Melodie Shotto was born into the restaurant industry and knew by age four she’d be a chef. Educated at the seat of her Italian mother and then formally trained at Johnson & Wales University, she earned degeees in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Foodservice Education. She went on to study advanced cake decorating, confections, fondant, gum paste, and pulled sugar at the Wilton School of Design in Chicago; completed a certficate in Advanced Sourdough Production at the King Arthur Flour Baking School, Vermont; and finished a course in Traditional Tuscan Cooking at the Rhode School of Cuisine in Pisa, Italy. After more than 20 years training culinary and hospitality students in higher education, she now shares her knowledge and practical skills to boost your cooking confidence. When not cooking (which is rare), she enjoys traveling, stand-up comedy, true crime and helping her son Jimmy be the best he can be!
Philomena LaFata has a love of baking and vast experience crafting gluten free sweets. Also educated by her Italian mother, she spent countless years in food service locally and at Penn State, as a food service specialist. She earned her associate's degree in Occupational Therapy at Penn State where she lead adaptive cooking labs—teaching individuals with limitations to prepare food independently through the use of adaptive technology. In her free time she enjoys crocheting, landscaping, kayaking, and rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles.