Speakers & Guests
Wendy Bennett
Wendy Bennett, Chef
Wine Country Studio, Dundee Oregon
Ms. Bennett grew up in a restaurant family and she became interested in all aspects of the hospitality industry from the time she could see over a table. Her first job was washing dishes at the age of 14 and she later attended Johnson & Wales University earning degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management. While in school, she was trained and mentored by Noel Cullen, master chef and past president of the National Chapter of the American Culinary Federation. Wendy captained a 6- member culinary team which earned a gold medal at the Culinary Olympics (IKA HOGA) in Frankfurt, Germany in 1988. The team also earned 26 medals in ‘Hotelympia’ a culinary competition held in London, England the same year.
While earning her Bachelor’s Degree, Wendy worked as a teaching assistant at Johnson & Wales and realized her passion for teaching culinary arts to others. Before graduating, Wendy was inducted into the Golden Key Honor Society by Julia Child, who has been an on-going inspiration for her love of teaching culinary arts.
Wendy’s professional experience includes work in both the front and back of the house for companies like Sheraton Corporation, Aramark and Shaw’s Supermarkets. Wendy also worked for celebrity chef, Todd English, as the chef of ‘Figs’ restaurant in Beacon Hill, Massachusetts. Throughout the years, Wendy was never far from her true passion, teaching, and taught countless future industry professionals as an instructor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality and for Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Most recently, Wendy was the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon.
Wendy lives on a 12-acre farm in the Willamette Valley with her family and a multitude of animals, including miniature donkeys, dwarf goats, chickens, dogs and cats. She is also the proud owner of Wine Country Cooking Studio, a cooking school for enthusiast cooks of all ages, food interests and skill levels opened in January 2012. Owning a cooking school has been her dream for almost a quarter century!