By chefs, for chefs.
At the Table With: Vanessa Craycraft, Online Resident Chef at Sur La Table
Preferred Name: Vanessa
Pronouns: she / hers
Favorite Sur La Table kitchen tool: Ratchet Mill and Fish Spatula
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Growing up in Ecuador, Chef Vanessa Craycraft was surrounded by the smells and sounds of her mother’s cooking. Fresh, whole ingredients and recipes made from scratch, it’s the spark that ignited her culinary journey.
“My mom has a great palate; she can eat something and then identify the ingredients—I got some of that from her.
Growing up she did all the cooking and wouldn’t let me help, but all her cooking was from scratch, full of flavor and freshness. I think without realizing it, that is the reason why I also love to cook from scratch with fresh produce and why I almost never use frozen ingredients.”
Chef Vanessa’s preference for fresh over frozen isn’t solely about taste—
although, that’s definitely a big part of it—but rather comes from a place of love.
“I love people through my cooking and baking, and I also enjoy hosting dinners and parties so those go hand-in-hand.
It makes my heart happy setting a table, taking time to enjoy a meal and spending that time getting to know people. I find immense satisfaction when something I cook or bake brings people a little bit of happiness.”
Cooking is Chef Vanessa’s love language and, ultimately, her passion.
“I discovered my love of cooking when I first got married and wanted to cook for my then husband.
In a way, I taught myself by following recipes from “Everyday Food” magazine—my roommate had given me a subscription for a year as a gift, and I ended up getting it until it went out of print.
I also learned from Ina Garten’s cookbooks that my then MIL kept gifting me. I fell in love with baking more than cooking as I felt more in my element, so when the time came and I decided to go to Culinary School, I followed the savory track.
That may seem contradictory, but I really wanted to become more confident (in my cooking), not be so dependent on a recipe, and learn to be organized, fast and effective in the kitchen.”
It’s a decision that has more than paid off.
After graduating from Culinary School, Vanessa spent time honing her skills in kitchens, bakeries and in private events and catering. It would all eventually lead her to the Culinary Program here, at Sur La Table.
In 2016, Vanessa joined our Culinary Program as a Kitchen Assistant, helping prep and set up classes while getting hands-on teaching experience.
She worked her way up, eventually becoming our Online Resident Chef, teaching five classes a week in everything from traditional Italian cuisine to Dim Sum and seasonal treats.
It’s a role that lets her explore a variety of cuisines and techniques, and pass along a few tried and tested tips of her own.
“As I often tell people, my goal is not just to teach recipes, but to teach technique and principles that can be applied to anything they want to make.”
Some of her favorite bits of wisdom?
“If you want to thinly slice meat or fat like bacon, do it when it’s cold. Let a stainless-steel pan heat up on medium-high heat for about a minute
to give it a nonstick surface. If you have a big piece of ginger, mince it all and freeze in 1 tablespoon portions so it won’t go bad if you don’t use it all at once.”
And when it comes to time-honored tricks and techniques, Vanessa’s got quite a few heroes of her own she’d like to welcome to her table.
“Ina Garten: I consider her my tutor; she has an interesting life story, and I would love to get some advice from when she owned the Barefoot Contessa.
Julia Child: Well, she is just an icon. I identify with her a little bit and how she got started, her story was part of the inspiration behind me going to school.
Jesus (of Nazareth): I’m a follower, he showed love by feeding people and nothing would give me greater joy than to feed him.
Christine Ha: She is blind and won MasterChef, I want to know how she does it.
Christopher Columbus: I admire his quest for adventure, and I just want
to tell him he could have done it better and to leave the gold in the Americas.”
Hungry for more? You can sharpen your skills and cook along with Chef Vanessa in one of our Online Cooking Classes. From French-themed mixology to impressive Date Nights In, you’ll get a taste for the truly delicious.
I know Vanessa socially and can vouch for her ability to cook amazing, creative and delicious meals. Like her mother, she too can identify the ingredients in a recipe and with the kindest of words suggest unique improvements to something that I have made. She is an outstanding chef, a thoughtful teacher and a great friend. (I would also have a few retrospective questions for el Sr. Colón.)
Amazing! Vanessa is an excellent chef and fabulous instructor. We enjoy taking her online classes!
Vanessa is the best Chef I’ve ever ver met
She cooks delicious food with flavor and artistry
She is unique and she is my Sister 🥰
Vanessa is an excellent chef! You can see the passion and love that she dedicate when is cooking! Without a doubt she is the best!
Vanessa has the ability of creating beautiful and delicious dishes while making you feel at home at the same time. Her charisma, inviting personality and talented cooking skills are many of the traits she offers when she is doing a cooking class or sharing a meal with you. She is an excellent cook and it is worthwhile checking out one of her online cooking classes!