D&W Food Centers Inc.

With a broad range of culinary experience in the food industry, Cherie brings a wealth of cheese knowledge to Spartan. She devotes a great deal of attention to sourcing the finest possible, local and imported cheese. Her passion lies in the marriage of pairing fine cheese with fruits, nuts, and chocolates to enhance their flavors.

As the food editor and restaurant reviewer at The Grand Rapids Press, Jaye Beeler wants you to cook, eat and entertain and not get all bunched up about the details. With a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky, Jaye combines solid newspaper reporting and a passion for food. With a heady exuberance, she's savored regional cuisine from Merida, Venezuela and Sydney, Australia, to major European gastronomic cities including, London, Edinburgh, Paris and Venice. She's discovered the finest souvenirs to stuff in her suitcase are stacks of local cookbooks, kitchen gadgets and gorgeous gourmet foods from estate bottled olive oil, fruit jams, loose leaf tea to Tim-Tams, an Australian supermarket biscuit.

Since the age of 18, he has been training for a career in food preparation through extensive world travel and on-the-job experiences made possible with the US Army. An assignment in Germany helped him learn what would later become the base of his education. Nick was able to improve and expand army recipes and was soon transferred as a personal chef to various General officers. As his skills matured he helped entertain VIP's from foreign countries and government officials; among them, the President of the United States. His awards are numerous, including nineteen gold, ten silver and eleven bronze medals in seventeen National Culinary Competitions; three gold and one silver medal in the Culinary Olympics in Frankfort, Germany and was on the Army team which won Grand Prix in Gold there. He went on to teach food service at the Army Quartermaster School. Most recently, he was awarded a bronze medal at the first annual Nutrition Challenge in Washington, D.C. When Nick doesn't have his hands in the dough, he is instructing others in the fine art of cooking. He has conducted more than nearly eighty seminars in high schools and colleges across the country. In 1985, West Michigan got its first taste of Nick's exceptional flair for making food. He worked at the Peninsular Club and then went on to be Executive Corporate Chef for Schelde Enterprises, overseeing their fourteen restaurants around the state. In 1992 Nick's dream of owning his own restaurant came true; Marino's Restaurante opened its doors in November of that year. In 1997 Nick went to work as Executive Corporate Chef for River City Foods. He has also worked for Rafferties and TSO Catering.

Many years in France made D&W Fresh Market's Wine Specialist, Roz Mayberry, a hopeless lover of good things to eat and drink. Roz, a former English teacher and professor, teaches wine classes and serves as a judge on wine tasting panels. She is the retail representative to the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. Although several years as part owner/chef of "The Catered Affair" cured her of any desire to cook under stress, it did not squelch her urge to make good things to eat and serve with good wine.