partners in the kitchen
Est. 2010
Summit, NJ
Meet our collaborators and supporters, all of whom share a love for cooking and good food.
James Peterson
Photographer and Award-Winning Chef
Born in northern California, James Peterson traveled around the world, working his way through Asia and Europe. In '70s, he landed in Paris and was amazed by the French attitude toward food; it was here in France where he found his calling to cook. Jim returned to the United States and got his first cooking job as a short-order cook. While the cuisine was not 3-star, there was still the need for speed and organization. After saving money for a year, Jim returned to France where he worked at two of what were then among France's greatest restaurants, George Blanc and Vivarois. It was his experiences in these restaurants as well as his pasty studies at Le Cordon Bleu that shaped his style of cooking and drove his pursuit of cuisine as a career.
David Felton
Executive Chef
Born in Brent, England in 1976, David C. Felton knew at a young age that a passion for food and cooking would be his calling. As the chef de Cuisine at 40 Sardines, he was honored as one of "America's Top Ten Sous Chefs" in a nationwide competition. He was the Executive Chef at multiple top-notch restaurants, such as Blue and The Pluckemin, and has taught at The Natural Gourmet Institute of Health and Culinary Arts. He is currently the Executive Chef at at Natirar's Ninety Acres, NJ, where he has brought his farm to table philosophy and love of delicious, fresh food for all to enjoy and share.
http://natirar.com/index.php/ninety_acres
Hemant Mathur
Executive Chef
Distinguished as one of the country’s top tandoor masters, Hemant Mathur started a new chapter in his illustrious career when he opened his own restaurant, Tulsi. He brings his reputation as “the Yo-Yo Ma of tandoor cooking” to midtown Manhattan as Tulsi’s executive chef and co-owner, and continues to treat diners to top-notch Indian cuisine that sparkles with distinct, clean flavors and a delicious balance of high-quality ingredients, spicy flair, tradition and modern innovations.
Passion for Spices Culinary Educator
Chef Sam Kadko
From a tiny farm-to-table restaurant in the Pacific Northwest to the high-volume luxury of NYC’s Waldorf Astoria, Institute of Culinary Education Chef Instructor Sam Kadko’s career has been nothing if not diverse. After 40 years in the industry, Chef Sam is still exploring the limits of his skill set by helping Passion for Spices provide an authentic cultural experience rather than a simple cooking class.
Passion for SPices Guest chefs
Chef Klaus Kronsteiner
Chef Klaus Kronsteiner grew up in the Austrian Alps, in Bad Aussee, a small town where his parents had a grocery store that delivered to the area’s hotels and restaurants. He started his kitchen apprenticeship in Landhotel Kanzler, a farm to table restaurant in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria. After graduating from Culinary Institutes of Bad Gleichenberg and Aigen, Austria, he worked throughout Europe, in Northern Italy, Switzerland, and Austria—including a sous chef position in a Michelin three-star restaurant, Amador, in Langen, Germany.