative, while placing emphasis on nutrition and the connection between food and its healing properties. She has prepared meals for guests at Laurel Springs Ranch and Retreat Center in Santa Barbara, California and taught cooking classes to groups with special dietary needs i.e., food allergies, vegan and vegetarian. She’s enjoyed teaching healthy cooking to teenagers at NYC’s Hamilton Madison House, conducted lectures here as well as abroad, and catered for both private and corporate clients through her small business “The Zen Gourmet.” Jennifer is passionate about tasting and teaching all types of cuisine, and is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of Culinary Arts Programming, as well as inspiring new class trends!

Megan Brenn-White completed the Chef's Training Program at the Natural Gourmet School of Cookery in New York and then worked at the exclusive Golden Door Spa in Southern California. Her focus on helping people learn to cook delicious and healthy meals in a way that fits busy modern lifestyles has inspired her courses on ethnic and natural foods cooking. She currently teaches both children and adult cooking classes at various locations in New York City and her first cookbook on baking and decorating treats for kids will appear in Spring 2005 with HarperCollins.

Wai Chu is a cookbook author and cooking instructor. He recently completed his first cookbook The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide to be published by HarperCollins in October 2009. The book includes over 130 traditional recipes from around the world. Previously, he was the owner and chef of El Eden Chocolates, makers of handcrafted chocolates in New York’s East Village. He currently teaches a variety of cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education and the Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center. He recently celebrated his first year as a vegetarian.

Lauren Braun Costello is a chef, author, food stylist, culinary instructor, and was the chef owner of Gotham Caterers, a private caterer in New York City. She holds a B.A. from Colgate University and earned a Grand Diploma in Culinary Arts with distinction from The French Culinary Institute. Lauren's acclaimed first book, "Notes on Cooking," was co-authored with Russell Reich, one of her JCC students! Her second book, "The Competent Cook" is a solo title due out in November 2009. Lauren has gained both local and national media exposure, including appearances on ABC's "The View."

Emily Klein is the founder of Eat Well, Live Well, a boutique culinary instruction company based in and around New York City that provides top rate, personalized culinary instruction in the privacy of people's own homes, as well as themed dinner parties, bridal support and a call in support line where help is available 24/7 ~ for kitchen catastrophe assistance, shopping dilemmas, recipe walk throughs, simple menu planning, or any culinary question (www.eatlivewell.net). Emily is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She has learned directly from master chefs in top restaurants in New York City, the Napa Valley, and the Piemonte region of Italy, as well as master teachers within the alternative health field.

Myra Kornfeld is the author of The Voluptuous Vegan (Clarkson Potter Publishers) and the forthcoming The Healthy Hedonist (Simon and Schuster, September 2005), a book with over 250 streamlined global recipes for flexitarians. A specialist in natural foods cooking, she worked for six years creating innovative vegan cuisine at New York's Angelica Kitchen. She teaches natural ethnic cuisines at the Natural Gourmet in New York City as well as in many schools and retreats throughout the country.

Linda Lantos is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and the Culinary Arts. Her focus is on teaching adults and children how to cook delicious, health-supportive meals that are easy, accessible, and fun for everyone. Linda is also the Assistant Manager for Food and Nutrition at the Children's Aid Society, teaches experiential Jewish history workshops through food and cooking for the Board of Jewish Education, and works as a personal chef, caterer, and cooking instructor throughout New York City.

Sherri Maxman was inspired to start baking after visiting the Wonder Bread factory in Queens when she was in third grade, and she has been cooking ever since. She attended baking and cooking courses at the New York Restaurant School and the New School. She now works at Eleni's bakery in Chelsea Market, where she specializes in baking and decorating cakes. Sherri conducts hands-on baking weekends at Blueberry Hill Inn in Vermont and is the owner of her own baking business, Baked By Me. Her specialties include bread baking, cake decorating, cooking for families, cooking with children, and chocolate desserts.

John Scoff joined to Home Cooking in early 2006. After 15 years of restaurant work, culminating most recently as Executive Chef of a Lowcountry bistro in South Carolina, John continues to believe strongly in working with local, fresh ingredients. John’s apprenticeships under several highly-regarded, award-winning chefs gave him the culinary expertise and the sense of professionalism he needed to become a well-respected restaurant chef. But in 2004, John truly found his calling when he accepted a position as Executive Chef-Instructor at a recreational cooking school in historic downtown Charleston. As a teacher there, he discovered how much he enjoys sharing his passion for and knowledge of cuisine.

Assistant Director of Culinary Arts, has been with the JCC since September 2006.  Irene first learned to cook beside her grandmother, who taught her to cook from taste, smell and feel rather than from recipes.  Irene started at the JCC as a volunteer in the Culinary Arts Program   Irene has taken numerous cooking courses all over the United States and prides herself on being able to recreate dishes that she has enjoyed in restaurants. In 2006, Irene was one of the semi-finalists in the first ever Simply-Manischweitz Cooking Contest.

Adeena Sussman is a food writer, recipe developer and chef based in New York City. Her work has appeared in Gourmet, SELF, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Sunset, Jewish Living, Hadassah and many other publications, and on websites including Epicurious.com, Gourmet.com and Myjewishlearning.com. She also collaborates with Food Network host Ellie Krieger on recipes for her cookbooks and her television show, Healthy Appetite. A graduate of the Institute for Culinary Education, Adeena is passionate about travel and food culture, subjects she covers regularly. She is also the recipient of a 2007 Harry A. Bell Travel Grant for research on an Israeli-themed cookbook.

Rachel Saks has been inspired by fresh food and innovative techniques for as long as she can remember. She grew up in the kitchen tasting, eating, and creating and has developed an array of culinary skills at professional cooking schools in New York, Florence, Philadelphia and Bangkok. Author of Jewish American Food Culture, Rachel is passionate about both her Jewish identity and healthy food. She is currently a Master’s Degree candidate for Nutrition and Dietetics at New York University and is working on her second book, Recipes for Healthy Jewish Living. Additionally, Rachel teaches classes at The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts and appears at synagogues and kosher restaurants as a guest lecturer and chef.

Andrea is the head chef instructor at Cooking Confidential NY, a private culinary training program for New Yorkers and their families. After cultivating her passion for Asian culinary arts while living in Japan, Andrea returned to New York and formalized her training at the French Culinary Institute. Her energy and enthusiasm have graced the halls of the JCC Culinary Studio since its doors opened and Andrea continues to provide her students with hands-on individual attention. Her culinary expertise is also applied each day at home, where she creates fun, nutritious and fresh food for her two small children.

Linda Monastra is a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Institute who works as a freelance chef specializing in vegetarian and health-supportive cooking. She has worked with Chef Eric Tucker at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. Currently Linda works as a culinary instructor, private chef, food writer, and recipe developer for Natural Health Magazine. In addition, she is co-founder of Three Birds Bakery, makers of small batch granola.

Mark Bello is a tour-de-force of creativity and energy, sharing his knowledge and love of cooking with unpretentious ease. Born in NYC and raised with a meatball in one hand and a matzo ball in the other, his love of gastronomy was carefully cultivated by his parents and then left to simmer for several years while he worked his way up to an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Post graduation, Mark stayed on in Chicago for 10 years. Living in a land of deep-dish and dismal brand-name pizzas he vowed to feed his need for the pizzas of his youth: so he took to the kitchen and mastered a recipe for perfect pizza in the home oven. After a decade of refining, including a period of living, eating and cooking in Italy, Mark has returned to his East Coast roots and established Pizza a Casa (www.pizzaacasa.com) performance style pizza catering and cooking class company. In addition to his private classes, catering and events, Mark can be found sharing the cooking love at establishments including Murray's Cheese, The Astor Center, Miele, The JCC in Manhattan, and Whole Foods. He also volunteers his time with organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Chefs for Humanity, and Slow Food.