Those passionate about parties or cooking can now realize their dream of working from home at something they enjoy. Denise Vivaldo shares her experiences and advice on all the essentials and more, including estimating start-up costs and pricing services, finding clients, outfitting one’s kitchen, and honing food presentation skills.
A seasoned food professional- with over 25 years of experience, Denise Vivaldo has catered more than 10,000 parties and has cooked for such guests as George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Prince Charles, Bette Midler, Suzanne Somers, Merv Griffin, Cher, Aaron Spelling, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Maria Shriver. She began her culinary training at the Ritz Escoffier and La Varenne in Paris, and then graduated Chef de Cuisine from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Denise spent numerous years as a professor at UCLA's Culinary Program and at her Alma Mater, The California Culinary Academy.
In 1988, Denise founded Food Fanatics, a catering, recipe-development, and food-styling firm based in Los Angeles, California. Since that time, she has catered for such events as the Academy Awards Governor's Ball, Sunset Magazine's Taste of Sunset, and Hollywood wrap parties. She has also styled food for countless local and nationally syndicated television shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NapaStyle with Michael Chiarello, and Inside Dish with Rachael Ray.
Denise is the author of How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business, which has sold more than 150,000 copies and is in its 5th edition, and How to Start a Home-Based Personal Chef Business. She is also the author of Do It For Less! Parties, Do It For Less! Weddings, and The Entertaining Encyclopedia. The Food Stylist's Handbook, a book based on her decades of wide-ranging food styling Experience, was published in September of 2010, and Perfect Table Settings: Easy and Elegant Ideas for Hundreds of Napkin Folds and Table Arrangements, will be published shortly thereafter. In addition to books, Denise is a contributing blogger for the Huffington Post as well as her own blog, FoodFanaticsUnwashed.com.
Denise is passionate about passing on what she has learned. She founded the Culinary Entrepreneurship Program and she teaches catering and food styling seminars and workshops across the country and internationally.
Denise has been a featured guest on a variety of television networks and shows including Good Day L.A., ABC Morning News, the Japanese Drama Channel, The Food Network, Home & Garden Network, TV Guide Channel, SoapNet, Lifetime TV, and TV Land.
As a consultant, Denise assists companies to better their products. Clients include Hamilton Beach, QVC, Hunt-Wesson/ConAgra, Euro Direct, Hy-vee, Capital Brands, and Future Kitchen Technologies.
Denise has helped many people with their cookbooks, including: Mariel's Healthy Kitchen by Mariel Hemmingway; The Date Night Cookbook by Meredith Phillips; Somersize Fast and Easy Cookbook, Somersize Desserts, Somersize Chocolate, and Eat, Cheat and Melt the Fat Away, by Suzanne Somers; The Food Mover Cookbook and Steam Away the Pounds! by Richard Simmons; The Calorie Countdown Cookbook by Juan-Carlos Cruz; Eat, Taste, Heal by Dr. Tom Yarema; The 3-Hour Diet Cookbook by Jorge Cruise; Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim Barnouin; and Hey, Mom! I'm Hungry! by Susan Powter.
Visit Denise's websites for more information:
www.DeniseVivaldo.com Culinary consulting services
www.FoodFanatics.net Food styling and recipe development services for print, TV and web
www.CulinaryEntrepreneurship.com Food styling classes
www.FoodFanaticsUnwashed.com Denise's culinary blog
