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Dr. Allen Arnette From an early age, Dr. Arnette has had a passion for cooking. He
taught himself culinary skills and continued to develop them during his twenties and
thirties. He holds three college degrees - all in the healing arts. During the last seven
years, he has been teaching cooking classes with a wellness/nutritional approach around
Southern California. Never sacrificing flavor or visual appeal, his approach to nutrition is
sensible, fresh, and fun. Dr. Arnette maintains a full-time medical practice at the
Advanced Wellness Center in Long Beach, CA. Acupuncture, yoga, chiropracty, Chinese
medicine, nutrition and life-style counseling are the main focus of his approach to health
care. Teaching classes at PREP is an ideal opportunity for him to share his love for
cooking alongside his dedication to health and wellness. Read more about Allen.
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Melody Brandon Melody's passion for food, especially desserts, led her to stop her
career as a teacher and jump into the world of food. She headed to pastry school and
graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culinary Arts as a
Pastry Chef. Melody then worked on the pastry team at Zov's Bistro & Bakery in Tustin &
Newport Beach, which was voted #1 Bakery in America by the Food Network, where she
honed her skills and eventually grew a desire to go out on her own. She now has her
own company, Sweet & Saucy, which specializes in personalized catering, cooking
classes, and custom desserts. At her blog, www.mysweetandsaucy.com, Melody shares
tips and advice about recipes, products and techniques.
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Chef Martin Gilligan began his culinary career in his father’s restaurant in the Hamptons.
He went on to graduate with honors from The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park) in
1987. Chef Gilligan brings more than 25 years of experience to his current position at
Prep Kitchen Essentials (Seal Beach). Mr. Gilligan recently held the position of Resident
Chef with Sur La Tables’ Culinary Program where he was featured on KCAL9, Fox
Television’s “Career Day”, and KTLA 5’s award winning “Good Day LA”.
His experience in the culinary field includes culinary management positions with the Four
Seasons Hotel in both New York and California as well as New York's world-renowned
Plaza Hotel. In addition, Chef Gilligan has served as a Culinary Arts instructor at Le Cordon
Bleu U.S.A. and The Art Institute of California and as a Guest Chef on the faculty of
Johnson & Wales University. Chef Gilligan is currently a Culinary Educator with Los
Angeles Community College.
This extensive background has given the chef a skilled hand in both the preparation and
teaching of fine cuisine, and his dedication to putting out only the very best has not
gone unnoticed. Chef Gilligan has won a number of Gold and Silver medals from the
American Culinary Federation, where he also holds an Executive Chef certification. In
2005, he was awarded 'Chef of the Year' from the Chef De Cuisine Association of
California. He is currently a member of the International Food Service Executives
Association, a distinguished member of the Escoffier Society and a member and honoree
of Chaine des Rotisseurs.
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Colleen Johnson Chef to queens and princes, dukes and duchesses, Hollywood and
industry titans, Colleen Johnson began as an English teacher and ended up doing
something she loves: cooking. French educated with a specialty in baking, Colleen's
recipes and creations have been featured in many culinary publications including
Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, The Los Angeles Times, Chocolatier and Vogue. Colleen
had the wonderful opportunity to work with Thomas Keller, to cook the last 14 summers
in Maine and has appeared on various national television and radio programs. Colleen
continues to create spectacular wedding cakes as the proprietor of the catering firm
crumbz, and spends much of her time traveling the West Coast as restaurant consultant
and dessert creator.
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Katy Monti Pastry Chef, Katy Monti actually began her career in the film industry.
While living in New York and Los Angeles, Katy’s love for gourmet food and wine grew into
a full-time commitment. In 2002, Katy made a major change of careers by enrolling in the
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and moving her life to the Napa Valley to study
pastry arts. The inspiration Katy took from the CIA, as well as from the local restaurants
and wineries of Napa , was very influential to her ultimate culinary path.
Upon returning to Los Angeles , Katy worked in the pastry kitchens of several notable
eateries including Sona, EM Bistro and Napa Valley Grille in Westwood. She also developed
a line of artisan chocolate confections at Michelle Myers’ modern French patisserie,
Boule, where her work gained local and national press recognition for excellence. More
recently, Katy has worked on a wide range of projects including a cheese-driven menu
for a wine bar, food and beer pairing events, and molecular gastronomy dinners. Katy
currently works as pastry chef, consultant and teacher and strives to combine creativity
and passion in all of her work.
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Vu Nguyen Sushi chef and artist Vu Nguyen began his career at a sushi restaurant in
Portland Oregon where he worked on perfecting his skills and techniques. Vu's creativity
stems from tradition and knowledge: his skills and philosophy are focused on art and fresh
ingredients. Vu currently works as a sushi chef at Tsunami Sushi in Huntington Beach.
Learn more about Vu and his passion for presenting sushi as art at his website:
www.sushistudioarts.com.
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Ryan Wagner Driven by curiosity and a desire to create, Ryan found himself
experimenting with food in early adolescence. By age 19 he was running restaurant
kitchens. At 23, he opened his own catering business. Ryan has cooked his way through
Southern California restaurants and hotels, made appearances on The Food Network, and
earned accolades for his work on high profile events. He graduated from the Le Cordon
Bleu program at CSCA in Pasadena, and is an ACF Certified Executive Chef. Twenty years
after his passion for food began, Ryan devotes his time to teaching others how food
works. He is a chef instructor at The Art Institute of Orange County, specializing in
charcuterie and international cuisine. He also manages a website and blog at
www.askachef.tv.
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Elizabeth Whitt Le Grande Diplôme in Pastry and Cuisine, Le Cordon Bleu Paris '99.
Elizabeth started cooking for family and friends at a very young age under the tutelage of
her grandmother. By sixteen, Elizabeth was running the kitchen with Grandma as her
sous-chef. Traveling through Europe as a teen, Elizabeth fell in love with the cultures
and cooking of the countries she visited -- France, Italy, Germany, Russia. After
graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Elizabeth held several positions at the
distinguished culinary institute including translator, chef's assistant and Director of Le
Cordon Bleu’s summer program where she lead students and courses in cuisine, pastry,
cheese & wine and gourmet tours. Elizabeth loves exploring and learning the history of
food and food culture and spends her time between Paris and Belmont Shores hosting
culinary tours.
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Guest Chefs Past and recurring guest chefs at PREP include Michael Recchiuti:
world-famous chocolatier, Jet Tila; Food Network Chef and Executive Chef at Wazuzu,
Steve Wynn's new Asian bistro in Las Vegas, Neal Frasier; owner/chef of Grace in West
Hollywood and Georges Perrier, Executive Chef at Le Bec Fin in restaurant.
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__________________________________________________________________________
Cancellation Policy | Contact/About Us | Frequently Ask Questions
PREP 12207 Seal Beach Blvd, Seal Beach CA 90740 562.430.1217
Copyright © 2010 PREP School for Cooking. All Rights Reserved
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