About our authors
Sarah R. Labensky is a culinary educator and academic administrator with an extensive background as a restaurateur and caterer, textbook author and dedicated advocate for culinary professionalism. She was a professor at Woosong University’s Sol International Culinary Arts School in Daejeon, Korea, and Founding Director of the Culinary Arts Institute at Mississippi University for Women (MUW) in Columbus, Mississippi. While living in Mississippi, she owned two restaurants and worked as food and beverage director for a country club. Chef Sarah has also taught culinary arts at Scottsdale (Arizona) Community College and Piedmont Virginia Community College (Charlottesville), and spent many years as a working pastry cook and caterer before teaching.
In addition to On Cooking, Sarah Labensky is also co-author of On Baking, Webster’s New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts and Applied Math for Food Service. She is a past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) and a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and Les Dames d’Escoffier.
Sarah’s passions include travel and mentoring young people to help develop their own professional paths.
Alan M. (Skip) Hause is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Upon graduation, Chef Skip worked in both restaurants and hotels before settling in Arizona. For the past 27 years, he has owned and operated Fabulous Food Fine Catering and Events. He also launched and operates Gertrude’s restaurant at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. Chef Skip is involved in day-to-day food production, planning and execution of catered events as well as overseeing restaurant operations. A longtime member of the American Culinary Federation, Chef Skip is passionate about all aspects of food and cooking. He enjoys mentoring students and cooks, is active in the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-Cap) and is a board member of the East Valley Institute of Technology Culinary Program.
When not working in the kitchen, Chef Skip pursues his passions entertaining friends, traveling, hiking, biking (both motor and pedal) and, of course, anything to do with food. Chef Skip lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and summers in Kalispell, Montana, with his wife, Chantal, and sons, Logan and Grayson.
Priscilla A. Martel is a professional chef, educator and food writer with a special interest in Mediterranean cuisines and artisan baking. She honed her cooking skills at Restaurant du Village, a country French restaurant she owned in Chester, Connecticut. Today she operates All About Food, which holds baking patents and collaborates with food manufacturers and restaurants to create innovative products and marketing programs.
She is a visiting instructor at Boston University’s certificate program in the culinary arts and in the Hospitality Management Program at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Connecticut. She is also a contributing writer for food trade publications and a consultant to the almond industry. To honor her commitment to help young people prepare for their culinary careers, Priscilla Martel volunteers with the Jacques Pépin Foundation, which provides culinary training for those with barriers to employment. She is co-author of On Baking and Math for Bakers (DVD).
