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YOUR TEAM OF EDUCATORS

An Unparalleled Team of Educators

At the heart of any outstanding education experience is a talented, dedicated faculty. The credentials and experience of our teaching team are unparalleled in culinary education.

	William M. Briwa '80, C.E.C., C.H.E., Chef-Instructor William Briwa was the resident chef for the Hess Collection Winery in Napa, CA before becoming an instructor at Greystone. He then served as the executive chef in the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant for a year before returning to the faculty. He has also worked at The French Laundry and Domaine Chandon. Chef Briwa is a board member of the Napa Valley Farmers Market.
	Aaron Brown, Baking Instructor Aaron Brown was bakery manager for Big River Breads, where he designed and equipped a new bakery facility. His extensive industry experience includes serving as head baker for Il Fornaio America Corp. in Denver, CO (where he won the company-wide "Baker of the Year" award) and in Las Vegas, NV. He was also baker/pastry chef for Il Fornaio in Portland, OR. Chef Brown previously owned Spent Grain Baking Company in Seattle, WA.
	John Buechsenstein, Visiting Wines Instructor John Buechsenstein is winemaker and chief explorer of Sauvignon Republic Cellars in Santa Rosa, CA. He has worked for several well-known wineries, including Joseph Phelps Vineyards and Fife Vineyards. Past president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, Mr. Buechsenstein also teaches at the University of California, Davis School of Viticulture and Enology.
	Tucker Bunch, Chef-Instructor Tucker Bunch brings more than 16 years of industry experience to the classroom, having worked at a wide variety of Houston, TX foodservice establishments. Most recently research and development chef for the 150-unit Joe's Crab Shack casual dining chain, Chef Bunch was also chief operations officer and executive chef for Crescent City Beignets, Inc., the winner of the Nation's Restaurant News "Hot Concepts!" Award in 2004.
	Adam Busby, C.M.C., C.H.E., Director of Education Adam Busby was previously director of culinary programs at the Dubrulle International Culinary and Hotel Institute of Canada in Vancouver. He also owned two critically acclaimed fine-dining restaurants in Vancouver, Star Anise and Cascabel, and worked at the five-diamond Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chef Busby is one of just 61 American Culinary Federation-Certified Master Chefs in the U.S.
	John Difilippo, Pastry Instructor John Difilippo was executive pastry chef at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, CA prior to joing the CIA faculty. Chef Difilippo has held a number of professional pastry positions in California, and served as pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. He also attended Chef Ewald Notter's International School of Confectionery Arts.
	Stephen L. Durfee, C.H.E., Pastry Instructor Most recently serving as pastry chef at Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, Chef Durfee worked for over five years at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA. He won the 1998 James Beard Award for "Outstanding Pastry Chef" and was named one of the "10 Best Pastry Chefs in America" in 1999 by Pastry Art & Design. In 2005, Chef Durfee represented the CIA at the National Pastry Team Championships, where his team placed fourth.
	Connie Guttersen, Ph.D., R.D., Visiting Nutrition Instructor For more than a decade, Connie Guttersen has specialized in wellness and preventive medicine. She has been involved with the program research and development of a major wellness center in Bellevue, WA, where she published their Standards of Care I. Ms. Guttersen was also a professor at Texas Christian University and is the author of The Sonoma Diet and The Sonoma Diet Cookbook.
	Joyce Hodgkinson, M.A., Adjunct Liberal Arts Instructor Joyce Hodgkinson has built a long list of creddentials in education, from teaching to consulting to administration. Most recently an adjunct professor, field supervisor, and evaluator at the University of San Francisco, she has also served as principal for two Northern California schools and as an educational consultant, creating teacher training workshops for organizations including an inner city charter school and a preschool for at-risk children. Fluent in Spanish, Ms. Hodgkinson holds a master's degree in administration from the University of San Francisco.
	Robert Jörin, C.M.B., C.E.P.C., C.C.E., C.H.E., Team Leader, Baking and Pastry Arts Robert Jörin brings a wealth of experience to Greystone as past owner and pastry chef of the highly successful Upscale Downtown Bakery in Petaluma, CA, and as an instructor with more than 20 years of teaching baking and pastry professionals. Chef Jörin was a member of the U.S. team that won the coveted Grand Prize at the 1999 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (The World Cup of Baking).
	Lars Kronmark, Chef-Instructor Lars Kronmark was educated in Denmark and gained his culinary training throughout Europe. His 24 years of teaching experience have taken him around the world—to Mexico, Italy, Spain, China, and across the United States. Chef Kronmark is a member of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, and is a founding member of the Marin County Wine Society.
	Brenda LaNoue, C.E.C., Chef-Instructor Most recently a corporate executive chef for the Arahmas resort consortium in Thailand, Brenda LaNoue has enjoyed a culinary career with a decidedly international flavor. Her career stops range from doing food anthropology research in Asia, Latin America, and Europe to working in a variety of executive chef and instructor positions throughout California to being chef and caterer for the U.S. Army in Germany. Chef LaNoue has been honored with a Bronze Medal for Customer Service Excellence from the Pentagon.
	Dr. Christopher Loss '93, Director, Ventura Foods Center for Menu Research and Development Along with his responsibility for the new Ventura Center, food scientist and CIA graduate Chris Loss is the designer and writer of "Food Science & Technology Applications in Menu Research & Development" for the CIA's menu R&D e-learning course. Dr. Loss was previously a graduate research and teaching assistant in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where he earned his doctorate, master's, and bachelor's degrees.
	Karen MacNeil, Chairman, Professional Wine Studies Karen MacNeil is one of America's leading wine experts, as well as a prominent consultant and writer. As. MacNeil, whose articles have appeared in more than 50 publications including The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, is the author of The Wine Bible, a major publication about the world of wine and wine-making. She won the Ecolab Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award in 2004 from the James Beard Foundation and was named Wine Educator of the Year in 2005 by the European Wine Council.
	Corinne Meddaugh, M.B.A., C.P.A., Adjunct Liberal Arts Instructor Certified Public Accountant Corinne Meddaugh possesses depth of experience in finance and technology. She has held a variety of positions in these fields, with leading Northern California companies including Agilent Technologies, Zainer Rinehart Clarke DFK, Balancing Pointe, Hanna Winery, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS). She was most recently volunteer director and Finance Committee member for the Girl Scouts of Konocti Council. Ms. Meddaugh holds an M.B.A. from Sonoma State University.
	Toni Hendrickson Sakaguchi '84, C.E.C., C.H.E., Chef-Instructor Prior to coming to the CIA, Toni Sakaguchi was fine-dining restaurant chef at The Grille, the restaurant in the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, CA. She also served as executive chef in two of the nation's top restaurants, Border Grill Restaurant and City Restaurant in Los Angeles. Chef Sakaguchi has published recipes in Time Life Books, several newspapers, and Vegetarian Times magazine.
	Michael Skibitcky, C.E.C., C.H.E., Chef-Instructor A member of the CIA faculty since 2001, Michael Skibitcky's list of industry credentials includes executive chef positions at the United Nations and at country clubs in Pennsylvania and New York. He was also chef de cuisine at the Hotel Pierre in New York City and executive sous chef at the Inn on the Park Hotel in London, both Four Seasons properties. Chef Skibitcky served as director of faculty and executive chef/instructor at the California Culinary Academy in his hometown of San Francisco. He holds a chef's degree from Westminster Technical College in London and received the 1991 Menu Design of the Year Award from Country Clubs of the U.S.
	Thomas Wong '86, C.E.C., Chef-instructor Thomas Wong's culinary career has taken him to a variety of restaurants, resorts, and hotels. Just prior to joining the Greystone faculty, Chef Wong was executive sous chef for the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows in Kohala Coast, HI. He was previously executive chef for several other Hawaiian hotels, including the Hotel Hana Maui in Hana, and the Waialae Country Club and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, both in Honolulu.
	Ken Woytisek, C.C.E., C.H.E., Chef-Instructor Ken Woytisek has held a variety of foodservice positions in California over the past 10 years, most recently as chef de cuisine and consultant at Insalata's Restaurant in San Anselmo, CA. His career has also included stops at Square One, China Moon Café, and South Park Café in San Francisco. Chef Woytisek has traveled to India, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and China to help enrich his classes on Asian cuisine.