- RESIDENCY DATES : Oct 5th 2009 to Sep 30th 2010
- FROM : USA
At age 15 - as one of California's last soda jerks- Michelle began her career in food. Cooking in various Bay Area restaurants she ultimately landed at Zuni Café and Chez Panisse, both pioneers of the local and sustainable food movement. At Zuni, she climbed the ranks in the kitchen and learned the foundations of rustic California cooking. At Chez Panisse, she further refined her skills as a serious cook. Most importantly, her experiences have taught her where good ingredients come from, the integrity of a simple meal and the larger impact this awareness has on the world. Additional experiences include working for Judy Rodger’s on her cookbook tour and in public appearances, and also for chef Jamie Oliver and authors Diana Kennedy and Niloufer King.
Michelle’s forays into writing can be found in the Slow Food Guide to San Francisco and the civil eats blog. Her work in the culinary arts has been featured in interviews in Chow, the San Francisco Chronicle, and on the California Report. In 2008, she curated the pickles and chutney pavilion for the inaugural Slow Food Nation extravaganza in the US, which reached over 85,000 people. In summer 2009, Michelle collaborated with Anya Fernald on canning workshops for the successful Yes We Can project in San Francisco which has helped inspire home canners across the country.
