Instructors Mary Aebischer, a native of Mexico City, is presently living in New Mexico. Aside from teaching at UNM, she continues to teach cooking classes while finishing her book on Regional Cuisines of Mexico.
Kelly Campbell (Nicely) has over 20 years of experience in the wine industry that includes teaching and selling wine. During her tenure with B&T distributing she shared with restaurant staff her knowledge, helping them to appreciate and sell wine. Over the past 20 years, she has taught wine tasting with chef Gary Nicely at the Glass Bazaar as well as hosting numerous wine dinners at local restaurants including Naples Italian Restaurant. Her extensive travels to major wine making countries and wineries has broadened her knowledge and passion for wine. Kelly recently became certified as a wine specialist.
Joe Cunningham is the Executive chef for Northshore Brasserie in Knoxville. He went to school in NYC at the French Culinary Institute. After graduation he worked in several restaurants up and down the east coast. After living abroad and studying in China, Australia, and Europe he brought the skills and knowledge he acquired to Knoville where he prepares s French Belgian cuisine specializing in Brasserie classics.steak frites, mussels, roast chicken, fresh seafood, and handmade pastas. Chef Joe Cunningham also takes advantage of local produce and meats to create in season specials.
Jason Dean, a Knoxville native who has always had a love for cooking and learning new techniques in the kitchen. Living in Los Angeles for 15 years working as an actor and doing a bit of writing, he picked up a lot of food knowledge from chefs in LA. We talked food a lot and enjoyed many meals at some amazing restaurants.When he moved back to Knoxville a few years ago he worked with DeeAnn Bower to start her whole-person health and wellness company called VIVE Alchemy. Part of the VIVE Alchemy process is eating a plant-based diet. Jason loves the challenge of making meals that we are all familiar with... plant-based. I have also found so many dishes and cooking styles I wasn't familiar with. It has been an absolute blast creating the weekly menu and collaborating with the clients.
Jeff Ross, Blackberry Farm’s Field School Manager since 2006. He is a Knoxville native who has a profound passion for food and he has found at Blackberry Farm, a place to showcase his talents In cooking and the food-ways of Appalachia. Jeff is currently teaching cooking classes at Blackberry Farm for guests.
Tekorio (Corey) Hawkins, has been with Chesapeakes for 17 years, a classic hard work meets talent story. He began as a dishwasher and by proving himself worked his way up the ranks to his current position as kitchen manager for Chesapeakes. “I love to cook for large groups of people and my favorite thing to cook is thanksgiving dinner for my family, something I’ve been doing since I was in the 8th grade.”
Terri Geiser is a culinary enthusiast, caterer and cooking instructor who appears regularly on WBIR. She loves entertaining and has a special interest in food and wine pairing. While staying in South Africa she learned about different foods, herbs, spices and cooking methods. She has been teaching for the Glass Bazaar for over 14 years and is currently the assistant director of the Culinary Institute Community Cooking Classes at the University of Tennessee. Jennifer Gaskell King, General manager for the Melting Pot going on 11 years. She has worked at the Knoxville location for almost 6 years and 6 years in the Atlanta market.She received the Teamwork award plus 5 other awards in sales building and marketing. Her great team spirit has helped to bing the Melting Pot into the forefront as one of the best restaurants in Knoxville. Gary Nicely is the Executive Chef for the award-winning Naples Italian Restaurant, where he has worked for 28 years. He has been teaching cooking classes for over a decade. He is a regular on Live at Five as well as being featured in many publications including the Home and Garden, the News Sentinel, Homes and Living and the Metro Pulse to name a few. Mike Loosli, is currently with Lakeside Tavern. He first gained his passion for cooking with his mom who ran a bakery out of their home leading him on to develop a very diverse culinary background. While in Texas, he learned from a very inspiring chef at a local Italian restaurant and other chefs at various pubs in Dallas. These experiences enhanced his leadership skills for becoming a manager at Knoxville’s Irish Times, Puleo’s and later Restaurant Linderhof. Mike utilizes components from his broad ranging background to create unique and exciting flavors.
David Pinckney, a culinary celebrity in Knoxville, apprenticed under Chef Bill Allen at The Orangery. In 1987 David accepted the Executive Chef position at the Orangery and has been doing cooking classes at Glass Bazaar for thirteen years. David was a Chef for the Tennessee Bicentennial Dinner at the James Beard House in New York. He is currently the Executive Chef of Cherokee Country Club. They are very excited to have David join their great team.
Amy Ridgell has spent her life cooking with family and friends in East Tennessee. She has a master’s degree in education from UTK and started her private chef business “The Savory Whisk” four years ago. She offers a wide variety of culinary learning experiences, including both private and group classes for children to adults of all ages. She enjoys using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients in creative recipes, as well as, inspiring others to expand their knowledge of cooking in exciting and interactive classes.