Katie was born the fourth child of a family of five in Buffalo, NY. She is a graduate of The Elmwood Franklin School and The Buffalo Seminary. As a youngster, She was interested in sports (especially soccer) and the dramatic arts. She held a few leadership roles in school government and enjoyed volunteering at the Erie County SPCA and the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

In 1993, Katie received a BA in Elementary Education from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH. After graduation she spent five summers as a counselor at Camp Dudley in Westport, NY. she was the head archery instructor and enjoyed small roles in dramatic productions.

Katie's first teaching position was a yearlong fifth grade apprenticeship at The New Canaan Country School in New Canaan, CT. She moved to Columbus, OH and began substitute teaching and working part-time at a pet store to fulfill her love of animals.

Her substituting positions evolved into a full-time job teaching 6th grade Language Arts at the Wellington School in Columbus, OH. It was during this time that Katie's interest in cooking began to flourish. After taking several cooking classes at a local college, Katie made the decision to enter the culinary world so that she could combine her two passions - teaching and cooking.

Katie began a full-time job at a local gourmet food market. It was the perfect learning environment for a novice. She also had the opportunity to offer cooking classes for children at the market and at the Wellington School Summer Program.

It was at this point in her life that Katie realized change in location would be necessary for her to receive a formal culinary education. She moved to the Boston, MA area and received a Professional Chef’s Diploma from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) in 1999. She worked for a short time as a personal chef and then joined the administrative staff at CSCA. She began teaching children’s cooking classes on the weekends and researched opportunities for teaching children how to cook.

Currently, Katie teaches at local community centers and after-school programs and continue to research cooking/teaching opportunities for children. She lives with her sister and her three English Bulldogs – Putty, Atticus and Dozer. She enjoys reading, movies, traveling, and trying new restaurants.