About

Born and raised in Massachusetts to entrepreneur parents and a close-knit family, Heather's early years were filled with multiple influences, many around the dining table. Tagging alongside her mother, grandmother and aunts in the kitchen and her father on the grill, Heather learned a multitude of cooking styles from a young age. Some of her fondest early memories involved time around the stove and table, and watching Julia Child on television rather than the typical Saturday morning cartoons.  

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Stoking her curiosity for food and hospitality led her to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration where she specialized in Food and Beverage.  While she ventured into restaurant management upon graduation, her focus and passion while at Cornell was in Culinary, where she served as a lead teaching assistant and student back of house manager of the school's on-site restaurant.  Whenever homesick or in need of an escape from her work and studies in Statler Hall, she could usually be found browsing the aisles of Wegmans for new and interesting ingredients and cooking up formidable feasts for friends, a lifelong passion that always made her feel at home.

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Graduating from the program and looking for the next challenge, Heather moved to New York City where she worked at the legendary Spice Market by Jean-Georges before moving into a growth position with Epicurean Group in NYC where she became the Director of Operations for L’Artusi and dell’anima, seasonally-focused Italian-inspired restaurants renowned for their food even more than their scene. While at Epicurean, she worked closely with Chef Owners, Gabe and Katherine Thompson and, under the tutelage of wine expert, Joe Campanale, pursued her certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Knowledgeable of and taking enjoyment from wines from around the world, Heather is especially schooled in Italian varietals (and cuisine).

 

In seeking a balance to the pressures of work and life in the big city, Heather also discovered a personal passion as she was annually surrounded by one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the TCS New York City Marathon. Challenged and inspired by family and friends, Heather pursued her first marathon in 2009, and has since run 44 marathons (and counting). From small races in the Adirondacks to majors like Boston, NYC, and Chicago, to her favorite in Big Sur, CA, racing has taken Heather around the United States, allowing her to indulge in local cuisines to fuel the miles. Training for and succeeding at marathons while eating clean and drinking well defines Heather’s work hard, play hard ethos. She loves sharing her training tips and recipes with all she meets. 

 

With over a decade of experience in NYC under her belt, and many thousand loops of Central Park under her feet, Heather felt it was time to stretch her legs in a new direction. Growing up a ski racer in New England with her dad and cousins, Heather pointed west in 2019 and moved to Vail, CO. Here she embraced the mountain lifestyle, enjoying small-town living and learning to ski powdery steeps while also tackling the role of General Manager at Sweet Basil, one of the the most storied and respected restaurants in the Vail Village for over 40 years.

 

After the move, a pandemic, and navigating a local and national work shortage, all in three and a half years, Heather decided to pursue her truest passion, cooking her own food for a select clientele. Leveraging her unique understanding of both front-of-house service and culinary expertise, Heather is able to provide elite dining experiences for both small, intimate dinners or larger family and corporate affairs. Whether she’s providing your own in-house cooking show, serving up a nourishing meal for the family, or feeding your expedition in the backcountry, Heather is ready and able to prove the pursuit of fitness and fine-dining are a marathon, not a sprint, and worth every step.