I was cleaning up the photo directory on my website when I came across a picture of me graduating from cooking school. When I was attending the Professional Culinary Program at The New School of Cooking, I had the very good fortune of having Carol Cotner Thompson as my teacher/mentor.

Since day one, I was mesmerized. Carol has been an instructor as The New School of Cooking for the last 8+ years. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she has been a food stylist, co-owned a successful catering company, worked at the City Restaurant, a menu designer and has been teaching for nineteen years.

I can listen to Carol talk and teach for hours on end. She has a steady pace to her speak and she knows how to engage you. Her selection of words draws you right in and you visualize the food as she talks about it. Her visual interpretations in her food styling is impeccable.

Carol has and always will be a culinary mentor to me. She is still teaching at the school. Perhaps I need to swing by and make a visit.

Below is a snippet from KCRW’s Good Food show with Evan Kleiman where Carol and Evan talk about vinaigrettes.

http://www.scottmindeaux.com/sounds/carol_vinaigrette.mp3