Our Team
Photo credit to Eric Korenman
Food Startup Help was formed by colleagues at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC to help graduates and countless others that need guidance opening or expanding profitable food businesses. We have formed an expert team that can work with you to meet your goals.
Chef Kathryn Gordon is a co-founder of Food Startup Help, a consultancy group for bakeries and food entrepreneurs with projects across the country and abroad. In 2017, she was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in the United States by Dessert Professional Magazine.
Chef Kathryn is a Chef Instructor in the professional Pastry & Baking Program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC. In addition, she is the Chair of the Center for Advanced Pastry Studies (CAPS), ICE’s continuing education program for industry professionals.
Kathryn graduated from Vassar College, and worked in management consulting after finishing an MBA at NYU Stern in Finance, but turned her knowledge and interest for cooking into a passionate career. Kathryn was privileged to work under renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres, M.O.F and she earned honors certification from L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland and began working in Washington D.C. at Kinkead’s Restaurant, Criollo Chocolate and Occasions Catering. She returned to Manhattan and trained at two 4-star NYC restaurants--Le Bernardin and Le Cirque. She refined her culinary skills while working in the kitchens of The Rainbow Room and Windows on the World, where she was the Pastry Chef of Cellar in The Sky.
Chef Kathryn has also taught at the New York Restaurant School, Brookdale Community College and Kingsborough Community College (CUNY), and has been a reviewer of three of the industry’s leading textbooks. Chef Kathryn was an assistant producer for the Carymax World and National Pastry Championships and the World Pastry Forum for 12 years, including helping to emcee the live competitions. She has competed on Food Network with a colleague from ICE, and participated in the Paris Gourmet US Pastry Competition, regional chocolate showpiece competitions, and placed third in a national plated desserts competition.
Kathryn is a featured chef in the American Almond Lookbook. Kathryn is also a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Chapter and the Green Tables Committee.
Her best-selling first cookbook, co-written with Anne E. McBride and released in 2011 by Running Press, Les Petits Macarons, Colorful French Confections to Make at Home, has been described by The Wall Street Journal as the most “comprehensive and inspiring” book on macarons in any language, and has been translated into Chinese. Their second book, Les Petits Sweets, Two Bite Desserts from the French Patisserie, was released in 2016.
Chef Kathryn is the Director of Loire Valley Cooking program for Le Moulin Brégeon, where she has led an annual culinary and baking course since 2002. Chef Kathryn’s third cookbook with Outskirts Press, Le Moulin Brégeon, Le Petit Moulin of the Loire Valley: Introduction to the French Lifestyle and a Collection of Recipes, was released last year and celebrates the first 20 years the Le Moulin Brégeon hotel has been open to guests.
Chef Jeff Yoskowitz is currently the Program Director for the professional Pastry & Baking Arts program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), where he oversees a group of 10 instructors, oversees curriculum, and advises 200 students a year and many more alumni.
Chef Jeff began his food industry career by attending New York City Technical College/CUNY, where he studied hospitality management. Chef Jeff worked at Manhattan’s celebrated pastry shop Les Friandises, where he worked for three years under the legendary pastry chef Jean-Claude Sanchez. At the age of 22, Chef Jeff opened his first restaurant and eventually owned and operated a successful wholesale bakery that specialized in servicing corporate clients, executive dining rooms and specialty markets. His list of former clients includes: President Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger, George Steinbrenner, Madison Square Garden, Nieman-Marcus, Smith Barney, and The United Nations.
Chef Jeff helped form Food Startup Help, a consulting group that aims to bring together his technical product expertise, over 20 years of teaching experience, recipe research and development expertise, food manufacturing know-how, and interest in financing entrepreneurs entering the food business.
At ICE, Chef Jeff teaches the professional Pastry & Baking program, a baking module in the career Culinary Arts program as well a variety of classes designed for recreational (home) cooks with a diverse set of skills.
Chef Jessie Riley is a founding partner of Food Startup Help, a consultancy for food entrepreneurs. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, New York Chapter. Chef Jessie is currently an Adjunct Chef Instructor in the Culinary Arts program at NYC Technical College (CUNY), where she teaches Culinary I, Culinary II (with a dining room component), Food Cost Control, Introduction to Food & Beverage, and Food and Sanitation. Chef Jessie has also taught private cooking classes for a wide array of clientele, and creates custom cakes for clients through her company Constant Cravings Foods.
Chef Jessie graduated from New York University with a Master’s Degree where she also taught graduate level printmaking. Chef Jessie then graduated with highest honors from the professional pastry program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). Jessie has worked at NYC restaurants, a bakery in France, and a wholesale production bakery in NYC. She has also taught professional culinary classes at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, where she also worked on curriculum development and cost controls, and at Star Career Academy. Chef Jessie has taught recreational classes at Rustico Cooking in Manhattan, co-taught a Couples Cooking Series at ICE, The Silo Cooking School in CT and at King Arthur Flour in VT. Chef Jessie appeared as a co-host of Wild Game Domain on Heritage Radio. For many years Chef Jessie produced the annual Top Ten Chocolate Awards and Top Ten Pastry Chef Awards ceremonies for Dessert Professional Magazine.
Chef Kathryn Gordon is a co-founder of Food Startup Help, a consultancy group for bakeries and food entrepreneurs with projects across the country and abroad. In 2017, she was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in the United States by Dessert Professional Magazine.
Chef Kathryn is a Chef Instructor in the professional Pastry & Baking Program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC. In addition, she is the Chair of the Center for Advanced Pastry Studies (CAPS), ICE’s continuing education program for industry professionals.
Kathryn graduated from Vassar College, and worked in management consulting after finishing an MBA at NYU Stern in Finance, but turned her knowledge and interest for cooking into a passionate career. Kathryn was privileged to work under renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres, M.O.F and she earned honors certification from L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland and began working in Washington D.C. at Kinkead’s Restaurant, Criollo Chocolate and Occasions Catering. She returned to Manhattan and trained at two 4-star NYC restaurants--Le Bernardin and Le Cirque. She refined her culinary skills while working in the kitchens of The Rainbow Room and Windows on the World, where she was the Pastry Chef of Cellar in The Sky.
Chef Kathryn has also taught at the New York Restaurant School, Brookdale Community College and Kingsborough Community College (CUNY), and has been a reviewer of three of the industry’s leading textbooks. Chef Kathryn was an assistant producer for the Carymax World and National Pastry Championships and the World Pastry Forum for 12 years, including helping to emcee the live competitions. She has competed on Food Network with a colleague from ICE, and participated in the Paris Gourmet US Pastry Competition, regional chocolate showpiece competitions, and placed third in a national plated desserts competition.
Kathryn is a featured chef in the American Almond Lookbook. Kathryn is also a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Chapter and the Green Tables Committee.
Her best-selling first cookbook, co-written with Anne E. McBride and released in 2011 by Running Press, Les Petits Macarons, Colorful French Confections to Make at Home, has been described by The Wall Street Journal as the most “comprehensive and inspiring” book on macarons in any language, and has been translated into Chinese. Their second book, Les Petits Sweets, Two Bite Desserts from the French Patisserie, was released in 2016.
Chef Kathryn is the Director of Loire Valley Cooking program for Le Moulin Brégeon, where she has led an annual culinary and baking course since 2002. Chef Kathryn’s third cookbook with Outskirts Press, Le Moulin Brégeon, Le Petit Moulin of the Loire Valley: Introduction to the French Lifestyle and a Collection of Recipes, was released last year and celebrates the first 20 years the Le Moulin Brégeon hotel has been open to guests.
Chef Jeff Yoskowitz is currently the Program Director for the professional Pastry & Baking Arts program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), where he oversees a group of 10 instructors, oversees curriculum, and advises 200 students a year and many more alumni.
Chef Jeff began his food industry career by attending New York City Technical College/CUNY, where he studied hospitality management. Chef Jeff worked at Manhattan’s celebrated pastry shop Les Friandises, where he worked for three years under the legendary pastry chef Jean-Claude Sanchez. At the age of 22, Chef Jeff opened his first restaurant and eventually owned and operated a successful wholesale bakery that specialized in servicing corporate clients, executive dining rooms and specialty markets. His list of former clients includes: President Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger, George Steinbrenner, Madison Square Garden, Nieman-Marcus, Smith Barney, and The United Nations.
Chef Jeff helped form Food Startup Help, a consulting group that aims to bring together his technical product expertise, over 20 years of teaching experience, recipe research and development expertise, food manufacturing know-how, and interest in financing entrepreneurs entering the food business.
At ICE, Chef Jeff teaches the professional Pastry & Baking program, a baking module in the career Culinary Arts program as well a variety of classes designed for recreational (home) cooks with a diverse set of skills.
Chef Jessie Riley is a founding partner of Food Startup Help, a consultancy for food entrepreneurs. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, New York Chapter. Chef Jessie is currently an Adjunct Chef Instructor in the Culinary Arts program at NYC Technical College (CUNY), where she teaches Culinary I, Culinary II (with a dining room component), Food Cost Control, Introduction to Food & Beverage, and Food and Sanitation. Chef Jessie has also taught private cooking classes for a wide array of clientele, and creates custom cakes for clients through her company Constant Cravings Foods.
Chef Jessie graduated from New York University with a Master’s Degree where she also taught graduate level printmaking. Chef Jessie then graduated with highest honors from the professional pastry program at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). Jessie has worked at NYC restaurants, a bakery in France, and a wholesale production bakery in NYC. She has also taught professional culinary classes at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, where she also worked on curriculum development and cost controls, and at Star Career Academy. Chef Jessie has taught recreational classes at Rustico Cooking in Manhattan, co-taught a Couples Cooking Series at ICE, The Silo Cooking School in CT and at King Arthur Flour in VT. Chef Jessie appeared as a co-host of Wild Game Domain on Heritage Radio. For many years Chef Jessie produced the annual Top Ten Chocolate Awards and Top Ten Pastry Chef Awards ceremonies for Dessert Professional Magazine.
Our initial consultation is always free.