Justine Ashokar of Curry Masala, learned Indian cookery from her mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother, and she has always loved cooking and entertaining for friends and family. She deviates slightly from the traditional Indian cooking by not using oil in her curries. She prefers cooking healthy and consciously tries to avoid unnecessary fats and oils. Until opening Curry Masala, she did not have written recipes for her dishes. She actually had to cook an measure everythign that she threw into the pot for a dish!

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Sarah Bickford attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Las Vegas, Nevada followed by her internship at Snow Basin Ski Resort ni the beautiful mountains of Utah. She is currently Head Chef at the Fireside Inn. We are thrilled to have this young and talented chef as a new instructor.

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Carole Chiang will be returning to teach another exciting class. Carole was born near Beijing, China, and has been educated in both China and the U.S. She began teaching in 1976 and has taught throughout Europe and Japan. Carole has owned her own restaurant and has a published cookbook, "Carole Chiang's Chinese Cooking Book". She has an excellent reputation as a fine culinary teacher and talented chef.

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Samantha Christ is part of the culinary team that opened Deadwood Thymes Catering in March of 2004. Before coming to the Black Hills area, Samantha spent 25 years as the chef and owner of Lafayette Restaurant and Samantha's Deli in Sioux Falls. Samantha's recipes have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.

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Teresa Ciani is the owner/innkeeper of High Prairie Lodge, outside of Whitewood, SD. Teresa is in the process of writing her first cookbook and has taught many classes here at SITK. Using well-loved recipes Teresa pairs her varied culinary and life experiences to provide food that is organic, seasonal, and creative. Teresa and her husband, Dave, are one of the few American couples licensed to guide and outfit in Saskatchewan, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

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Chris Coleman is recently retired from teaching at Central High School. A passionate cook, she is constantly adding recipes to her collection. Chris specializes in gourmet dishes that are relatively quick, highly flavored and nutritious. She is a 30 year member of a local gourmet club and has a fantastic reputation for serving delicious and creative vegetarian entrees.

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Pete Franklin has been in the restaurant business for almost 30 years. He is currently owner and chef of Delmonico Grill, 609 Main Street, Rapid City. Since coming to the Black Hills in 1999 from the west coast, Pete has been active in the business community. He was the owner of Pete's kitchen in Spearfish and is a former owner of Mad Mary's Steakhouse in Spearfish.

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Kirsten Geiger is a staff member at Someone's In The Kitchen and a wonderful gourmet cook. In addition to sales, Kirsten handles many of the stores demonstrations, and manages the website, including internet sales and bridal registry. Many of our customers know Kirsten from her monthly email newsletter, filled with great cooking tips and wonderful recipes.

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Colleen Lecy is Principal at St. Elizabeth Seton and a part time staff member at Someone's In The Kitchen. Prior to becoming a principal, she was also an elementary school teacher for 12 years. Colleen taught a series of cooking classes for St. Elizabeth Seton during the summer of 2005 and has taught many kids' cooking classes at Someone's In The Kitchen.

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Roberta Lecy was the owner/operator of Pewter Place on Quincy for 5 1/2 years when she closed it in the early 1980's, after which she worked for Alex Johnson Fine Dining for several years. For many years Roberta was the Food Service Director at Westhills Village until her recent retirement. She has done catering for Someone's In The Kitchen, and we are pleased to welcome her as a new instructor.

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Lorraine Martinez moved to Rapid City over 20 years ago from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was a lifetime resident of New Mexico, having been born and raised in Taos. After arriving in Rapid City, she started having Christmas parties at her home featuring her specialty, Spanish cuisine. She had to give up the custom when the demand outgrew the size of her home. Lorraine has catered many events organizations and for special friends.

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Charlie Means, from Minneapolis, has been in the gourmet housewares business for almost 30 years and is a representative for two companies that manufacture high quality pressure cookers. For more than 10 years he has been "cooking under pressure" in his own test kitchen, as well as dozens of kitchens in gourmet kitchen stores and cooking schools around the Midwest.

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Helen Nichols is a registered dietitian, a licensed nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator and a Nationally Certified Weight Loss Consultant. She serves as the consulting dietitian to several healthcare facilities in the Black Hills. Helen has a passion for helping people with special diet needs and her interest in cooking and baking goes back to early childhood. "I used to spend hours in the kitchen preparing desserts from scratch. Now my time in the kitchen is spent preparing healthy foods my husband and I can enjoy all during the week."

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Julie Smoragiewicz;learned to cook in her grandmothers' kitchens. Julie is in the fledgling stages of launching a a food blog,DakotaThyme, Adventures from a Prairie Kitchen, which pays tribute to talented cooks of yesterday and today. It connects readers and travelers to the myriad of local foods and products waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Julie is active in the community and has helped to organize food and kitchen related events.

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Bob Spomer has shared his expertise and passion for cooking with us before and his classes are always well attended. Bob generously shares family recipes and creative techniques from his trips to Italy. He is the owner of the catering business The Chocolate Rose Chalet in Sturgis.

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Clark Stone is sales representative for Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. Wüsthof is considered to be the cutlery of choice by professionals all over the world. Selling and servicing independent and national accounts, Clark teaches knife skills classes all across the Midwest, and will be ready to answer any questions you may have about high-end cutlery.

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Connie Suto is the owner of Piece of Cake, 901 Mt. Rushmore Road, Rapid City. Piece of Cake serves delicious sweet rolls and lunches as well as Piece of Cake's signature confections. In business for over 14 years, Piece of Cake specializes in special occasion cakes.

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If you wish to register for classes or need further information, please call us at 605-341-5044 or if outside of Rapid City, call toll free 1-888-817-5078.