Meet Courtney Townsend, Professional Chef

What happens when you combine the La Grand Diplome from Paris' Le Cordon Bleu with a Master's Degree in Business Administration? Courtney Townsend.

Courtney has delighted the culinary palates of artists, celebrities, professional athletes, and of course, the wonderful average joe and jane in the U.S. and abroad. Whatever dish she creates, it always includes a dash of her wonderful personality and a pinch of her world travels.

Growing up in the gourmet food mecca of the San Francisco Bay, Courtney began cooking at the age of eight, quickly performing complicated dishes by her early teens. Courtney is an alumna of Spelman College where she was a French major. After a short stint in the corporate world, she succumbed to her life-long dream of being a chef.

While fulfilling her appointment as Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Courtney attained La Grand Diplome in pastry and cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris and later toured several restaurants. Before returning to the U.S, Courtney worked in marketing for Le Cordon Bleu.

Being one of the first female chefs hired, Courtney worked as a Culinary Arts Instructor at a community college in the San Francisco Bay Area. Courtney presently serves as the Director of the Cooking Academy for the Alameda County Fair (largest in CA touting an average of over 400,000 fairgoers). Performing as not only talent, she hires celebrity chefs and food professionals, manages a full support kitchen and stage, and designs cooking contests.

Courtney specializes in California-French seasonal cuisine. If you get the opportunity to chat with her, Courtney’s stories are endless.

© 2006 Courtney Townsend Culinaire. All rights reserved.