Christopher Becker
is the owner of the New School of Cooking. A native of Philadelphia, Chris grew up in a family of restaurateurs who operated family dinning establishments and dinners around the city. He worked in his family’s businesses growing up and ultimately decided on cooking as an occupation. Arriving in California in 1977 Chris worked in San Francisco neighborhood restaurants until he was recruited to work at Campton Place Hotel then on to the Westin Bonaventure as the Chef de Cuisine. He created Christopher’s in Pasadena in 1985 and was the Executive Chef of Ocean Avenue Seafood in 1987. In 1988 Chris obtained a teaching credential and began working with secondary and postsecondary students in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the Atlantic Vocational Center and was the Director of Culinary Apprenticeship for the American Culinary Federation. In 1993 Chris and his wife founded the California School of Culinary Arts in South Pasadena, California. Chris went on to create the Kitchen Academy and built campuses in several locations as well as developing and working with culinary schools in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, Austin, Chicago and New York. Remaining active in the school field in health education since 2008 Becker has returned to work with the New School of Cooking. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, a Masters Degree in Science in Leadership and a Honorary Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
Carol Cotner Thompson
is the Director of Culinary Education at the New School of Cooking and has over 27 years professional cooking experience and over 20 years experience in culinary education. A graduate of both the professional cooking and pastry programs at the California Culinary Academy in 1986, Thompson has since taken on a wide array of professional endeavors which include extensive restaurant consulting and cooking experience, television and print food styling and on-camera chef work, recipe and curriculum development and stints as a personal chef. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times Food Section, the Hollywood Reporter, radio shows “Good Food” and “Weekend America” and on the morning television show, “Good Day L.A.”
Chef May Parich
graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1998. She has worked as a private chef, pastry chef, food writer and food buyer. Prior to joining the New School of Cooking Parich was the director of the cooking program at HomeChef Kitchen Store in Pasadena and Newport Beach. Parich is also experienced in specialty food production and sales. She has taught cooking for ten years and teaches our professional program as well as many recreational classes.
Chef Laura Weinman
graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 1986. Weinman developed and taught the two-year professional cooking program at UCLA Extension and has six years of teaching experience. She has extensive restaurant experience and worked for seven years as a corporate chef and private chef for celebrity clients. She has also cooked with local catering firms and has catered privately for the last six years. Weinman has twenty four years of pastry, cooking, nutritional and specialty foods experience
Chef Neelam Batra
is the author of the award winning 1000 Indian Recipes, The Indian Vegetarian and Chilis to Chutneys: American Home Cooking with the Flavors of India. She has taught cooking for over twenty years and has been a guest and on-air instructor for national television shows in the United States and India.
Chef Jet Tila
returns this quarter for a two-night visit to the New School. Jet is currently the executive chef at Wazuzu, the critically aclaimed Asian bistro at the Wynn Encore hotel in Las Vegas. Tila trained at the California School of Culinary Arts and the California Sushi Academy. He has taught cooking for nine years.
Chef Jamie Cantor
After graduating from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Jamie Cantor received an Associates Degree and a Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts from The Culinary Institute of America. She then began work at The French Laundry restaurant as Chef de Partie alongside James Beard Award recipient chef Thomas Keller. In May of 2002, Jamie Cantor officially founded platine, and in 2004 launched the website platincookies.com, featuring high quality baked goods that can be delivered anywhere in the US. Named one of the Top 20 Bakeries in LA by Los Angeles Magazine, platine’s retail store, located at 10850 Washington Blvd. in Culver City and opened in 2009, features cookies and desserts that are hand made in small batches using natural ingredients of the finest quality, from original recipes created by Jamie Cantor.
