Meet Our Experts

Scott Aaronson



By the age of 18, Scott was running a small kitchen in an Italian restaurant, which inspired him to spend the next several years learning global techniques and preparations as a server and cook. Then in 2002, he started his own private chef business, working with celebrities like Will Smith, Mary J Blige, Katey Sagal and Jimmy Kimmel. He has also been seen as a guest chef on four Los Angeles-based cooking shows. His most recent challenge was designing and instructing a weekly culinary program for 300 school-age children.

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Judith Jones



Judith Jones is the founder of "The Gourmet Travelista," a website dedicated to international travel and cuisine. A citizen of the world, Jones was born in Paraguay, grew up in the United Kingdom and now resides in Los Angeles. In addition to hosting TV shows "What Are We Eating Today" and "Kush Kitchen," Jones is a contributing food and travel writer for "Travel & Leisure" magazine and social networking site "French Tuesdays." "I am the ultimate globetrotting gourmand," says Jones, "I travel to discover the most exhilarating culinary destinations around the globe."

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Miranda Valentine



Miranda Valentine blogs about food and lifestyle at Everything Sounds Better in French. Miranda graduated from the University of Southern Maine and earned her master's degree from the University of Southern California. She works as a contributing writer for Bunker Hill Magazine and Joonbug.com's LA edition.

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Kristina Jackson



A graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition at Columbia University, natural food chef Kristina Jackson is a certified holistic health and lifestyle consultant. She is also the editor of the blog "The Whole Idea" which, according to Jackson, "takes us on a journey to experience all that life has to offer…naturally. Clean food, good fun and healthy, conscious living."

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Tristan Blash



Tristan Blash is a chef and teacher at the Los Angeles branch of HipCooks, a culinary school for adults. A graduate of Colorado University-Boulder, Blash has been a caterer and event planner in Scotland and New York City. Blash left the food industry for a while, but returned because she said she was "not able to keep her hands or brain off of food."

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Eric Crowley



Eric Crowley is chef and owner of the Culinary Classroom in Los Angeles. Crowley studied at the Culinary Institute of America and trained under master chefs in Barcelona and Munich before he began teaching culinary arts in 1996. He has been featured on several Los Angeles television shows, including Good Day LA, E! Entertainment, and Your LA. Crowley has donated thousands of dollars of cooking classes to Los Angeles schools and charities, and is a mentor for the Culinary Institute of America.

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Jennifer Martello



Jennifer Garrett Martello, aka "Chef Jenn," is a personal chef based in Redondo Beach, California. She also previously worked as Mahalo's in-house head chef. In addition to skills in the kitchen, she also creates cooking tutorial videos for Mahalo's YouTube video channel on everything from how to make yummy Halloween treats to how to cook salmon.

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Kristina Vanni



Since she was 12 years old and won an award at the Pillsbury Bake-Off, Kristina has been passionate about food and cooking. In more recent years, she has been featured on TV specials for CBS and Better Homes and Gardens, brining with her her extensive knowledge of all things pork, steak and poultry related. Additionally, she has worked with Guy Fieri and the Food Network and was named “Hot Chef 2009” by the National Restaurant Association.

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Stacey Hicks



While growing up in a small town outside of Indianapolis, IN, Stacey Hicks started baking in her parents' kitchen and coming up with exciting recipes. When she was 15 years old, she moved out to Los Angles with her family and decided to pursue a career as a chef. She finished her education at the Culinary Institute and started her own catering company out of her home, working with friends, family and others who knew about her delicious cooking. After completing an internship at a local bakery, she became the pastry cook in a professional kitchen. She plans to open her own bakery one day to share her creations with the world.