Susan Sturman
has been in the hospitality and special events field since 1981.
A caterer for years in Boston, she has experience in virtually
every aspect of party planning and execution. She studied classical
French cuisine and pastry at the Ritz-Escoffier Ecole
de Gastronomie Française, where she subsequently
served as Assistant Manager for two and a half years. In Paris,
she founded epicurean catering, a service offering
gourmet food prepared onsite. Sue recently served as menu &
cooking consultant for a Parenting Magazine/CNN broadcast series
on healthy meal preparation for busy families.
While at the Ritz, Susan developed a love for French
cheeses, and continues to study, taste, and visit cheesemakers
whenever possible. She taught cheese classes regularly to diploma
students and private groups at the Ritz on a monthly basis for
over two years. Her cheese classes include an overview of the
principal families of cheese, where they come from, how they are
produced; tastings from each of these families paired with appropriate
wines and breads; tips on selecting, presenting, and storing cheese;
and the etiquette of serving and eating cheese. She is a member
of the American
Cheese Society and is participating in the Farmstead
Cheese Consortium of Slow
Food USA. She is also a member of the New York State Farmstead
and Artisanal Cheesemaker's Guild.
Beginning as an autodidact and then studying under
top professional French chefs, Susan has developed a philosophy
of teaching about food and cooking: discovery is the delight,
and there are relatively few 'wrong' answers in the kitchen. There
are many things that work particularly well, and many ways of
achieving great results. Techniques and an understanding of ingredients
and how they work together are more important than any particular
recipe. Once one understands the underlying techniques, the mysteries
of all recipes are revealed.
Murray's cheese shop in NYC describes Sue as:
"Bold, sharp, and intensely intelligent, this spicy instructor is not for the timid! Susan is raw, bluntly honest, and can sometimes be downright craggy. But beneath that strong rind lies a core that's pure caramelly sweetness with a velvety rich commitment to true hospitality. Her complex and well-rounded knowledge base developed through a traditional process that combined both formal education and real-world work experience--the first lends structure, the second a definite earthy quality (no dirty-hands phobia here!). After earning a degree in Public Relations from Boston University, Sue was inoculated with culinary skills at the Ecole Gastronomie Française Ritz-Escoffier in Paris. Her professional talents solidified with catering stints (four years working in Boston, then owning her own company in Paris) and two and a half years as Assistant Director at her alma mater the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier. Ripe, mature, and with a yeasty eagerness, Sue opened Epicurean in 2002 which offers custom-designed cooking classes for small groups in their own homes. This vibrantly dedicated foodie is also a member of the Cheese Education Coalition as well as Slow Food's American Cheese Society. Sue's widespread gastronomic know-how makes her a versatile choice."
http://www.murrayscheese.com/edu_faculty.asp
