FOUNDER & INSTRUCTOR

James’ roots in Chicago can be traced back to the early 1900’s when his Grandmother Angela and Grandfather Achille arrived in Chicago’s Little Italy from Bari, Italy. Butchers by trade, Angela and Achille opened shop on Halsted and Taylor Streets where they raised their family and flourished.

Fast forward to the early 1980’s, Angela and family had relocated to the western suburbs and set up shop, this time a restaurant. At the wise age of 11, James decided it was time to learn from Grandma.

After years of working in the family restaurant, James attended The Culinary School of Kendall College, then located in Evanston. His education at Kendall lead to extended stages with Roland Liccioni at the famed Le Francais and at Les Nomades.

After several years of tutelage under Roland, James spent several years working with another mentor, Dean Zanella. The years with Dean were formative. According to James, “Dean showed me what it meant to be Italian.” Then, the real adventure began.

James took some time off to explore and eat his way around Asia and eventually settled in San Francisco. It was during this time that James met Paul Ferrari and Luca Guglielmi of AG Ferrari. The philosophy behind AG Ferrari was to have the best of the best. No compromise. James took this to heart and was off to Italy to see it firsthand.

The first stop was the Michelin 2-star Ristorante La Peca in the province of Vicenza. James spent 5 years with Nicola and Pier Luigi Portinari understanding how to elevate Italian cuisine to world-class levels.

James moved on to spend close to 2 years with Simone Padoan at Pizzeria I Tigli in Verona. It was at I Tigli with Simone where the possibility of bringing pizza to world-class levels was realized. It was also here where James was introduced to the world of biodynamics as the wines of Angiolino Maule, Josko Gravner, Radikon, etc, were featured prominently and were an integral part of the Tigli experience.

James then moved on to the Hotel Bauer in Venezia as the saucier under Executive Chef Giovanni Ciresa. His time at the Bauer led to another stint with Giovanni, this time as his Chef de Cuisine at the Hotel Palladio & Spa on the island of Giudecca in Venezia.

James then went on to a series of stages. His time at the world-famous Il Cacciatore da Cesare, in the mountains above Alba, opened James’ eyes to the wines of the Langhe and of course, white truffles. James’ interest in wine took him back to Vicenza to stage in the front of the house learning the ins and outs of properly serving wine, while also solidifying his knowledge of specifically Italian wine.

The last stop for James was a stage at Pasticceria Il Chiosco under the watchful eye of Francesco Ballico. James learned the basics of the art of pastries as the final piece of his 10-year Italian sojourn before returning home to Chicago. James was most recently the Chef/Owner of Pisolino Italian Market in Avondale.

FOUNDER & INSTRUCTOR

In growing up in a true Italian family, Executive Chef Dean Zanella had no choice but to be immersed in Italian cuisine.

From his father and grandfather fighting over who grew the better tomato, his uncle blessing the rabbits they raised before his mother served them for supper, and the never-ending search for the perfect bakery, Italian food culture was always at the heart of the Zanella family. As early as 14, Zanella was growing vegetables on the family property and kneading dough for pizzas and pasta in a neighborhood Italian restaurant.

After his culinary education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Zanella worked with Peter Merriman at his restaurant in Hawaii. Zanella brought Merriman’s influence, plus his commitment to natural flavors and local produce, to his later work at some great restaurants, including Charlie Trotter’s and Gordon.

In 1994, as Executive Chef at Grappa, Zanella opened what Chicago Magazine dubbed one of the “Best New Restaurants” in the city. Also, a mentor and a teacher, Zanella has supported programs such as Gallery 37 (a city-sponsored educational program spearheaded by Maggie Daley), where he taught high school students the ins and outs of being a chef. Zanella has also always been an influential supporter of the Green City Market and local farmers in general.

He was one of the first chefs in Chicago to truly embrace the Green City Market’s initiatives to bring fresh, local produce and ingredients to both chefs and anyone with an appreciation for local, sustainable food.

Zanella then moved to 312 Chicago where he intertwined treasured family recipes, fresh contemporary presentations, and years of experience. With the continued influence from the gifted chefs that he had learned from and his own natural talent, Zanella continued to impress, and 312 Chicago was named one of the Top 50 Hotel Restaurants in America by Food & Wine Magazine.

Chef Zanella also opened his own brief, but well acclaimed restaurant, Aldino’s before moving on to become the executive chef at Rhapsody Restaurant at the Chicago Symphony Center. Most recently he has been working as the Consulting Corporate Chef for Chicago Cut Steakhouse and their sister restaurants while simultaneously starting a new project that will be a top culinary destination in Chicago.

PASTRY CHEF & INSTRUCTOR

Born and raised in Green Bay Wisconsin, Mollie moved to Chicago in 2014 to attend The French Pastry School founded on the teachings of Chefs Sebastian Canonne M.O.F. and Jacquy Pfeiffer. After 6 years of working in the pastry industry of Chicago, Chef Mollie made the move to Los Angeles in early September 2021. There she helped open the restaurant attached to the much anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and worked under Wolfgang Puck Regional Executive Pastry Chef, Gary Larduinat.