Gemma Stafford did the Ballymaloe Cookery School 12 Week Certificate Course in April 2005. She is CEO and founder of Culinary Smarts, teaching kids to cook so they can feed themselves. She also runs Rise and Dine Catering in San Francisco.
After completing the amazing 3 month course in Ballymaloe I used my new
skills as a passport to travel the globe and open doors into the culinary
world.
Through the Ballymaloe website I was lucky enough to get a job working as a
personal chef in Italy and on the slopes in Australia. Now bitten by the travel bug, and not ready to go home to Ireland, I was
drawn to the United States and the possibilities it might hold. Working in bakeries and Michelin star restaurants in San Francisco, I
gained more knowledge and drive to open my own catering business for top tech companies specializing in over-the-top breakfast creations.
Now I live in sunny Los Angeles, California where I host and produce a baking show 'Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking' for the digital space,
specializing in over the top bold creations with Irish flair.
All these unbelievable opportunities would not have been possible if it weren't for the great institution that is Ballymaloe Cookery School.
