Growing up in my French chef grandfather's restaurant and garden gave me an appreciation for food at an early age.  From hunting for chucker to fishing the streams for brook trout, I still remember coming home with our catch and preparing sumptuous meals. There is nothing like a freshly grilled or cast-iron seared brook trout with lemon and garden herbs.  My passion for food and running led me to Colorado State University where I studied French and Restaurant and Resort Management and was an All American and School Record holder in Track and Field.   After college I moved to Italy to study cuisine at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Costigliole D'Asti Italy, Piemonte, followed by a stage at now Michelin Starred restaurant Antiche Contrade in Cuneo.  It was here where I fell in love with porcini, tartufi, real free range eggs, fresh pasta, branzino sea bass, and Italian cheeses and wines.  I returned to Truckee, CA where I started my personal chef business as well as worked as a line cook for Moody's Bistro, an intense and fast paced kitchen.  It was here where  I learned to be an efficient and organized line cook, with the burns to prove it!  I then spent a summer as a private chef in Provence where I also staged in Michelin star restaurant La Petite Maison in the Luberon as well as again at Antiche Contrade.  My husband and I also road biked through the Alps and the Dolomites, conquering every pass we could find before settling in Sonoma County, CA.  I recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Simone Ray Piccolo-Brown and feel so blessed to live in a community rich in wonderful people as well as some of the best olive oil, artisan cheeses, breads, wine, and produce found anywhere in the world.