Frances Wilson

Frances Wilson can’t remember a time when her life has not revolved around food, from an early age cooking with her mother and then professionally as a chef and teacher. There are some that will say it’s all she ever thinks about! Frances trained as a high school teacher of Home Economics in her native Ireland. She moved to Berkeley in 1990 and was Executive Chef at the award-winning Lalime’s Restaurant for a decade, followed by four years as Culinary Director at Château Routas in Provence, France, where she catered to chateau guests and ran cooking classes.

For 10 years, Frances was Professional Culinary Instructor at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco, leading both the Professional Program and weekend specialty classes. She has taught at many other Bay Area venues including the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Sur la Table, and Copia and the Silverado Cooking School in Napa.

Frances is passionate about teaching people how to cook real food with great local ingredients. She wants her students to know that cooking simple meals doesn’t have to be a chore but can be a fun time spent with family and friends.