CHEF BIOS
Alan Zeman
Jasmin Bell
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ALAN ZEMAN
A Certified Executive Chef and member of the American Academy of Chefs, “The Z-Man,” Alan Zeman, graduated first in his class at New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America, after learning the restaurant business “from the ground up” in his hometown of Chicago. Since settling in Tucson, Arizona, in 1975, he has served up Southwestern specialties at the Tucson Country Club, Arizona Inn, Sheraton El Conquistador Resort and Country Club, Skyline Country Club, and the DoubleTree Hotel. He was twice awarded “Chef of the Year” by the Chef’s Association of Southern Arizona. Chef Zeman’s own restaurant of eleven years ¡Fuego! was voted “Tucson’s Best New Restaurant” in the 1998 Zagat Survey, and was a perennial recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Chef Zeman enjoys showing off his flair for the dramatic ¡Fuego! (Spanish for “fire”) was named for one of his signature dishes, a flaming concoction of Jumbo Scallop, Shrimp, Chorizo, Onions, Peppers & Garlic brought to the table on a sizzler, set ablaze with Tequila, and extinguished with a sprinkle of the same “Sonoran Seasoning” available to you at Tumacookery. Zeman’s bold and innovative style emerges from his conviction that eating should be fun, and not pretentious. “I like to bring the kitchen aromas and action right into the dining room” says Zeman. “That makes the dining experience more entertaining.” Chef Zeman is now a full time Chef Consultant, conducting cooking classes and demonstrations with his gourmet product line Southwestern Originals, and the RATIONAL Self Cooking Center, all over the world. His Southwestern Originals line of sauces and seasonings available at Tumacookery, allow you to replicate the unique flavors of his southwestern dishes. Chef Z’s Prickly Pear Barbecue Glaze is a grilling sauce for seafood, poultry, and vegetables. Fuego Red Seasoning is a spicy fusion of aromas, herbs, and spices. And Sonoran Seasoning Spice Blend represents an all-purpose offering of herbs and spices. Each is available with or without salt. AMPARO SANDOVAL Mrs. Sandoval has been a home cook for 50 years and is well known for her special "red enchiladas" which have been enjoyed by family members, extended family, friends, and neighbors for generations. She was born in Mexico, D.F., but moved to Nogales, Arizona when she got married. Her flavors are a combination of the great culinary traditions of the capital of Mexico and the Northern influences of the Mexican State of Sonora. ELAINE LEIGH Elaine Leigh was born and raised in Bombay, India. After she left India she moved to England where she married her husband of many years. It was in England where she first began to cook the food of her homeland, a favorite of her growing family. She learned how to cook from her mother and her grandmother both the Northern and Southern Dishes of the great subcontinent. She learned to bake from her mother-in-law who was a well-known French Pastry Chef. Mrs. Leigh has for many years been teaching cooking classes in Southern Arizona where she now resides. ERICA SWADLEY Erica Swadley studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, and has taught art at high school and college levels. As an art student in Italy, she was impressed by the Italian attitude toward food as a centering medium for family and friends, with meals and conversation lasting for hours. Erica claims she was, born with a wooden spoon in her mouth. With the bravado of youth, at age sixteen, armed with one term of Home Economics, she took a summer job cooking for a family of eleven people, seven days a week. She learned to laugh at the occasional disaster. Near Philadelphia in the 1980's Erica cooked from home for a gourmet shop. The family groaned as they watched fresh bread, soups, pies and Chocolate Mousse Roll disappearing out the door. Earlier, in the Seventies she researched buying an aluminum-sided hot dog truck for a gourmet food service on the road. an idea way before its time. Erica has lived and worked in Tucson for the last twenty years as an artist. Her passion for beauty and harmony will be evident in the way she teaches the art of cooking. JASMIN BELL At the ripe age of five, Jasmin Bell fell in love with cooking and made the kitchen her permanent “playground” as a child. Experimenting and creating recipes alongside her father, Jasmin found food to be her passion. Like most aspiring chefs, Jasmin began her culinary career competing in cooking competitions in high school, which lead her to an apprenticeship with Canyon Ranch, a renowned health and spa resort in Tucson, Arizona. Here she began her culinary career as a Bread Baker’s assistant and later as a Pastry Cook. During Jasmin’s years there, she gained valuable experience working with health-conscious ingredients of the highest quality, and was exposed to fine dining overall. Fast forward 10 years, Jasmin has been a successful Executive Pastry Chef for The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, AZ, The Silver Reef Hotel Casino and Spa, and most recently for Le Rêve Bakery in Seattle, WA. Jasmin has been featured in several magazines, newspapers, and most recently on National Television with Food Network, as a contestant on a special edition of- Chopped Desserts. While utilizing her education from the University of Arizona with a bachelors in Fine Arts, Pastry Chef Jasmin Bell is on a mission to share her artistic talents and passion for food with the new generation of "Foodies". www.bellspastries.com JEFF MARRON A recent transplant to Arizona from the East Coast, Jeff Marron is a seasoned and accomplished bartender, mixologist and entrepreneur. After 24 years into Food and Wine industry, he has developed some bold restaurant beverage concepts in both Connecticut and New York. Jeff, a former National Corporate Bar Manager for Barteca Restaurants, has mentored many aspiring mixologist throughout the eastern seaboard through internships, private classes, seminars and restaurant consultations. He has a passion for perfection and history when it comes to cocktails. The recipes that Jeff teaches, and uses in his work, date all the way back to circa 1400. Jeff will focus on teaching classic recipes with a modern approach to technique and presentation. GISELA HOHENDORF Gisela was born in Hamburg, Germany and grew up in a family where German and International Cuisine were appreciated. She has taught basic food techniques and skills as well as cooking classes at Community College in Washington. She now resides in Tubac, Arizona. JENNIFER (JEN) BEK, RN, MS, CHHC Jen Bek, owner of a business with great ideas for keeping us all up and running, has always been passionate about health. After many years spent in the healthcare field, Jen realized that her main interest was in preventing disease so she became a Certified Holistic Health Coach. Jen loves sharing recipes and showing people how to cook easy, quick and healthy meals. She is currently a staff writer of healthy recipes for the Tubac Villager. JERI HOYLE Tubac resident, Jeri Hoyle, a Culinary Expert from Williams-Sonoma with many years of culinary instructor experience will be sharing her passion for regional cuisine, which includes, the Chesapeake Bay, coastal California and our own local southwestern flavors. Whether you are ready to brush up on old techniques or learn some new ones, join Jeri, as we prepare delicious recipes you will want to re-create for your friends and family. JOHN BORD John Bord has learned from award-winning and celebrity chefs in the US and Mexico, including Chef Illiana de la Vega of El Naranjo in Oaxaca, Mexico and Mexican cuisine expert for the Culinary Institute of America; Douglas Rodriguez, the globally-acclaimed Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, and Chef at Alma de Cuba, deseo, and Ola of Latin America; and James Beard award-winning Chef Robert McGrath to name a few. John resides in Tubac and is Program Manager of Insights & Innovation for Tucson Electric Power. He serves as President of the American Advertising Federation while also teaching graduate courses in marketing and management for the University of Phoenix in Nogales and Tucson...but is passionate about creating meals that celebrate life and friendship. LAURENCE LEGOUGE – Frog en Chef French passport – American heart, and her cooking reflects it. Laurence learned to cook as a child with her grandfather and her favorite aunt Claudine. It runs on that side of the family! Her previous life included being a teacher, a travel agent, and a human resources manager. But after moving to Arizona in 2013, she decided to convert her passion into a business – Once Upon a Frog, based in Tucson – and started giving cooking lessons, which she can turn into dinner parties at the host’s home in order to create a memorable evening between friends. She loves to come up with new recipes and will not hesitate to test them on her friends as well as total strangers if the occasion arises. She takes fun in blending flavors that one would not normally put together, and that is how her goat milk rosemary gelato, rose crème brûlée and lavender cake came to existence. When asked what her specialty is, she has a hard time answering. She has many French recipes where some of the ingredients have been adapted to what is available in the United States, but she also delights in cooking Southwestern cuisine, as well as Italian, or recipes from other countries. She bakes, makes salads, comes up with ideas for cocktail parties, original sauces, beautiful chef’s boards… in the end, whatever her guests of the day enjoy eating is what she wants to prepare. She always cooks keeping in mind who is going to eat it. Appearance is important: if it looks good, it will taste good. If you use good ingredients, not necessarily expensive one, put in a bit of creativity, and a lot of love and passion into it, the end results will be wonderful. …and cooking will be fun! www.onceuponafrog.com MARION HOOK Marion Hook is the co-owner of Adobe Rose Inn and Ari Foods along with her husband, Jim. Adobe Rose Inn is a bed and breakfast located in a National Historic District in Tucson, Arizona where she serves her signature buttermilk scones. Marion has lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she took cooking classes featuring Indonesian food. She has vacationed in Bali and also taken cooking classes there. When she lived in Pittsburgh, Marion had the opportunity to cook an Indonesian lunch for former president of Indonesia, B. J. Habibie, who had business meetings in that city. A cookbook writer, she has written recipes for everything from Hungarian Jelly Cake to Salmon Quiche. MICKI VOISARD Master Dog Chef Micki Voisard has been teaching people (and delighting dogs) on how to feed healthier food to their canines for over 25 years. She started Dog Chefs of America in 1999 and has been on numerous TV and Radio shows including her podcast as The Pet Chef on PetLifeRadio and The CBS Early Show. Her magazine and newspaper articles number in the hundreds. For 8 years she wrote her Diary of a Dog Chef column with Fido Friendly magazine. Micki wrote Becoming The Chef Your Dog Thinks You Are in 1998 and The Dog Chef’s Road Food Manual in 2011. Presently Micki travels the US and around the world speaking on dog diets and holding private dog diet consultations. She lives with her husband, David, and her 5 dogs and 2 cats in Tubac, Arizona. MYRNA YORK The blend of Spanish and Chinese cuisine is inherent in Myrna York's cooking. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines where the culture is a combination of east and west, she learned to cook by observing her mother in the kitchen and like her mother adhere's to recipes passed down through generations within the family. As and artist and musician as well, she has a critical eye and palate for food and uses the same guiding principles of art and design in her presentations. She taught art in Colorado and her teaching experience shows in her organizational skills and cooking methods. She believes food is important in bringing the community together and living in Tubac allows her to grow heritage foods at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. She is passionate about bringing a variety of foods into our present day culture. STAN HYNTINGTON A long time owner/partner of the Tubac Market, Stan Hyntington has been a land owner in Tubac since 1999. He graduated from College and Hotel Management where he was taught the trade, and developed a well-honed culinary talent through great Chef Mentors. In his early 20's Stan was asked by Norman Wilton (owner of the famous Wilton School) to come to Chicago where he expanded his skills and his career unfolded. Today, you can find Stan cooking and baking occasionally at the Tubac Market where he continues to manage his store. |
