Kim was born in Texas and lived in Hawaii, Virginia, California, Connecticut, and Illinois before making her way to Michigan in 1997.  She has also had many adventures traveling across the United States and through Europe.  Her cross-country background and love of travel influences her cooking and entertaining style.  Incorporating flavors from the coasts and across the pond, Kim still has a way of making her dishes taste like home.

Whether preparing for a large party or dinner, on a weeknight – her food is flavorful, honest, and simply elegant.  For Kim, food nourishes on multiple levels, bringing together family and friends to celebrate life around the table.

Inspired by Julia Child, Kim cooks and teaches with passion and a sense of humor.  She would love for you to join her class to share a few recipes and laughs.

Paul started his culinary career at the well known Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan, where he received a Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. Apprenticing in Chicago, he gained experience in traditional French cuisine. Paul then traveled through Laruns France to continue the study of French pastry and culture.

In 1992, Paul relocated to Kalamazoo to become Executive Chef of the Kellogg Company Headquarters. Later, he merged with Malaysian Chef Helen Coon to open the eclectic Charly’s Restaurant in Charlevoix, Michigan.  The Detroit News three star restaurant featured an ethnic menu using organic ingredients where everything was made from scratch.

Paul continued his culinary education and traveled to New Orleans, Santé Fe, Memphis and the Culinary Institute of America.

Paul would like to invite you to share his passion for cooking and the use of fresh local ingredients. Please come join us at The Mercantile for his next culinary cooking class.

Jen Kruger is, above all else, a mom who loves feeding her family whole, healthy foods. Home-made pasta is just one step her family has taken away from processed foods, and she has found the process both fun and prudential. Jen seeks to share the skill with others who just want to eat simply and enjoy hands-on food preparation. Although new to pasta instruction, she believes it is an intrinsic skill that can be mastered by anyone engaging in his or her food culture. Jen is also a German instructor and translator, who began making and selling noodles as a side income to fund her translator certification test (hence, the name Über-Noodles). Since then, the pasta has been in such high demand, that she has had to focus more time on providing quality pasta products to a wide variety of consumers. “Teaching others to participate in their own food production is a true pleasure” Jen comments.

Join Jen in an afternoon of fun, educational, as well as delicious food preparation.  Jen’s noodles- Über-Noodles; produced following the Michigan Cottage Food Law, can be found at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market.