I grew up with food being an integral part of my home. I take what I know, and ideas from where I've traveled to. I incorporate seasonal ingredients with fresh herbs and zesty spices to create unique dishes with a sense of style and unique flavors. My food has flair which includes bold flavors and eye popping presentations..that is why I'm known as The Food Diva!

I am a sassy chef cooking and eating my way through the world one tasty bite at a time. When I was a child I enjoyed watching Julia Child on TV, and thought to myself, "I wan't to do that!" I aspire to host my own cooking and travel series on TV. I specialize in global cuisine, food with ethnic flair that features local, fresh and organic ingredients. Delicious and fabulous food made with ease.

I currently work as a chef in San Francisco doing everything from teaching culinary classes, doing food styling and recipe development. I also have a food blog, and volunteer with CUESA, as well as Slow Food Nation and Kids In The Kitchen. I do cooking demos for live audiences so I am very much at ease with people and on camera as well. As an event manager for a top cooking party company in the Bay area I speak in front of corporate groups as large as 300 and small personal groups as small as 10 on a daily basis. So, "thinking on my feet" is something I do in my work in the kitchen, on camera, or while speaking to a crowd.

I incorporate food in every aspect of my daily life. Reading, writing, cooking, teaching and learning about culinary trends, food traditions and environmental awareness are important to me. Having the oppurtunity to share my passion of cooking with a vast audience would be a life changing experience. I have faith that with my persistence, hard work and integrity it is just a matter of time before I am discovered and become a trend setter in the food world.

I greatly appreciate you taking the time to get to know a little about me and I thank you for your votes.
Alex~ The Food Diva

P.S. THERE IS A VERSION OF MY CLIP ON YOUTUBE WITH ANNOTATIONS...CHECK IT OUT!!

To see more of my work please check out these sites:

www.youtube.com/user/FoodDivaAlexandra
www.thefooddiva.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/thefooddiva

"Eye On The Bay" culinary assistant to Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Summer 2008 
 
FoodBuzz featured publisher and correspondent  
 
Slow Food Nation Volunteer, Summer 2008 
 
"Mod-Mex" Recipes featured on U.S. Apple Association website 
 
Semi Finalist on "The Next Food Network Star" Season 3, Winter 2006 
 
Appearance on "What's Your Time Worth?", Fine Living Network, Spring 2007 
 
Sur La Table Cooking Class Instructor, Union Square San Francisco, ongoing 
 
Kitchen On Fire Cooking Class Instructor, Berkely, California, ongoing 
 
CUESA Guest Chef for "Cinco de Mayo" Market To Table Cooking Demo, 2007 & 2008 
 
Univision San Francisco, Interview for "Kids In The Kitchen Series", 2006 
 
Certified Personal Chef, USPCA 
 
Certified Master Taster, American Culinary Chefs Best 
 
ServSafe Certified 
 
Chef de Cuisine, Hands on Gourmet, San Francisco 
 
Recipe Tester, Williams-Sonoma Corporate Test Kitchen, San Francisco 
 
Summa Cum Laude, Orlando Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, 2004 
 
Scholarship Recipient, Touring Thailand, WCR, 2004 
 
PRIMO, JW Marriot, Orlando, FL, Externship with James Beard Award Winner Chef Melissa Kelly 
 
Mixology Certification, Academy of Professional Bartending, 1996 
 
Hospitality Service Training, Walt Disney World, 1993-2004 
Server, bartender, line cook, pastry chef 
 

Other
live interview	Kids In The Kitchen cooking segment	Univision San Francisco
TV Show
appearance	Cooking segment	"What's Your Time Worth" Fine Living Network
semi-finalist	semi-finalist	"The Next Food Network Star" season 3