Staff and Instructors – The Employees of Classic Cooking

The Heart of Our Organization – Classic Cooking Academy’s Staff

Our staff at Classic Cooking are the key players in keeping our operations to the utmost standards that customers would expect from our organiation.

To view individual members, scroll down below!

Classic Cooking Academy’s Chef Instructors – Our Kitchen Staff

Chef Pascal Dionot

(Chef Emeritus/Founder)

Born in the Champagne region, Pascal Dionot trained in France, Germany and Spain before arriving in the United States. Chef Pascal has an education and background that is among the finest; his passion for fine food and the best in culinary training served him well throughout Europe, inspiring him to capitalize his skills in America. In 1979, he became Executive Chef at the Hay Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C., a venue for the wealthy, powerful, and snobby. He then joined the faculty of L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland and taught there for 18 years. Chef Pascal became founding partner of Restaurant 2941 in Northern Virginia and it subsequently acquired great acclaim by all who dined there. In 2006, Chef Pascal relocated to Scottsdale and, thus, began his planning for his own culinary school. As a Frenchman in the desert, Chef Pascal thoroughly enjoys bringing his background to the heartland of America. As of the start of 2024, Chef Pascal has officially passed ownership of Classic Cooking to his son Jeff. Chef Pascal is currently acclimating to retirement while still happily aiding in teaching however he sees fit, remaining an indelible member of the school’s staff.

Sharon Lunardi

(Lead Instructor)

A second generation Italian, Sharon Lunardi is deeply attuned to equal parts family and food. Sharon is very familiar with the cuisine and culture of the Tuscany/Genoa region. Moving to Arizona in 2009, Sharon graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with a degree in Baking and Patisserie. Her experience in catering stems from working with Santa Barbara Catering in Tempe. In Paradise Valley, she has spent four years running the Whole Foods bakery before joining the Classic Cooking team. She is now happy to bring the sheer joy and love for food, family, and friends through teaching recreational classes to young and old.

Always placing a high emphasis on family, Chef Lunardi is the perfect match for the head instructor in our kids’ and teens’ camps.

Susan Kolman

(Head of Pastry Series and Advanced Pastry Series)

For Pastry Chef Susan Kolman, leaving the heat of a corporate boardroom for the aromas of a pastry kitchen was one of her best decisions. She received formal training at L’Academie de Cuisine (Chef Pascal Dionot’s original cooking school) in Gaithersburg, MD where she learned classic French techniques and honed her skills in combining flavors and textures. Following graduation, she was Pastry Chef for several award-winning restaurants in Washington, DC earning rave reviews from guests and local media. She was also an Assistant Corporate Pastry Chef for AUI Fine Foods, a national industry leader, working alongside a number of the best pastry chefs in the world and fine-tuning and expanding her skills.

Chef Kolman also operates a side business where she designs artful cakes and other confections for interested parties. Click here to visit her website.

Ellen Bridgewater

(Chef Instructor)

Jeannette Ling

(Chef Instructor)

Chef Jenny describes her foray into cooking as a “hobby that got out of control.” Born into a foodie family and raised for over a decade in Tokyo, Japan, she developed an early appreciation for diverse flavors and culinary traditions. What began as a way to satisfy her food cravings quickly turned into a lifelong passion.

With over 30 years of cooking experience, Chef Jenny started by collecting and reading cookbooks, often falling asleep with them strewn across her bedroom floor. Her extensive travels and time abroad refined her palate, deepening her love for fresh, authentic, and globally inspired cuisine.

Before immersing herself in the culinary world, Chef Jenny was a marketing and public relations executive. Her passion for food, however, eventually took center stage leading her to become a cooking instructor, a role she has embraced for over eight years. Today, she continues to share her love of food, teaching others how to create delicious and well-crafted dishes with confidence.

Steven Wagenbach

(Chef Instructor)

After graduating high school in 1978, Chef Steven Wagenbach pursued a career in the culinary field. He accepted an apprenticeship through Triton College in Chicago for three years. The program had rigorous classroom and restaurant experiences to complete his training.

Chef Wagenbach worked in the most prestigious restaurants Chicago had to offer. He worked as a saucier chef for two years at Sinclair’s restaurant, which ranked as a five star establishment located in Lake Forest. Then he decided to work as an assistant pastry chef at the Marriott Lincolnshire resort. Chef Wagenbach had a remarkable mentor who taught him to pull sugar and make elaborate desserts for four years. Finally, the Hyatt Gainey Ranch Scottsdale resort hired him as an assistant pastry chef in 1986. He designed and created wedding cakes, pulled sugar, chocolate truffles, and other delicacies.

Steven Wagenbach had the desire to become a classroom teacher. He received a degree in elementary school training and taught third and fourth grades respectively from 1996 to 2018. Steven worked in the Madison and Paradise Valley Unified School Districts over his career.

Now having settled in Arizona, Chef Wagenbach has a reignited passion to create dishes in the kitchen. 

Classic Cooking Academy’s Administrative Staff

Jeff Dionot

(Owner/Executive Director)