Faculty & Staff

Chef Daniel Mattos

Chef Daniel Mattos

Chef Director, The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory

daniel.mattos@ocsarts.net

Chef Daniel Mattos holds an associate’s degree in culinary arts and a bachelor’s degree in food service entrepreneurship from Johnson & Wales University. Professionally, Chef Mattos served as a Sous Chef at prestigious restaurants and hotels throughout the United States, including Bristol Hotels and Resorts in Atlanta and San Francisco, and Stanhope Hotel in New York City.

Chef Mattos also served as Executive Chef of Bisque Restaurant, a fine dining kitchen where he is credited with bringing the restaurant from one-and-a-half stars to four stars. As Chef Director at The Art Institute of California – Orange County, he led the culinary department. Under his leadership, the culinary program grew from 300 to 800 students. Previously, Chef Mattos taught health-supportive vegetarian cooking by integrating classical cooking techniques at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. Chef Mattos joined the Orange County School of the Arts team in 2011 and currently serves as Director of The Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory, where he feels fortunate to lead a fabulous team of highly experienced faculty that bring their hospitality industry experience to the classroom. Chef Mattos is responsible for curriculum development, organizing multiple kitchen facilities to accommodate teaching labs, and catering performances. He is devoted to giving his students hands-on and real-world experience through competitions, class assignments, and internships with local kitchens, hotels, and restaurants.

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Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown

Instructor

kevin.brown@ocsarts.net

Bio coming soon!

Chef Paola Costa

Chef Paola Costa

Instructor

Teaches: Foundations I & II, Safety & Sanitation, American Cuisine, World Cuisine

paola.costa@ocsarts.net

Chef Paola Costa holds a diploma in Advanced Techniques Culinary Arts from the ICASI International Culinary Arts & Sciences Institute of Cleveland, Ohio. She is a ServSafe and ProStart instructor and proctor, and an OC Fair Culinary Arts Food Competition judge. At OCSA, Chef Costa teaches the foundations of culinary arts and restaurant management, while preparing students for their ProStart two-year career and their ServSafe Manager exam. Chef Costa also serves as the advisor for one of OCSA's CA&H student clubs.

Before embracing a culinary career, Chef Costa was a university adjunct faculty member and conference speaker for eight years, after graduating from the University of Genova, Italy, with a M.A. in Italian Language & Literature. She taught comparative cultures at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, and Italian Language at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio.

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Ann Crane

Ann Crane

Internship Coordinator and Instructor

Teaches: Business Practices for the Food Service Professional, Internship I & II, Event Planning

ann.crane@ocsarts.net

Ms. Ann Crane was the proud owner of Meyerhof's Catering company in Irvine for 17 years, having worked her way up through being a line cook, kitchen manager, director of operations, and executive chef. She divides her time between catering for private clients and participating in a wide range of nonprofit endeavors, including Girl Scouts of Orange County and Human Options (an organization dedicated to breaking the silence of domestic violence).

A philosophy major from University of California, Irvine (UCI), Ms. Crane is grateful to have the opportunity to bring her on-the-job food service expertise to the classroom.

Stacie Cruz

Stacie Cruz

Instructor

Teaches: Literature and Composition, Food History

stacie.cruz@ocsarts.net

Valuing learning at least a little bit about everything, Ms. Stacie Cruz attended Santa Clara University earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis in African Literature. She earned her credential and master’s degree in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Cruz joined Orange County School of the Arts in 2000 and serves as an arts instructor of the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory and an academic instructor of the Literature and Composition department.

 

Since 1995, she has taught English and social studies to high school students and is an enthusiastic consumer of the creations of the culinary arts and hospitality industry. She has taught several courses in addition to Food History, including 9th Grade Literature and Composition, Popular Culture, Film, and Shakespeare. Ms. Cruz believes that learning is a process, not a result. She is passionately dedicated to supporting her students from whom, she is proud to say, she learns from every day.

 

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Chef Vina DiBernardo

Chef Vina DiBernardo

Instructor

vina.abi-fadel@ocsarts.net

Chef Vina (Abi-Fadel) DiBernardo is an accomplished chef and instructor with degrees both in culinary and AG business management, food science and nutrition from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she serves on the Alumni Board for the College of Agriculture. Chef DiBernardo has been teaching culinary arts and baking/pastry for Coastline Regional Occupation Program for the past five years, and is a mentor chef for Cooking Up Change. She is a member of Southern California Institute of Food Technologists Section and Research Chefs Association. With over a decade in the hospitality industry, Chef DiBernardo began her own marketing and management business, R&D, to help local restaurateurs update menus and recipes that highlight local vendors and create excitement on the plate. Her focus is seasonal produce and developing exclusive desserts under the Divina Dolci label for restaurants, and the family business Rafael’s Pizza. Chef DiBernardo is the resident chef for Centennial Farm at the Orange County Fairgrounds, conducting monthly “Field to Fork” classes and specialty holiday desserts. Chef DiBernardo has also served as Culinary Supervisor for the Orange County Fair and is editor of their monthly Culinary Corner newsletter for the farm.

Before embarking on her second act in the hospitality industry, Chef DiBernardo was a corporate trainer and director of education for LVMH, traveling throughout the United States and internationally to conduct seminars and workshops for professionals in the fashion and beauty industries. 

Chef DiBernardo’s passion is to educate and guide her students through the hospitality industry so they can achieve their dreams.

Marisa George

Marisa George

Faculty Sponsor

Rooftop Terrace Garden

Ms. Marisa George received her undergraduate degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz. She teaches eighth-grade physical science and has been a teacher at OCSA since 2001. This school year she is also teaching environmental science.

Ms. George recently completed a Permaculture Design Course at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. It was through this course work and with the help of some of her classmates, that led to the blueprint design for OCSA’s Terrace Garden. 

Rachel Gorman

Rachel Gorman

Instructor

Teaches: Creative Food Writing, Literature and Composition, Gothic Literature and Science Fiction

rachel.gorman@ocsarts.net

Ms. Rachel Gorman received her bachelor’s degree in English and master's degree in art history from California State University, Fullerton. She is passionate about the intersection of the arts and academics, and is always striving to incorporate this learning in her classroom instruction. When students are able to showcase their multiple talents in both the arts and academics, they start to become more aware of their place in the world. Ms. Gorman joined Orange County School of the Arts in 2014 and serves as an arts instructor for the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory and an academic instructor for the Literature and Composition department.

Chef Michael Grover

Chef Michael Grover

Instructor

Teaches: Fundamentals of Cooking, Introduction to Baking, Sustainable Seasonal Cooking, Plant Based Cuisine

michael.grover@ocsarts.net

Chef Michael Grover holds an associate’s degree in culinary arts and a bachelor’s degree in food service management from Johnson & Wales University. He joined Orange County School of the Arts in 2014. Chef Grover classically trained with French Master Chef Dominique Michou at Hotel Metropole in Brussels, Belgium. He also worked as a sous chef and head chef for various restaurants, including the Boston Sports Club at the Boston Celtics’ practice facility.

Additionally, Chef Grover acted as the front of the house captain at Sotheby’s in New York, as well as a culinary demonstration chef, marketing international vendors and collegiate culinary programs. Chef Grover is currently a consulting chef for new product development for the meat and pizza industry and quality control of USDA plant guidelines.

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Dara Maleki

Dara Maleki

Instructor

Teaches: Entrepreneurship I & II

dara.maleki@ocsarts.net

Mr. Dara Maleki is the Founder and CEO of The Pizza Press Restaurants, which he has led since February 2011. The Pizza Press is a ‘fast casual pizza’ craft beer concept within the industry through his RMS Franchise Group. With the success of his first location, Mr. Maleki looked to franchising as a growth strategy to share The Pizza Press brand with the public worldwide through a franchise model. A self-described creative leader and small business advocate, when not engaged with his brands, Mr. Maleki participates with other franchise industry and entrepreneurial business leaders in advocating for small businesses. He participates on boards and advisory committees, and local and state political action committees. He also serves as faculty for OCSA’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory focusing on entrepreneurial studies. Mr. Maleki has received numerous awards for his contribution to small businesses and industries in his community.

Chef Kogila Pillay

Chef Kogila Pillay

Instructor

Teaches: Culinary Academic Elective, Advanced Baking & Pastry, Garde Manger

kogila.pillay@ocsarts.net

Kogila Pillay graduated with a diploma in baking and pastry from the Art Institute of California. She also completed a cake decorating course through Wilton and Art of Desserts through the Stephan Treand Pastry School. She began working at Orange Hill Restaurant as a pastry chef, where she brought a fresh perspective and emphasis on comfort desserts to the restaurant’s menu. Chef Pillay is also a partner in a catering company and food truck in Irvine.

Rabecca Woodruff

Rabecca Woodruff

Instructor

rabecca.woodruff@ocsarts.net

Ms. Rabecca Woodruff earned a degree in television and broadcast journalism from Chapman University. After graduation, she worked for the Disneyland Resort as a performer, and worked her way up to a leadership position in the Entertainment Department. In 2018, Ms. Woodruff became a news producer for KESQ, a news station near Palm Springs. She was given an opportunity to be an associate producer for KESQ’s coverage of the Palm Springs Film Festival. She also has freelance video editing experience from working with USC’s Marshall School of Business MBS online program.

Ms. Woodruff currently teaches for two conservatories at OCSA, the Film and Television Conservatory and the Mekjian Family Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory. She has also been coaching color guard at various schools in the Orange County area for close to 10 years. Ms. Woodruff’s experience as an educator has inspired her to continue to explore her own options in education.

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