About the Instructors

David Kiser is a classically trained chef who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in France and was Chef/Owner of Church Street Bistro in Lambertville , NJ . In addition to teaching at Carlow Cookery since 1999, Chef Kiser was Chef Instructor at The French Culinary Institute in New York City and has conducted cooking classes at Culinary Concepts and The Innkeepers Kitchen. He is currently Executive Chef at Avalon Restaurant in Westchester , PA.

Edward Batejan has been a professional chef for twenty years working in the Princeton and Bucks County areas. Edward has cooked for a former president, vice president, the head of the United Nations, the former Governor of New Jersey, as well as heads of many corporations. Edward currently does off premise catering and specializes in everything from exceptionally elegant to “down home” cooking. Most recently Edward was featured in the book, “Sacred Spaces; Princeton parties, gatherings, and celebrations”. In his free time Edward enjoys teaching future culinary experts (his four children) to cook.

Denis Chiappa is co-owner of Carlow Cookery who graduated from University of Scranton and Villanova University . Denis began cooking at an early age, growing up in a family that enjoys making and eating great food. Since its opening in 1996, he has been working with numerous chefs and instructors to improve his understanding of all types of ingredients and cuisines. He has been teaching a variety of cooking classes since 2004.

Debbie Heller is a professional counselor specializing in motivation and behavior change. She also has a strong background as a food educator and has studied nutrition extensively. As an adjunct professor of Psychology and Human Development, Debbie has a deep appreciation of the motivation behind eating and knows that changing our diet involves changing our thinking.

Karen McGinn is the owner of Heaven on a Plate Personal Chef Service. In addition to teaching cooking classes, Karen designs unique, customized menus for her clients based upon their preferences and dietary needs. She then shops, prepares and packages gourmet meals to be enjoyed by her clients in the convenience of their home. Her meals are best described as "rustic home style with earthy flavors."

Katie Smith majored in French at Lasalle University and then went to Paris for an internship at The Ritz Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise as a translator and chef's apprentice. After interning, she completed the school's six week pastry diploma program. Since, Katie has held positions in both the kitchen and front of house for restaurants, hotels, and catering companies throughout the country as well as managing the catering & special events for LaSalle University . Most recently, Katie was Director of Catering for DiBruno Brothers in Center City Philadelphia.