OUR TEaM
Our classes are taught by industry-professional instructors, each boasting a diverse background, and widely varying experience. All of our chef-instructors, though, subscribe to the same principles for preparing delicious, wholesome, internationally-inspired foods for an appreciative audience.
Our chef-instructors coach students in different cooking styles including the history, culture, and any customary ceremony associated with those foods. Every dish is prepared—as we like to say—as though at the hands of the mamas in the country from which each recipe originates.
Melanie Cecilio
Founder/ CEO
Melanie has brought her immense talents to teaching, developing, and curating recipes, and heading up product initiatives for leading global food companies, including Kraft, Nestlé, Glad, Monde Nissin, Cuisinart, and Heinz-UFC. She has distinguished herself by establishing Cooking Basics in Manila, Philippines, and doing all of the concept work—from architecture to relationship development—for building Hudson Table in Hoboken. She has also taught cooking classes at Haven’s Kitchen, Hunt Hill Farm, Natirar, Sent Sovi in Barcelona and was chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York for over 9 years. Aside from cooking, she continues to serve as a culinary school consultant for companies and institutions.
Little Fox Kitchen, though, is Melanie’s dream: a place to share cuisine learned at the side of master chefs around the world; to inspire and educate amateur chefs and food aficionados; and above all, to celebrate the joys of food with others. Melanie, a firm believer in experiencing food, continues to travel to culinary hotspots, bringing back stories, techniques, and history to properly season her recipes—both original and traditional.
Bryan Giron
Chef Instructor
Chef Bryan Giron’s relationship with food started in his hometown of Tegucigalpa, Honduras at a very young age. His grandmother, an extremely talented cook who inspired the name Santelli’s, would take him to the local market weekly and began to show him how to pick produce. Once he moved to the US with his mother, he slowly started to find his comfort in experimenting in the kitchen, particularly with pastries. It was these experiments that really sparked an interest in pursuing a pastry career and he would later find himself at Johnson & Wales University. It wasn't long before he realized his true passion and made the switch to savory cooking, while still retaining a strong pastry background.
His extremely versatile cooking repertoire comes from working at many notable restaurants around the country such as Shukette, Bread & Salt, Barbuto, The Stanton Social, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Beauty & Essex, & Osteria Crescendo. The love for travel, finding great ingredients, as well as cultural immersion continues to inspire his cooking as he aims to present different cultures, cuisines, and experiences on the plate. Chef Bryan is currently the Executive Chef/Owner of Santelli's Hospitality.
Sim Cass
Guest Chef Instructor
British-born Sim Cass began his culinary career at a butcher shop in London. After an apprenticeship with Msr. Robert Mey at the Cartlton Tower, and a tour on the cruise ship SS Arcadia, Sim settled in New York City and set up Keith McNally’s first bakery kitchen at Lucky Strike. In 1997 he and Paula Oland started Balthazar Bakery where he served as head baker for nine years.
Since that time, Sim has also taken on the mantle of instructor, as Dean of Bread Baking at the Institute of Culinary Education in NY and visiting teacher at London’s Bread Ahead Bakery School in Borough Market.
Michael Pineiro
Lead Chef Instructor
Stemming from a strong passion for food, gastronomy has always been a part of Michael’s life. Since he can remember, food has always been something of great importance and never took for granted. To being an infant and remembering the abuelas cooking Sunday dinner, to most recently cooking in Michelin restaurants across the world.
Michael has been learning traditional classic French cuisine and techniques since vocational high school. He worked in the most modest of places such as a popular local deli, famous New York establishments, to eventually working in Michelin kitchens around Spain and some such as Minibar by Jose Andrés, Bouley at Home, and Eleven Madison Park.
His focus is to keep the fine dining techniques, flavors, and knowledge I’ve absorbed but at the same time make it relatable and fun even for the most novice of cooks.
Marzena Papierz
Chef Assistant and Chef Instructor
In 2014, I developed a keen interest in well-being, which led me to pursue further education at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. In 2016, I completed the Natural Gourmet Institute's food therapy program, followed by the Plant-Based Culinary Arts program at the Institute of Culinary Education. Through these programs, I gained valuable knowledge about cooking techniques and the importance of utilizing high-quality, seasonal, and local ingredients for health-supportive diets.
In 2016, I established Viride Oasis, a health coaching practice. As a Certified Functional Health Coach and Natural Food Chef, my mission is to assist busy women in reducing stress and improving their overall quality of life by enhancing their gut-brain health and incorporating self-care rituals that are often overlooked due to demanding schedules.
My commitment to a holistic approach to wellness prompted me to launch my "Mindful Kitchen" project in 2016. Through this initiative, I lead health-supportive, interactive cooking classes for women, where we prepare delectable plant-based meals while discussing the gut-brain connection, hormonal balance, and other related topics.
Upon completion of my culinary education at the Institute of Culinary Education in 2022, I commenced work as a Private Chef for multiple families throughout the city. My services include weekly meal preparation, pantry/kitchen organization, and personalized meal plans that cater to my clients' unique needs and lifestyle preferences.
Ahjine Garmony
Chef Assistant
After working in the medical communications space for 10 years, in 2022 I had a major realization that I was not meant to work behind a desk and chug along doing work that I was no longer passionate about. The hospitality industry was calling my name!
My first notion of my interest in wine came during my frequent business trips to Boston about 4 years ago. For the first time, I was immersing myself in the world of wine through client dinners, networking events, and a lot of self-exploring through Beantown. During this time was my first encounter with sommeliers and wine experts. I was fascinated and intrigued by the expertise of wine, winemaking, and learning about the intricacies that go into producing a bottle of wine. At this moment, I thought about how amazing it was to witness such passion for the craft of wine.
Since this realization, I have completed a level one sommelier course at the Wine School of Philadelphia and continue to learn and study everything I can about wine. I currently work at a winery as a Wine Club Manager and vineyard farmer. Along with my interest in wine, I have a huge passion and appreciation for culinary arts. I enjoy cooking and experimenting with recipes at home in my spare time as well as watching cooking shows!
Jenny Belliveau
Culinary Manager and Chef Instructor
Baker Jenny Belliveau is the sweetest food snob you’ll ever meet: Born in Brooklyn and raised in NJ by an Italian immigrant mother, her love affair with handcrafted pastry started at home and has been evolving for a lifetime.
Following a decade-long career in animation production & advertising, Jenny could deny her true love no longer - in 2016, she hung up her producer hat, tied on an apron, and enrolled in a weeks-long intensive pastry class at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). It was there that her concept for her own micro-bakery began to take shape—one that would mix the rich, memorable flavors of childhood treats with a modern, creative sensibility. Seeking to develop her experience in professional kitchens, Jenny moved right into working for ICE as a chef’s assistant and later as a pastry cook at Montclair’s Vanillamore Dessert Kitchen.
in 2018, Jenny’s vision became real: A Butter Life debuted at the Westfield Farmers Market and has since expanded to markets in Roselle Park, Nutley, and Scotch Plains, where Jenny and her mother, Rosanna, were known as much for their scones as they were selling out week after week. During that time Jenny provided pastries and desserts to various Essex county coffee shops—as well as Westfield’s celebrated Chez Catherine.
Jenny is thrilled to share her skills & experience with students at Little Fox Kitchen: “My best teachers have always taken subjects that felt complicated or daunting and made them more approachable and accessible while boosting my interest and helping me build confidence. To help people do that in the kitchen is a dream.”
Veronica Duco
Chef Assistant
I have been in love with food for as long as I can remember. I would walk home from school with another foodie and we would talk about what we were going to cook when we got home. While in high school I worked at Classic Thyme in Westfield and loved working the cooking classes and being around everything food related. I received my Culinary Arts degree from Johnson and Wales University in RI. I moved back to NJ and started working at the Frog and the Peach. I started in the pastry department because it was the only position available and I left as the lead line cook to work at Oceana in NYC.
In NYC I gained so much experience and it really shaped my culinary journey. I had an opportunity to shift positions to the FOH and worked at Bouley, Per Se, Corton, Lincoln and Ai Fiori to name a few. I loved that I basically knew all the ins and outs of the restaurant business, I could still be involved with food but also the guests' experience.
I lived and worked in various fine dining restaurants in Chicago, Washington State and Napa before having my two beautiful girls and moving back to NJ. My husband is a Chef in NYC and we are definitely a food driven family. After having kids it was hard to go back and work in a physical restaurant because of the demanding schedule so I started a meal prep service, worked at my fathers deli, worked as a chef at a school and am now working for an HR company that caters to hospitality and I am also delighted to be part of the Little Fox Family and to be a part of this amazing culinary team!
Wai Hon Chu
Guest Chef Instructor
Wai Hon Chu is the co-author of The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide, a collection of traditional dumpling recipes from around the world. Chu completed his culinary training at The Art Institute of New York and has worked in professional kitchens throughout New York City. In 1999, he launched El Eden Chocolates, which grew into a Manhattan storefront offering over 25 truffle varieties nationwide. His handmade chocolates have garnered rave reviews from The New York Times, Food & Wine, New York magazine, TimeOut New York, National Public Radio, and others. Wai currently works as a Culinary Instructor at Hot Bread Kitchen and has previously taught at the Institute of Culinary Education, the Natural Gourmet Institute, and the Culinary Center at Whole Foods Market Bowery.