Lynn Downey
Culinary Coach
Lynn remembers her very first “Kitchen Kid” moment. At the ripe old age of 9, she and her best friend created this epic classic recipe: Break an egg. Add Italian dressing. Microwave. Brilliance. Lynn’s been in the kitchen ever since. After being a summer camp counselor for 7 years, Lynn ventured into the world of serving food at a hippie cafe, an American chain restaurant, coffee houses and locally owned bistros. Moving to LA to pursue acting, Lynn also spent time as a substitute teacher. Kitchen Kid is the perfect combination of her two passions: working with food and with kids. She is currently in post-production for a cooking show called “The Can Do Kitchen,” empowering amateurs to cook like the pros and not be afraid to make mistakes. It will be premiering this spring on Jewish Life Television! Lynn loves the enthusiasm and ability her Kitchen Kids bring to class. She’ll never forget teaching a 2-year-old proper cutting technique and then walking by later, only to see him keeping his fingers away from the plastic knife’s “teeth” and chanting to himself, “back and forth, back and forth.” Lynn believes we’re never too young, nor too old to learn or to eat!
Dana Grollman
Operations Coordinator
Dana brings more than 15 years of experience in direct marketing, database marketing, brand marketing, and health and fitness. Before moving to California, Dana was a senior member on the account teams at Leo Burnett in Chicago on Hallmark, US Army, and Walt Disney Attractions. Most recently Dana co-founded The Jefferson Running Club at her sons’ elementary school that is entering its third year with staggering rates of participation and success. Dana is driven by the idea that eating right and living a healthy lifestyle can and should be fun for the youth of today.
Ashley Mackay
Curriculum Coordinator, Culinary Coach
Ashley discovered the culinary world when she was just a little chef. She spent hours with her mom in the kitchen making bread and delicious confections. Ashley loved to cook but also loved to teach and would often hold cooking classes for her little sister where they would make “Chop Suey” out of play dough. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree from Brigham Young University, Ashley moved to California with her husband. Shortly thereafter she opened her own bakery, Deedle Dumpling, where she made fresh breads, delicious cakes, and tasty cookies. In August 2009, Ashley decided to go back to school to get her Master’s Degree in elementary education. She recently graduated from Pepperdine’s Graduate School of Education in February 2011. Ashley joined Kitchen Kid in June 2010 as a summer camp culinary coach. She has enjoyed teaching and writing lessons ever since. Ashley is grateful for the opportunity to use her passions for cooking, baking and teaching. Ashley believes one of the best places to incorporate all that is learned in the classroom is in the kitchen!
Lauren Maddahi
Culinary Coach
Lauren is a certified chef and working towards a Masters in Clinical Nutrition and a Registered Dietitian certification. She loves working with children, especially as a Culinary Coach through Kitchen Kid! As a newly minted chef, Lauren is very passionate about food and how to make cooking fun and interesting for children and families. She graduated UCLA in 2010 with a degree in European Studies and began working with Kitchen Kid that summer. Lauren draws inspiration from her Persian-Jewish heritage and her studies for the recipes she creates. After studying abroad in Italy, Italian flavors and ingredients are now staples in her kitchen. She can’t wait to cook amazing dishes with you!
Amy Rosa
Culinary Coach
One of Amy’s fondest childhood memories involves making chewy chocolate chip cookies and homemade fudge brownies, with her childhood hero, her mom. She has been cooking and baking ever since and has received training at a premier cooking program in Los Angeles. In the past, Amy has been a teacher as well as a counselor for children of all ages. Amy’s hands-on approach to teaching creates a positive environment, encouraging children to ask questions, try new things, and have fun! She joined Kitchen Kid in June 2011 as a summer camp culinary coach and is excited to combine her love of teaching with her love for cooking. Amy believes children learn best when they are having fun and Kitchen Kid delivers just that!
Jenn Su
Culinary Coach
Jenn is a maker and organizer. Her current focus is on the rehabilitation of public space and community food systems, often through environmental and art actions, collaborations, and public programming. Jenn has led and organized community projects, performances, and installations in California and New York, and she has traveled to Argentina and Cuba with her collective to create site-specific works and teach workshops. Jenn has worked previously for environmental and land use organizations, including Our Children’s Earth (San Francisco), TRANSFORM (Oakland), and Solar One (New York). Her recent collaborators include Public Matters, Pacoima Beautiful, and GOOD. Jenn is a Master Gardener for LA County (Class of 2010) and loves to cook!
Christine West
Culinary Coach
Christine inherited a passion for making and enjoying delicious food from her family, just like Rooster in Cook-a-Doodle-Do. Her granddad studied at the Culinary Institute of America before becoming a chef at the White House and her mom majored in Home Economics in college. Christine grew up helping her family lovingly prepare and share meals and she experienced on a daily basis the beautiful way food brings people together. Now that she’s a grown-up Christine proudly carries on the tradition of nourishing the people she loves and she’s thrilled to share that with our kitchen kids. In addition to being a coach Christine teaches yoga, swimming and stand-up paddle boarding to children and adults. As a member of the Kitchen Kid team Christine hopes to instill good values and healthy habits in her young chefs that will carry on with them well beyond the kitchen.