Worldchefs Team

 

 

Who is Chef Toussaint Potter?
Chef T.

 

Chef Toussaint Potter, aka Chef T., a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands (his mother was a St. Thomas native), is a man of many culinary talents and has one of the most interesting culinary backgrounds. Growing up on the island, and later raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, Toussaint says, "I was brought up in a traditional West Indian household, no matter where I was." Toussaint was surrounded by a family who loved to cook and his father inspired him to develop his interest in cooking.

Moving to the United States, he graduated from Rutgers University, New Jersey in Biological Sciences. There he met his wife Jean, whose parents are from China, Chinese culture and cuisine, thus became part of his life. With his biology degree, Toussaint decided to attend Peter Kump's Cooking School, New York to pursue his culinary dream. This was the start of an exiting adventure. Toussaint and Jean took off to France to attend l'Ecole de Cuisine, La Varenne in Paris, where he received his Grand diploma in 1986. He worked in Parisian restaurants for three years. "I love the French philosophy," he says "Everything is made from scratch." Traveling through Europe and staying and working in several of the best renowned restaurants and hotels in France, Italy (he lived in Portofino for a while to learn Italian cuisine and culture), Spain, Germany and Switzerland, Toussaint became internationally trained.

Moving back to the United States, Toussaint successfully opened restaurants in New York, which received great reviews. In 1992, Toussaint and his family moved back to the Virgin Islands, because he felt his children needed to be in better touch with their roots, where he became an Executive chef at one of the famous resorts in St. Thomas and Guam.

To enrich his continuous search for culinary challenge, Toussaint, his wife and 3 children moved back to Las Vegas, Nevada to become a chef in one of the great hotels. Knowing the Las Vegas life style wasn't the ideal climate to raise children in, Toussaint accepted an Executive chef position in California. Living in the Bay Area's melting pot of cultures, Toussaint is excited to utilize his international cooking experience as a teaching or consulting tool to make cooking fun and exiting for everyone.

 

 

Chef Mai
Who is Chef Mai Ward?


 

Mai was born in Nagasaki, Japan. This ancient port town is full of food lovers, and a history of cultural diversity. Her curiosity for food started since childhood. Mai’s grandmother grew up on an island in a farming community, where everything was fresh and grown locally. She taught Mai how food is brought to the table and to always appreciate the meal before eating.

Mai’s mother graduated with a degree in domestic sciences. Her knowledge of international and domestic cuisine created the basis for Mai’s style, and encouraged her to be open minded to any sorts of cuisine. She says, “I learned so many dimensions of cooking through my family, and now I have realized that my home was like a small restaurant where everyone was a food critic.” Love was in the air, and she grew up breathing the passion of cuisine.

After graduating in Japanese literature, she transferred to the University of Idaho to learn English. That’s where she met her husband Chad. She says, “My life in Idaho was full of surprises, and gave me an opportunity to experience new food cultures”. It was at a Friday night international student gathering that she realized that language is not the only way of understanding people; cooking can be an equally powerful tool of expression. She says, “Cooking is like music. It uses the senses to communicate to people through their heart, rather than their mind.”

Three years after finishing the English school, she moved with her husband to California. Although she never pursued cooking as a career, it was always her favorite pass-time at home. One day, she received the Adult Community Education booklet in the mail and decided to attend the Italian cooking classes. That’s when she first met Chef Suzanne and Chef Toussaint. She says, “Within the first 5 minutes of class, I could tell that they know how to enjoy life.” They became the inspiration for Mai to begin school at the California Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco from which, after her completion of a 3 month internship in Germany, Mai has succefully graduated and earned her Chef credentials.

 

International Consultants and Liasons

 

Maria Rita Vatteroni: Italian culinary consultant
Tine Van Criekinge: European liason

 

Gabriella Mari & Cristina Blasi: Cordon Bleu, Florence (Italy)
Annette& Elias Haddad: Lebanese Consultans and Demonstration Guests

 

 

Sofia Martinez: Worldchefs Culinary Adventures - Mexico
Ingrid Van Parijs: European Specialties Consultant

 

Alessandro Picchianti: Webmaster and Technical Support
Mark Van Criekinge: Engineering and Technical support

 

 
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