Instructors
Emily Baron
Emily Baron is a longtime baker and owner of Nosh, a micro-bakery in Asheville that specializes in sourdough bagels and bialys. She is also the new owner of The Asheville Kitchen, which she couldn’t be more excited about!
Emily’s background involves a winding path through both public health and professional kitchens. She taught public cooking classes at New York City’s farmers markets and later helped grow the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, developing resources and programming for teaching kitchens across the globe. She also worked in the nutrition department at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she helped advance research and national initiatives exploring how cooking skills support long-term health.
Along the way, she studied at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC and honed her baking and cooking skills in kitchens across the country including Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Wayfarer Bread & Pastry in San Diego, and Asheville’s very own OWL Bakery.
At the heart of it, Emily simply loves being in the kitchen, shaping dough, sharing skills, and bringing people together around the table. She can’t wait to cook with you!
J Chong
How are you living, friends!?
I’m Chef J Chong, the founder of J Chong Eats. I started this journey in February 2020, driven by a deep desire to share the flavors from my childhood with you. My inspiration comes from my grandmother, “Paw,” who was the heart and soul of our family. She taught me the subtle intricacies and rich flavors of our culture, and many of my recipes are crafted from the memories of being by her side in the kitchen.
Growing up in Toronto, I was surrounded by Cantonese households, each with their own unique version of traditional flavors. With J Chong Eats, I’ve taken my family’s recipes and put my own spin on them, creating recipes and sauces designed to elevate your meals.
My goal is simple: to inspire you to cook like a chef.
You can also catch me on the cooking competition show, The Big Brunch streaming on HBO Max hosted and created by Dan Levy from the hit show Schitt's Creek.
Ava Hicks-Mazzallo
Drawing from a rich background in cooking, farming, and the arts, Chef Ava intertwines her various passions through the art of food.
Guided by years of work in the vegan restaurant industry and inspired by her studies of permaculture and sustainable food, her culinary creations celebrate the beauty of seasonal ingredients and plant-based ingredients.
Check out her website for more about Ava HERE.
Abagail Mattingly
Bae’s Baekery, established in 2019 out of Abigail Mattingly and Griffin McGreevy’s 750 square foot apartment, grew from grass root beginnings to home baking, growing into a commercial kitchen, to opening their own store front.
Louisville born and raised, Abigail and Griffin (husband and wife duo) committed their lives to bringing Louisville (and the nation!) the most fresh, unique, and quality pastries and cakes one could ask for.
Bae’s Baekery specializes in Custom Cakes, Wedding Cakes, stuffed, gourmet, and thick cookies, brown butter brownies, wide variations of cream puffs, and simple cakes for any occasion.
Laura Palace
Laura’s love of cooking began in her childhood alongside her mom, who always made cooking a shared family experience (including watching Julia Child's shows). That early joy continues to inspire her teaching today. She is passionate about helping students build confidence, master approachable techniques, and feel the same spark that first drew her to the kitchen.
Laura has over 25 years of experience as a Pastry Chef in luxury hotels, private clubs, and high-end restaurants across the country. Her career has taken her from New York City to Hawaii, including roles at the Halekulani Hotel, BLT Steak and Craft in NYC, where she made everything from elegant plated desserts and wedding cakes to handcrafted chocolates and seasonal pastries. She also had the pleasure of running the cooking school for Sur La Table in Chicago, where she first realized her love of teaching and also got to work with amazing visiting chefs from all over the country.
Cooking brings people together and what’s better than that.
Brian Ross
Brian Ross has been the Chef at some of the finest properties in the United States including the Lodge at Sedona in Arizona, The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina, Richmond Hill Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, and The Biltmore Estate. He honed his early skills with 2-Star Michelin Chef Gerard Pangaud at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, then continued on with the Ritz-Carlton at the 5-Star, 5-Diamond Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida.
Chef Ross also was also the Head Culinary Instructor at the prestigious L’Academie de Cuisine, the premiere culinary school in Washington, DC, and voted one of the top 10 culinary schools in North America.
Notably, Chef Ross created and curated DOUGH in Asheville.
Chef Ross is classically trained but has a modern approach to cooking that we are sure you will enjoy!
Laura Walton
Laura Walton is the owner of The Crunchy Baker, a bakery dedicated to sustainability and specializing in creative, locally-sourced, and seasonal baked goods. She also grows and raises many of her ingredients, including blackberries, herbs, and eggs, on her tiny homestead in East Asheville.
She is a lifelong baker in a family of scientists and food lovers: from her dad, a self-taught cook (and former chemist) who loves to experiment with flavor, to her mom (a retired chemist), who learned to cook from her mom, who learned from hers, in a long line of talented Dominican women.
Laura taught high school English in NC for a decade, baking her way through cookbooks and filling teachers’ lounges with pastries, before starting her business in 2020. She loves teaching both youth (especially teens) and adults, and focuses on building confidence in the kitchen, as well as encouraging experimentation.
Terri West
Terri has spent most of her life in the world of food—from making mud pies in her toy oven at age four, to bustling restaurant and catering kitchens during college, to earning a Diplôme de Cuisine in classic French culinary arts.
She managed the catering departments of two five-star hotels and studied with Italian chefs and nonnas while living in northern Italy with her family. For the past 16 years, she has worked as a freelance food stylist and recipe developer for major international brands. Her love of cultures and travel continues to inspire her, and she delights in sharing her knowledge and experiences with others.
In her classes, Terri teaches simple, approachable techniques and how to give each dish a playful, artistic flourish. She encourages students to slow down and savor the process, and to experiment and just have fun—creating dishes meant to be shared and remembered, feeding the senses and nourishing the soul.