Instructor Bios A-M
Ken is the Executive Chef and owner of Pachamama's. Cooking professionally since 1989, he spent 3 years as kitchen manager of Teller's. Ken moved to the San Francisco Bay area to attend the California Culinary Academy, graduating with honors in 1999. He went on to work with Chef Daniel Bonnot at Bizou Restaurant in New Orleans. Ken came over to Pachamama's in the Spring of 1999 and began to implement his philosophy on food and cooking... taking the best ingredients, local and organic whenever possible and matching them with simple, yet refined techniques.
Jennifer Baker-Powers was raised and educated in Lawrence. She is a certified Montessori teacher with a Masters Degree in education. While Jennifer loves her job at Raintree Montessori School, her 4-year-old daughter is who truly makes her smile. Jennifer learned to cook from her mother, who learned from her mother, who learned...
Amber Belt, ND, is the Nutrition Education & Outreach Assistant at The Merc. She was trained in Naturopathic Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences located in Tempe, Arizona. Amber is passionate about teaching people to be healthy and helping them on their personal path to wellness. She also has a small naturopathic medical practice in Lawrence.
Marybeth Bethel M.S. is a psychotherapist/ personal coach, and an adjunct professor for an online university. With seventeen years experience using positive psychology in her private practice, she views life as an adventure, and enjoys teaching others how to manage difficult life transitions and create more effective, satisfying lives. To learn more, check out her website at www.becomemore.net.
Debjani Bhaduri holds a Masters in Mathematics from India and a MS in Education from KU. Debjani developed her culinary skills under the tutelage of her mother from who she learned recipes of authentic Bengali cuisine. She is the chef-owner of Tripti, a company whose motto is to create a "Symphony of flavors with a flourish of taste."
Jayni Carey is the host of the weekly cooking show "Jayni's Kitchen," sponsored by the Merc. She is the author of three cookbooks. Her latest is titled "Kitchen Magic: The Secrets of Elevating Ordinary Foods to Extraordinary Heights." Jayni co-authored 2 cookbooks with her husband Frank. Jayni's interest in food and wine has taken her on culinary adventures around the world. We're happy to host Jayni and bring her great TV personality to the Merc!
Vicki Corbin is a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner and "self-help" instructor. She has been practicing JSJ on herself, family and friends for over 15 years. She is also a biology professor at KU.
Joy de Maranville trained for four years in the Seattle/Sun Valley Feldenkrais teacher training program. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher and has been teaching Awareness Through Movement classes for four years. She has also been a massage therapist and bodyworker for 19 years. In 1987 she co-founded Southwind Health Collective, where she currently works.
Robin Goff, BSN is the founder of the Light Center in Baldwin, Kansas. With a background in both nursing and chaplaincy, Robin trains health care professionals and others about holistic healing philosophies and techniques
David Haigh & Anne Wilsey. David has been practicing massage for five years with his certificate from the Lunaria Bodywork Institute and Spirit Winds School of Thai Massage. Annie has practiced massage therapy since 1999 and moved to Lawrence recently from California where she earned a BA in Exercise Physiology from Cal State.
Thomas Howe, ABR, GRI, ePRO, CRS, has lived in Lawrence since 1978, and has been a Merc member since '79. He is affiliated with Reece & Nichols, ACRES Realty, LLC, and since 2001 has helped over 95 families meet their Real Estate objectives.
Paul Johnson is a founding member of the Rolling Prairie Farmers Alliance - a cooperative local vegetable subscription service. Paul is a legislative advocate on poverty and family farm issues for several Kansas churches in Topeka. Paul is a board member of the Kansas Rural Center and a representative to the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group that lobbies on federal farm policy.
Hilary Kass, MPH is a Wellness Educator specializing in whole foods cooking. Hilary believes in the power of whole foods as a part of getting well and staying well. She has been in the kitchen since her teenage years and has been teaching cooking for 15 years.
Jim Lewis & Nancy O'Connor have been hitting the trail together for the past 28 years. They have hiked down into grand canyons, up into high mountains, and along great coasts with their two sons Gabe and Isaac, laughing most of the way, and eating the very best camp and trail food.
Ocoee Miller is a longtime co-op member. She is an herbalist and medicine maker. Ocoee has been studying herbs for over 15 years. She lives an earth-friendly lifestyle in the boonies outside Lawrence. Ocoee conducts regular workshops on her farm - we feel fortunate to be able to host her at the Merc.
Cecilia Mills completed training at the Amma Institute in San Francisco in 1989, and has been practicing traditional Japanese acupressure for over twelve years. She taught massage workshops at Stanford and operated her own business, Right to the Point, bringing chair massage to offices. She returned to Lawrence after living in San Francisco and Palo Alto for the past 15 years, she is a member of the Southwind Health Collective, a seven-member massage cooperative that provides many types of body work.
