The Tante Marie Culinary Academy will take centre stage at the Woking Food and Drink Festival 2015 in Jubilee Square.
Throughout the free, three-day festival the Tante Marie Culinary Academy Theatre will serve a healthy portion of tasty, live cooking demonstrations, delivered by a range of prestigious chefs and local restaurant owners.
Demonstration chefs
Whet your appetite by taking a look at the festival's line up of demonstration chefs below.
- Monica Galetti - Chef, author and co-presenter and judge on BBC Two's MasterChef: The Professionals.
- John Whaite - The Great British Bake Off winner 2012, author and presenter on ITV's Lorraine show.
- Michael Wignall - Executive Chef at The Latymer at Pennyhill Park, a two Michelin star and five AA Rosette rated restaurant.
- Steve Drake – Former Roux Scholarship winner and owner of Drakes in Ripley, a Michelin Star rated restaurant.
- Fernando Stovell – Featured chef on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen and owner of Stovell’s restaurant in Chobham.
- Rob Kennedy - Executive Chef at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and winner of international and national culinary awards.
- Ben Piette – MasterChef 2010 semi-finalist and owner of London House restaurant in Old Woking.
- Daniel Britten - Owner of Britten’s restaurant in Guildford and MasterChef 2008 semi finalist.
- Aneke Spacie - Owner and Executive Chef of Food by Aneke, a private catering firm based in West End.
- Steve Tremblay - Private chef and owner of Tremblays, a private catering fim based in Farnborough.
- Thierry de Magneval - Chief sommelier and owner of Cellar Magneval based in Woking and Fleet.
- Tante Marie Culinary Academy instructors – The oldest independent cookery school in the UK which has been based in the Borough for the last 60 years.
Theatre host
The Tante Marie Culinary Academy Theatre will be hosted by Jo Pickard, an experienced TV and event presenter, actress and food blogger.
Over the last year, Jo has travelled around the world as the Rave Village MC for The Volvo Ocean Race 2014/15 as well as presenting for Virgin Media at The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Her previous credits also include regular presenting slots at the Taste Of London and Taste of Winter food festivals, CISCO Live, The Balfour Beatty Youth Games, and the award-winning Park Live Stage at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.