Well, where do I start? Let’s see…I have always loved food, but I have to be honest, my specialty was definitely in eating it, not in cooking it, for a very long time. I didn’t learn a thing about cooking when I was growing up. I went to boarding school at the age of 12, then onto college away from home, so I rarely set foot in a kitchen. In fact, I used to order in or eat out almost every single meal until just a few years ago! Working in a busy entertainment job in Manhattan, I had no time to cook and considered myself a bona fide restaurant snob. I knew all the best places and loved comparing flavors with prices and atmosphere. In fact, I even loved taking pictures of these hot spots, since photography is my other special hobby.

But soon, I grew tired of ordering all the wonderful food and wanted to learn how to make it myself. So I quit my job and moved home to San Francisco where I attended Tante Marie’s Cooking School, which is ranked in the top 10 private culinary schools in the country by Gourmet Magazine. I was scared out of my mind for the first few weeks! I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But soon, the skills set in and things started to come naturally to me. I even ended up winning our knife skills competition at the end of the program.

So if I can do this, so can you! Even before I graduated, I started working nights at the school assisting classes, which is where I discovered my love for teaching and my talents with Asian cuisine. So, believe me, I really do know what it is like to have no basic cooking skills and I truly have a knack for teaching beginners. Sign up for one class with me and I’ll show you how fast and easy it can be. You’ll be hooked! Cheers to you and I look forward to cooking with you.

Sincerely,
Marr DeMonte

Click to see my culinary resume

Email me at: marr_demonte@me.com