Chef Kathryn Bertram

My passion for cooking led me to an apprenticeship in Seattle with James Beard winner Tamara Murphy, who was also 1994 Food and Wine's Best New Chef, where I focused on making cappalletti and agnolotti by hand. From there, I studied gastronomy and food culture at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, founded by Carlo Petrini of the Slow Food Movement, where I perfect tortellini di zucca while living in Parma. It was in Italy that I truly honed my skills in the kitchen, developing a deep appreciation for quality ingredients, and the art of honoring them in regional cuisine. This journey eventually brought me to Sicily, where I married into a Sicilian family and had the privilege of learning traditional Sicilian cooking from my mother-in-law, preserving the authentic methods and flavors of her heritage. I currently live in the Washington, DC area, and love to travel and learn new cooking styles.