Chef Mia Chambers, cofounderChef Mia is a chef instructor-startup entrepreneur based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Mia has run her own cooking school in the Marche region of Italy and led culinary tours in France, Italy, and Spain. Currently Mia divides her time between teaching at Draeger's Cooking School and Dear Martini.
Mia and her artist husband share their macaroni-factory-converted-loft with their dog, Arlo. |
Chef Terri Dien, cofounderChef Terri is a chef instructor-startup entrepreneur based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently working on Dear Martini while also serving the role of Social Media Gal for the San Mateo County Event Center. In between startup projects and event coverage, she also teaches cooking classes!
Terri and her transit-ranger husband live in San Mateo with their two rescue cats. You might, on occasion, catch Terri at her Field Office, enjoying a cup of coffee while working. |
Dear Martini: The idea
Our story begins with a chocolate soufflé. Terri had to make a dessert for her family feast Thanksgiving 2009. She had a great idea: she would teach her cousin Tom (a budding a home chef) how to make the soufflés; and in turn, HE would make the dessert for all to share. The soufflé lesson proved to be harder for Tom than she thought it would . Terri's brother Tim, videotaped the performance adding commentary as they worked, He teased, “…separating eggs? I didn’t know there was a specific technique for that? Melting butter, I didn’t know there is a "best way" to do that. I think there should be an app for that!”
A few years later, both Terri and her Draeger's Cooking School colleague, Mia Chambers felt it was time to follow a new path, to move beyond teaching in the kitchen classroom and expand their rolls as chefs. They still loved teaching, still loved the classroom but felt it was time to move on to something new. They co-founded Dear Martini in 2011, a media and technology startup based in the San Francisco Bay Area focussing on changing the way people learn to cook by using simple, effective, bite-sized videos. Bootstrapped and supported by generous friends and family, Dear Martini is on its way to developing a web-based application tool to help home cooks synchronize their cooking/searching/learning experience.Mia and Terri thought, you know what--there should be! Our company goal is to change the way you learn to cook. We've got exciting plans to unveil in the coming months. Stay tuned!
A few years later, both Terri and her Draeger's Cooking School colleague, Mia Chambers felt it was time to follow a new path, to move beyond teaching in the kitchen classroom and expand their rolls as chefs. They still loved teaching, still loved the classroom but felt it was time to move on to something new. They co-founded Dear Martini in 2011, a media and technology startup based in the San Francisco Bay Area focussing on changing the way people learn to cook by using simple, effective, bite-sized videos. Bootstrapped and supported by generous friends and family, Dear Martini is on its way to developing a web-based application tool to help home cooks synchronize their cooking/searching/learning experience.Mia and Terri thought, you know what--there should be! Our company goal is to change the way you learn to cook. We've got exciting plans to unveil in the coming months. Stay tuned!
What's up with your name?
Dear Martini -- the name of the company itself is an anagram of the the founders' names, "Mia and Terri."
