Berkeley, California, United States
High-Impact Operational Leader, Program Manager & Estate Chef I am a cross-functional professional with 15+ years of leadership spanning public health program management, food policy, and high-end private estate culinary operations. My career is anchored by a deep expertise in building robust operational workflows, managing complex budgets, leading diverse teams, and executing premium, nutrition-forward initiatives from the ground up. Whether directing complex community health programs or managing seamless, high-discretion private households, I bring a structured, solution-oriented approach to execution, risk management, and stakeholder relations. Executive & Private Estate Culinary Services As a private chef and estate manager, I design and execute bespoke culinary experiences, therapeutic menus (including allergen-conscious, vegan, macrobiotic, and Ayurvedic), and holistic nutrition plans for high-net-worth families, individuals, and wellness retreats. My comprehensive household services include: - Full estate kitchen operations, menu curation, and global supply chain sourcing. - Rigorous household financial budgeting, expense tracking, and custom invoicing. - Seamless personnel leadership, including screening, mentoring, and managing estate service staff. - Strict compliance with absolute discretion, safety protocols, and estate preferences. - Program Strategy, Public Health & Compliance Complementing my estate work, I am an accomplished research manager and analyst with an M.S. from Cornell University focused on agricultural networks and international food subsidy programs. I offer deep experience navigating strict regulatory environments, managing grant allocations, and coordinating multi-sector workstreams across diverse communities, municipal governments, and NGOs. Highly adept at data oversight and compliance (including NSF and IRB ethics criteria), I excel at translating complex operational requirements into successful program completion. Let’s connect to discuss how my dual expertise in operational strategy and tailored estate service can elevate your organization or private household.
- Manage events with budgets ranging from $500 - $25,000, with up to 250 guests. - Engage partnerships with ecologically stewarded food vendors, proprietors and clients to highlight human-nature relationships, place-based programming, and local product procurement. - Strategic partnerships for event production with vendors, complex university structures, and diverse community organizations, bridging resolutions to puzzles and conflicts. - Venue selection, vendor management and registration processing. - Food Safety Handling Manager certified (National Restaurant Foundation, exp. 2028) in kitchens, commissaries and concessions. - Private Chef & House Manager services to ultra high net worth clients, philanthropist families, tech founders, in the SF Bay Area, Ithaca, NY and Seattle, WA. - Process university insurance forms and procedural requirements for vendors, and public health department food and beverage service licensing for campus and private venues. - Present, write and produce content for promotion, marketing and sales of ticketed events. - Manage ticket sales, guest flow, follow-up reviews, accessibility and safety for attendees. - Recruit, hire, train and retain recurring event staff and volunteers for best client service practices. - Annual budgets and reports for multi-event contracting, and refinement of annual/cyclical events. - Development and review of proposals, service agreements, budgets, reports, and contracts. - Small business administration, tax accounting, bookkeeping, licensing, banking and networking. - Talent for hosting with precision, timeliness, tasteful style, discretion and sensitivity for VIPs. - Hire, recruit, retain, train and write contracts for event teams and manage onsite training and service while also leading as a Chef, preparing food at my own station while supervising and assuring timeliness and artistic presentation of culinary program.
On-call special events catering expediter, worked with precision and in a fast-paced environment, communicating between front of house staff and Front of House Manager and the Chef and kitchen staff to expedite plated menu service at weddings with 180-250 guests.
Course: NS 2470: "Food for Contemporary Living" Instructor: Emily Wilcox Grier, Senior Lecturer & Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics - Supported the Professor in managing the online university curriculum using Blackboard, including uploading assignments and monitoring student submissions. - Coordinated and mentored a team of three undergraduate Teaching Assistants, providing guidance on policies, procedures, and culinary assignments. - Maintained assignment deadlines, and supported the Professor to maintain organization, efficiency, and prepared bi-weekly briefings for student participation.
- Farmed nearly 400 organic blueberry bushes, managed all aspects of seasonal crop care. - Planned and managed agrobiodiverse kitchen garden with annual and perennial fruit and vegetable production. - Founded and Coordinated the CSA (community supported agriculture) for work trade and cashless exchange of blueberries. - - Cooked delicious meals for our CSA members during communal work parties, utilizing produce and wild-foraged ingredients from the homestead gardens and forest.