About Fat Cat Culinary
In the years since my graduation from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York I have been lucky to have worked in so many different segments of the food and wine industry; from cooking and service to journalism, education and management. I've worked in restaurants (front and back), for caterers, at a dotcom, at a winery and now as an educator.
"It was OUR pleasure to have you come teach us to prepare that fabulous meal, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that ALL 6 OF US agreed your meal was superior to the one at Cyrus the next night. Just as delicious. More enjoyable. Somehow more fulfilling. We loved the food and appreciated the time and thought you put into creating the menu. It felt like you were like one of our group from the first moment you entered the vacation home! Thanks!"
Steve Capellini
Miami, FL
My partner, Duncan Stuart, has likewise had a wide and varied career but in the wine business. Starting in retail sales in a gourmet shop in his native Cleveland, Duncan moved to California and soon found himself working first in San Francisco in retail wine sales and then in the heart of Wine Country as a distributor rep. He eventually landed jobs as National Sales manager with a couple of big name Sonoma County wineries and covered sales territories across the United States. Now semi-retired from the big business of wine, Duncan spends his time pursuing his passion for painting and illustration and works part-time, yep back in retail wine sales! Fat Cat Culinary is lucky to have such an experienced and engaging wine expert in our Wine Education department.
In the spring of 2001, I launched Fat Cat Culinary, an enterprise with many facets that allows me to work in a variety of milieu and blends my love and knowledge of wine and food. Providing individuals and businesses with Food and Wine education has given me the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people at a variety of skill levels and on a myriad of topics. Not only has this been very rewarding, it has allowed me to develop and compile a database of more than 1000 original recipes, most of them designed around a specific cuisine or theme and all of them wine-friendly.
This seemingly circuitous path has led me to find my true place in the sometimes-crazy world of food and wine. I owe much of this to the fact that I live and work in one the most inspiring places on earth; Sonoma County, California. The amazing year-round bounty of produce, proximity to the freshest seafood of the Pacific coast, our annual wine-grape harvest and wonderful wines and ethnic and cultural influences from nearby San Francisco are my daily culinary sustenance. I love this place and would love to share it with you. Living in Wine Country I've learned a lot about food, wine, cuisines and cultures and I've learned that I love to teach. Be it leading a hands-on grilling class at a private Wine-Country home, researching and testing recipes for a corporate client, leading a group of foodies on a tour through a goat dairy or tasting wine and developing the perfect recipe to pair it with I am truly happiest when I'm working with others to discover their passion for food and wine.
Cheers,
Maria deCorpo