Who is The Other French Chef ?

The other French Chef  comes from the reference made to our Chef Deborah Ward, M.D.F. who is often referred to as the French Chef  because of the years of formal French training she received studying with top chefs and winemasters of France and Spain while in Europe.

While Chef Julia Child, author of  The French Chef Cookbook,  may be the name one thinks of first when French Cooking is mentioned, Chef  Ward is the only chef awarded the Croix D’Or by the Merit et Devouement Francais of the French government for teaching French cooking. Earlier in Chef Ward’s career she traveled to France, at a time when women were rarely chefs. Not only was she accepted by the Top Chefs of France as a Chef, she received several awards of merit from the French and the International Branch of the Chaine de Rotisseurs, the most prestigious International Chef Society; a high honor she is very humble about.  Later in her career, as head of the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts at  Ivy Tech State College in Indiana, she and her husband Chef Ward traveled to France  as educators with student groups as part of the culinary arts program at the college and continued to do so after moving to Michigan.

Today she teaches cooking to professional chefs, at- home chefs and students alike through culinary demonstrations, lessons and cooking trips abroad. Chef Deborah will help you plan lessons at your home or venue.

Please contact her today to explore the culinary lesson packages available. The cooking classes available through cookingfrench.us for groups or private training for individuals can be quite affordable depending on the desired education of the student or the size of the group.

Chef Ward enjoys taking the fear out of cooking.  She  has been teaching  the culinary arts for over thirty years and is expert at sharing her knowledge with students of all ages.