Owner & Food Enthusiast with an incredible passion for food and all things related. I refer to myself as an enthusiast because I love to cook and travel & I take cooking lessons wherever and whenever I can. I enjoy learning as much as I do teaching. Pronto’s classes are taught not only by myself but by other enthusiasts and professionals in their respective fields. Our classes are for learning about foods and wine while creating a social experience for people. One thing about food people is they are fun people who they love to eat drink and talk.
All about me….
At 13 my parents sent me out for a job. I ended up at the end of my street at Le Lyonnais Restaurant Francais in Acton Ma. It was here I learned the power of Vite Vite Vite, how to carry cabbages in my apron from the root cellar, I ate beef tonque and became and excellent escargot stuffer. This job carried me through high school.
Off to Cape Cod which brought me to the front of the house at La Cipollina serving northern Italian food and then to the Red Pheasant serving classic American cuisine.
Next it was a stint in Steamboat Springs at the Good Taste Crepe Shop where I moved from dishwasher to head chef in 1 ski season. It was here I learned to be the breakfast chef I am and how to work in a small kitchen!
Back to the east coast… After the grueling restaurant hours I went into retail. I won 2 Best of Boston awards for best kitchen store while managing Kitchen Arts on Newbury St, Boston. I then went on to manage the Williams Sonoma store in Copley Place and assisted in the opening of the Williams Sonoma store at Quincy Market.
After the never ending hours of retail I started amano catering, winning numerous accolades and Best of Boston. We catered countless lovely weddings, corporate clients and for presidents and queens as exclusive caterer for FIFA for the 1994 World Cup Soccer in Boston. When it was time to retire from catering our finale was the Zegna Boston opening party working with Jody Adams and Bryan Raffanelli.
Moving out to the beautiful Massachusetts Berkshires I opened the full service amano café and The Richmond Store, a wine, cheese & gourmet specialty store. It was 7 years of success when I chose to close for personal reasons and sell the building. The amano café is still remembered fondly by so many and I miss these former customers!
Having 2 school age children and teaching friends cooking it reawakened my desire to share all of my accumulated knowledge and experience. This reawakening brought about Pronto – a cooking school.
Hope to see you with an apron on!