San Francisco Top Chefs

What is our recipe for success?  Our chefs!  Their winning combination of their corporate experience, restaurant work and teaching in local cooking schools is sure to guarantee an event of 5-star fun!  

Tanya Rogow

Executive Chef

Tanya Rogow graduated at the top of her class from the California Culinary Academy and went on to an internship at the Food Network in New York City. There she worked with celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck. Tanya returned to San Francisco and found a home with Postrio Restaurant for three years before meeting Bibby Gignilliat. For the past six years she has been the Executive Chef at Parties That Cook and shares her love for California cuisine as she teaches.

Mick Dimas

Lead Chef

A former Wall Street trader, Mick decided to follow his passion and pursue a culinary career. Mick graduated from Tante Marie's Cooking School and has an affinity for Italian cooking. He worked in the kitchen of San Francisco's Incanto restaurant. He also has traveled to Italy to cook and research the cuisine. He is also the owner of AddThyme.com, a personal chef and catering company. He along with his wife Barbara, also develop custom culinary tours of Italy.

Jill Klein

Lead Chef

Born to entertain, Jill is from a restaurant family in the Midwest. After graduating from the California Culinary Academy in 1991, she traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and South America passionately cooking and eating. Jill has worked in several restaurants in San Francisco, notably Lulu and Alain Rondelle. In 2005, Jill began teaching at Parties That Cook.

Jed Larkin

Lead Chef

Jed Larkin's culinary repertoire includes East Bay favorites such as Cesar Restaurant, one of San Francisco Chronicle's "best 100 restaurants of the Bay Area" since its opening, and specialty food stores such as Ashbury Market. Jed has worked with some of the top catering companies in the Bay Area including McCall's, Milk & Honey, Taste and Paula LeDuc. Passionate about European cuisine and California Fusion cooking, Jed's true love is for Italian fare. When not at Parties That Cook, you can find Jed sipping on fine Italian vino, or whipping up fresh pasta for friends and family.

Linda Esposito

Lead Chef

An avid cook, Linda has spent the last decade sharing her love for Asian cookery teaching at local Bay Area cooking schools. Linda currently leads the Asian Melting Pot cooking series at The Cooking School at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, and previously taught the Asian curricula at the cooking schools of Sur La Table and Whole Foods Market. She keeps a yummy food blog at Flavor Explosions. When not running after her toddler twins, she works on tech marketing projects to justify her Harvard MBA. Linda joined Parties That Cook in 2006.

David Herman

Lead Sous Chef

David was born to parents who owned a specialty food distribution company and was exposed to many international cuisines at an early age. As a child, David looked forward to his yearly trip to the New York Fancy Food Show. In the fall of 1999, David took a hiatus from Art Directing to travel through Southeast Asia where he was inspired by all of the exotic flavors and the food culture. David came back to the States knowing that he wanted to enhance his natural cooking talent with formal training. After he graduated from the California Culinary Academy, David trained in San Francisco restaurants honing his skills and techniques. In addition to working for Parties That Cook, David works as a Personal Chef and catering chef with high end catering companies.

Scott Peterson

Lead Chef

Though Scott has always loved to cook, it was Portland, Oregon's abundance of fresh seafood, quality produce, and great restaurants that inspired his career in the kitchen. Scott attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, then moved to San Francisco where he trained under Chef Loretta Keller at Bizou. Scott tried his hand at baking as Petite Auberge's early morning baker, before moving on to work with Laurence Jossel at Chow. Rising through the ranks at Chow, Scott was constantly challenged to come up with inventive, seasonal menu ideas and recipes. During a European culinary sabbatical,  the simple, rustic, cuisines of France, Italy, and Spain made a lasting impression on his culinary philosophy. Upon returning to San Francisco, Scott joined Bocadillos as the Chef de Cuisine. Scott has developed a tremendous appreciation for regional cuisines, local foods, and the slow food movement. Today, he is excited to share his passion and knowledge through teaching at Parties That Cook.

Irfan Dama

Lead Chef

Irfan, a native of Mumbai, India, has been obsessed with food ever since he was a child. His passion guided him to the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, where he graduated with honors. Irfan has worked in some of the finest kitchens of Five Star Hotels in India, Canada and the U.S. and currently owns “Chef Dama’s Kitchen”, where he specializes in, but is not limited to, Indian-inspired fare. As a student of world cuisines, he loves to take classic concepts and techniques and infuse them with Indian spices and flavors. You can watch Irfan in action on his YouTube cooking channel, “Cooking with Chef Dama”.

Anne Cornell

Lead Chef

Anne’s love for cooking began in her family’s kitchen in Camden, Maine, where she helped her parents bake bread, make Pad Thai, grill freshly caught fish, and whip up Crème Caramel at age 10. After working at Camden’s favorite restaurant and tasting foreign cuisines in her abroad travels, Anne realized that a career as a chef would be a natural fit. She graduated from the University of Southern Maine and went straight to the Cook Street School of Fine Cooking in Denver where she broadened her education with cooking classes in Provence and Northern Italy. Drawing on her varied experience, Anne returned to Camden to head the Megunticook Golf Club kitchen. She wowed guests with new delights like Forbidden Rice Sushi, Brule Goat Cheese Salad, and Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms. Anne’s interest in exploring new healthy, fresh foods drew her to San Francisco, where she's been a chef for 5 years. In addition to being a Lead Chef with Parties That Cook, Anne teaches private classes, caters high end events, and has appeared on the Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills.

Laura McGrath

Lead Chef

With fond memories of cooking family recipes in her grandmothers' kitchens, Laura pursued her culinary ambitions with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Seeking a city with some of the best ingredients and growing practices, she promptly moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked with several inspiring women chefs and mentors, most notably Traci Des Jardins at Jardiniere and Loretta Keller at Bizou. Laura was drawn to the artisan dairy industry where she became a cheesemaker at Cowgirl Creamery. Her appetite for food knowledge brought her back to school where she received a BA Interdisciplinary Studies degree in Culture, Identity and Food Practices from UC Berkeley. She has always kept one foot in the kitchen through catering and participating in unique culinary events. In her spare time, she enjoys canning, curing, and brewing projects and studies current food advocacy and policies. Laura is excited to be on the Parties That Cook team where she shares her love of cooking and enjoys bringing people together over a shared meal.

Heather McCarthy

Lead Chef

Heather started her career assisting analysts in an investment banking firm then moved to corporate sales, managing several million dollars worth of accounts for a media intelligence company. When personal health issues prompted Heather to make large-scale changes to her diet she decided to leave corporate life and attend culinary school. After completing the professional program at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco, Heather continued her studies at the vegan fine-dining restaurant, Millennium. Heather combines her classic French training and technique with innovative ingredients to develop recipes and menus for specialized diets, including gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. When not leading events for Parties That Cook, Heather spends time developing her gluten-free, vegan cookie line Lou Lou and teaching people with restrictive diets how to embrace their dietary guidelines.