Guest Chefs at the Cooking School at Isabel's

meet our SUE CHEF

Each season, Sue Chef (the Culinary Director at Isabel's Market + Eatery) invites carefully selected, talented, culinary educators and artists to join her in teaching classes at the Cooking School at Isabel's.

Sue “Sue Chef” Chaitin from Isabel's Market + Eatery
Originally a caterer and personal chef, Sue later became Culinary Coordinator for D&W Food Centers where she designed and operated the first recreational cooking school in Western Michigan, as well as running in-store demo programs for seven locations. Over the years, Sue continued her passion for good food by producing and hosting the television show Get Fresh With Sue Chef, a farm-to-table cooking show that aired on every public television station in Michigan. A successful bottled spice line and cookbook soon followed. Sue is married to another chef, of course. Together they own and operate five local restaurants: Ottawa Beach Inn in Holland, The Mermaid Bar and Grill and Baldy’s Smoked Meats in Saugatuck, Matchbox Diner and Drinks in Grand Rapids, and Playa Tacos + Tequila in Holland.

meet our PAST GUEST CHEFS

Kate Bolt from Living Lark
Kate is recipe writer who loves to eat. A few years ago, she got tired of ignoring her creative side and wrote down 100 of her original recipes and eventually turned those into her two cookbooks: Lark Cocktail and Lark Parties. Kate loves teaching classes, writing recipes with food & cocktail brands, and gathering people around good food. Kate is married to Dan, lives in Laketown, and has three young kids: Jack, Willem, and Vivian.

Jill Emmick from Graze2Gather
Jill Emmick is a behavior analyst, health and wellness coach, and a mom who loves creating beautiful and tasty food art. She recently launched a charcuterie board and grazing table business Graze2Gather, and is enjoying bringing her love for charcuterie to people's homes and businesses!

Ellie Roberts from Custom Cupcakerie Company
Elliana Roberts has had a passion for baking since she was four years old. In middle school, she turned her passion for cupcakes into a small business in order to fundraise for upcoming mission trips. Now, Ellie is a 19-year-old student at the University of Michigan, who is rekindling her love of baking cupcakes through her business Custom Cupcakerie Company!

Charles “Smitty” Golczynski from Mokaya Artisan Chocolates
Chocolatier Charles Golczynski started Mokaya in 2016 along with his family. Charles has been a chef for over 35 years and began to hone his chocolate-making craft under the tutelage of world-renowned pastry chef and chocolatier, Luis Amado, over 20 years ago. His spark for chocolate work ignited when he was asked by a client to create a chocolate display that resembled gems. Ever since, he has been developing his own aesthetic, flavor profiles, products and unique chocolate creations, including truffles & bonbons, custards, pastries, drinks, ice cream and more.

Missy Corey from Pennyroyal Café & Provisions
Whether it’s mastering the art of butchering, or cooking her way to victory on the reality show, Chopped, Missy thrives off challenges. That, and the adrenaline rush combined with artistry, that comes from working in the restaurant industry. A Chicago native who has also honed her culinary skills in Portland, Maine, Missy now calls the Saugatuck-Douglas area home. She recently teamed up with pastry chef, Bryan Kemp, and farmer and garden designer, Ryan Beck, to open Pennyroyal Café & Provisions featuring farm-to-table cuisine.

Ruth Crowe from Busters Design Team
A former US Army veteran, Los Angeles police officer, and collegiate softball coach, Ruth Crowe finally made her way back to art when she discovered Adobe Photoshop, and started her own graphic design business. After 11 years, she sold her business to pursue a style of a fusion of vintage photography that has been digitally altered and combined with layers of other images, photos, and sometimes words. Ruth uses wood panels, or plastered wood panels, with layers of wax and images melted within. All designs and photographs used in Adobe Photoshop and additional elements are added after or before image transfer.

Sophia Occhialini from The Italian Spoon
Sofia, with her family, moved to Michigan from Italy in 2014. She grew up with deep love and respect for everything given by Mother Earth, inspired by her mom and dad, both excellent cooks. After been a student in many cooking classes with several famous Italian chefs, she became the chef that she is today. Her objective with The Italian Spoon is to carry on the heritage of the Italian family recipes and their little secrets by simply using local, seasonal fresh ingredients.

Mindy Trafman, local Sommelier + Restaurateur
Born and raised in Chicago, Mindy Trafman is no stranger to the hospitality industry.
From teacher to restaurateur and a sommelier, Mindy’s greatest joy is to share wine knowledge, flavors, and great stories via classes, tastings, and everyday hospitality. Loving the educational aspect, Mindy previously taught wine classes at Loyola University. Taking a sabbatical from the restaurant life, Mindy ran Lush Wine and Spirits stores and became impassioned with eccentric spirits and rare brews before moving to Saugatuck in 2014 to open The Kirby, a boutique hotel and restaurant in Douglas, Michigan, where she specialized in weddings and special events. Prior to retiring, Mindy joined Elizabeth Estes + Mary Fechtig as chef consultant for the opening of Coast 236 Restaurant & Bar in Saugatuck, Michigan; served as the general manager and partner as well as a partner at Isabel’s Market + Eatery, and oversaw the beverage department which offers great everyday bottles to rare, sought-after obscurities. A titan in the industry!