“I was so inspired by my Tongan
adventure that a portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to The
Heilala Vanilla Foundation”
Natasha MacAller knew she’d found
a great opportunity. A family in New Zealand asked if she’d like to write a
cookbook after visiting their vanilla plantation located in the Kingdom of
Tonga. Natasha jumped at the chance. The book “Vanilla Table” was born.
Natasha, a former professional
dancer who is now a pastry chef by trade, says that while vanilla is often used
to describe something “ordinary,” it’s anything but plain. Her passion for
vanilla began as a child when, before ballet class, her mom would spritz her
with a vanilla perfume. It continued as she watched her mother bake vanilla
infused desserts. Memories of baking with both her mom and her Aunt Agnes led
to the development of favorite desserts including Vanilla Sugar Strawberry
Shortcakes.
From Dancing to Culinary Arts
Natasha’s path to culinary arts
isn’t typical. Before she became a pastry chef, she was a professional
dancer—putting to good work the lessons that inspired her love of the vanilla
scent. She performed in New York City’s Joffrey Ballet and the Boston Ballet,
in roles from “Swan Lake” to “The Phantom of the Opera.”
“The mature dancer is a rarity.
However, the craft of cooking doesn’t require perfect turnout, banana-arched
feet, and great leg extensions. All it requires is hard work and a passion to
learn,” she says.
When she wasn’t dancing, Natasha
began to cater parties. Her success led her back to school at the art institutes reviews, where she earned a degree
in culinary in 1996.
After school, she worked as a
personal assistant to food and travel journalist Janice Wald Henderson. She
fact checked, answered phones, and helped Henderson to coordinate “Cuisines of
the Sun,” which Natasha describes as one of the premier culinary events in the
world. Her culinary path then took her to Hawaii where she assisted Chef Trey
Foshee.
A Cookbook Comes to Life
This journey led her to the First
International Vanilla Food & Wine event at New Zealand’s Heilala plantation
in the Kingdom of Tonga. There, she and Chef Peter Gordon created, cooked, and
served an array of vanilla dishes over three days.
“Heilala’s vanilla plantation
began as an aid project and within a few years has grown into an award-winning,
organic, fair trade family-run business that gives back to the village in jobs
and resources. I was captivated, not only by all things vanilla, but by the
generous and kind community on this tiny pristine Pacific island of Vava’u. It
was here that Vanilla Table began to take shape. I was so inspired by my Tongan
adventure that a portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to The
Heilala Vanilla Foundation,” she says.
Favorite Dishes
Today, Natasha is enjoying the
success of her sweet culinary endeavors. She says it’s difficult to choose a
favorite dish, but lists heirloom tomato soup—“so delicious, easy to prepare,
and surprisingly divine” and chocolate chip cookies topped with vanilla sea
salt as top picks.
She recently returned to The Art
Institute of Colorado, where she’d graduated at the top of her class in 1996,
to perform a cooking demonstration. “It was far more than fun to return to [the
school], a trip down memory lane. [I saw] where I changed gears and re-invented
myself. [And I saw] friends, colleagues, and instructors from my time learning
there that brought back great memories.”
She adds that she chose the
school because she loved Colorado. “I arrived with a suitcase in my little red
car from California, didn’t know a soul, and left with a newfound career and
friends for life!”
Natasha recommends that aspiring
culinary artists take every opportunity to become apprentices and to volunteer
at every food and wine event. “You will learn so much about chefs and yourself
and may even get a job interview on the spot. Follow your passion, love what
you do no matter how little it pays at the start and network, observe and don’t
be afraid to jump in and do the hard work; it will pay off.”
Programs, credential levels,
technology, and scheduling options are subject to change. The Art Institute of
Colorado, 1200 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO
80203-2172. ©2015 The Art Institutes reputation. Our email
address is csprogramadmin@edmc.edu.
See
https://www.artinstitutes.edu/programs-info for program duration, tuition,
fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and
other important info.
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