Janeen A. Sarlin

Janeen A. Sarlin started Cooking with Class Inc. in 1975, and after forty-four years, she still has the same philosophy toward food. She looks for impeccable, seasonal ingredients to create meals that delight the senses and nourish the body as well as the soul. Janeen learned to cook on a dairy farm in Minnesota, where she was raised. Her menu planning comes from her knowledge of what’s abundant in American agriculture as well as her exposure to what’s best in European and more exotic cuisines. Janeen was the executive chef for M. Shanken Communications Inc. for thirty years; in addition, she has studied with world-famous cooks and continues to study with master chefs, because she believes that professional cooks should never stop learning. Janeen honed her coaching and communication skills at a therapeutic program at the Meta Institute in Minneapolis, Minneapolis, where she learned a variety of skills, techniques and disciplines that can be applied in cooking classes and demos and behind the stove. Janeen has given culinary tours in France, in Mexico and even on the high seas. But no matter how far she wanders, Janeen always comes back to her earthy principles: that seasonal foods are the most delicious and healthy for you and that combining the best available ingredients with tried-and-true techniques results in sumptuous dining. She offers coaching and cooking classes for private clients and consultations for corporate clients. Her eight cookbooks reflect years of practice in the culinary arts. And in her weekly newspaper column Seasonal Chef in the Southampton Press, Janeen offers an open forum for all food lovers, even if they are unable to attend her classes. In her “semi-retirement,” Janeen develops recipes, writes and still teaches private cooking classes. She has also managed projects that range from overseeing renovations to hiring and on-site training for household staff.