Cheers everyone! I own a business called Chef Lady TC and I teach cooking and baking classes to the wonderful people around our gorgeous area every week, all year (cheflady.net). I enrolled in the Great Lakes Culinary Institute as a hobby when I became and empty nester, and one thing led to another and I am so lucky to have people filling my classes for almost 2 years. Come and take a class!
Q: Please tell us about yourself.
I have been married for 37 years, have 2 adult children that live in Marquette, and live in downtown Traverse City. I love walking and biking all over town and dining and going to our wonderful wineries. Most of all I enjoy cooking and baking!
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
My background is in fine art and graphic design, but I spent 20 years in radio and television advertsing as a sales rep for over 500 stations across the country. I worked for rep firms and called on Ad Agencies. Then I raised my children and invested 3 years into this new hobby, and here I am. Teaching a baking or a cooking class to 16 people is like orchestrating a party and I do that every week all year. We also have a liquor license, so you can have a glass of wine while you cook. I love everything about doing this, the people really make me happy, especially when they reach out about when they are making their newly learned items again at home.
Q: What is your favorite book?
My favorite books are really piles and piles of cookbooks, but I was fascinated by the autobiography of Jacques Pepin, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen. Did you know he turned down an offer to be the white house chef for the Kennedys to accept a position at Howard Johnson’s? He is an absolute legend and his life is incredibly fascinating!
Q: What are some of your favorite restaurants in our community?
My favorite restaurants are Pepenero and Red Ginger. But I am also a fan of Slabtown Burgers, and I miss Scalawags and Mr. Taco. Cousin Jenny’s is a very fresh lunch spot too!
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community? What brought you to Grand Traverse County?
I have lived in Traverse City for about 15 years, and spent a lot of time here prior to that. There is not another place that I have visited that compares. And I appreciate how lucky we are to live here.
Q: What advice would you give to people who want to visit our community?
Get restaurant reservations in advance. Be sure to visit the wineries. Head out to lunch at Rick’s Cafe and wander fishtown. And try to drive Pierce Stocking Drive on a sunny day to see our salt free turquoise ocean. Come all year, people walk downtown in the snow almost as much as they do in the summer or fall, and it twinkles with snow falling and lights.
Q: If you could choose anyone today with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would you all meet?
Here I go with Jacques Pepin again, but he is a national treasure (he was also quite the playboy in the early days), he was the first real celebrity chef. We would meet at a winery with a beautiful view and have a charcuterie board, the Deck at Brys or Bonobo.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
Our farm market is spectacular, but being able to dine, walk on the beach, hop in a kayak, and have amazing shopping all right in town…that just is not something that you find everywhere. We are all so lucky to be here.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I am a skilled tap dancer. I spent years growing up in dance, specifically tap. I can still do it. I’m also a pretty good hula hooper. I was in a contest on the streets of Disney, and those other people did not stand a chance lol. Childhood skills, we had a lot of time to play back then.
Q: Which yearly event in Grand Traverse County do you enjoy best?
I actually enjoy Cherry Fest. I live downtown, so I can get around on foot. The air show always still amazes me, I actually get to see them practice for the days before. And I live on F&M Park, so I see things like the kids pet show which is so adorable. The parades are my favorite, and they are so nostalgic that they almost bring a tear to my eyes. And I live in the parade staging area, so I might get goats and alpacas out front for the kids parade, and have had a coast guard helicopter parked at my curb for the Saturday parade. Pretty cool!
Q: What is your favorite season in Northern Michigan? And what is your favorite activity to do in that season?
Summer is my favorite season here, but fall is a close second. That being said, I love to bundle up in winter and walk to dinner downtown. And winter is THE BEST cooking and baking and nesting weather, so I can’t hate it. And F&M Park has a skating rink all winter right outside my window and looks like a snow globe.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
When I think of the word home I think of peace, and cooking (of course), and I think lucky to be here.
