Owner and Manager

Rita Yosef

Hello my name is Rita and I am the owner and the manager of My Home Chef cooking school.

I am in charge of the business (AKA THE BOSS).

I am operating all of the School aspects: Teaching, purchasing, HR and admin.

Oh yes! I am a very busy lady wearing lots of hats (beside my chef's one ) :).

I defiantly love love my Job and I invest my heart and soul into the school.

More About Me

Cookery Teacher -Head Teacher

Amanda Pichon

Cookery Teacher

Gabriela Rangel

Hola, Hi, I’m Gabriela, and I’m absolutely thrilled to join the

My Home Chef team!.

My journey is a vibrant mix of my love for science, culinary arts, and a deep appreciation for diverse cultures.

This unique combination fuels my excitement to dive into our students' culinary adventures. I’m originally from Venezuela, where I grew up surrounded by a rich culinary tradition. From indigenous flavors to Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian influences, my background has sparked a lifelong passion for exploring global flavors and cooking traditions. With a background in biology, I've developed strong analytical skills and a keen eye for detail, which come in handy in the kitchen.

My specialisation in pastry and baking has let me bring an artistic touch to crafting delicious and visually appealing dishes. Plus, as a certified coach, I've honed my skills in guiding and supporting others. This is crucial in creating a nurturing and effective learning environment, especially for our cooking classes where empathy, patience, and personalised instruction are key.

As a mom of a wonderful daughter -and married to a nature-loving outdoor enthusiast, my family life adds a rich layer to my perspective. Our shared experiences and daily life inspire me to make teaching and creating culinary experiences both meaningful and engaging for our students.

I’m really looking forward to bringing my diverse background, cultural insights, and dedication to inclusive education to My Home Chef. Excited to help our students reach their full potential in the kitchen and beyond!

Hi my name is Amanda I am originally from Invercargill.

I currently live in Rolleston with my daughter Emily and my husband Fraser.

I have worked as a chef since I was 16, and have completed a Bachelor of Culinary arts at Otago Polytechnic. In my spare time I love dancing, traveling and spending time with my family.

My food values are deeply rooted in my family values. These are that all parts of a family are important, respect for others and ingredients is indicative of how successful the relationship or dish is, and to cook & care from your heart.

The ability to be myself within my family is when I am truly happy and I cook food to care and nurture for them.

This feeling of safety and comfort I hold dearest and endeavor to portray this in my everyday and professional life. Growing up in a family of incredibly strong matriarchal figures on all sides, I was taught fierce loyalty, independent thinking and a strong sense of tradition. Building a home where everyone was welcomed with vast pots of tea and tins packed full of baking is important to

my family and that feeling of hospitality and welcome is entrenched in my psyche.

Cookery Teacher

Jonina Kerr

Hello i'm Jonina ,I was born in Christchurch and I’m Kiwi /Thai I moved to Rolleston at the start of 2024 and I love it here .

I’m a mum to a beautiful 13 year old son ,who has ADHD and ASD.

I’ve been in the hospitality industry for 10 years working my way up from dish hand at 16 years old while studying cookery certificates at 'Ara Institute Of Canterbury' .

My love for food began at a very early age experimenting in the kitchen with sauces while my mum was asleep and presenting her with my creation on uncooked pasta ,I realise at this moment in time that I wanted to be a chef ,to create dishes ,to learn new skills ,new cultures and to explore my Thai Heritage background .

I love the feeling when I can put so much of my passion into a meal and see the faces of my family and friends enjoying my cooking ,it warms my heart that I can bring so much joy and love to them with my food .

In my spare time when I’m not experimenting in the kitchen ,I love travelling the world ,tasting new dishes ,learning new skills and cuisines ,tasting new flavours finding anything food related that’s new to me .

As a chef ,I can’t wait to teach the students everything I know.

To show them the passion I have for creating dishes and bring my culture to my home chef.

Looking Forward To Meeting You All

Cookery Teacher

Leanne Provis

My name is Lee and I am a bee keeper

(not the Jason Statham kind – the insect kind), dancer, amateur photographer, gardener and concert-goer.

Also, a proud mum of two adult children and wife to Darran.

We have a cat and deaf great dane and have lived in Rolleston since 2008.

Growing up in Hokitika, I was lucky enough to have the introduction of growing produce, cooking meals and weekly baking with my mum, dad and grandparents.

My food memories start when I was young helping in the garden (mainly picking and eating the peas or raspberries), making koala-shaped pikelets with my nana and baking with my mum – some of her recipes I still use today.

My favourite food/dishes, if I must choose, would be parsnip (an under-rated vegetable), raspberries, sherry trifle, maple marinated salmon and any Italian cuisine.

Before studying Level 2 and 3 Cookery at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargill in 2002, I used to ‘experiment’ with food and flavours, sometimes unsuccessfully, which led me to study there.

Once graduated, I got a job at Southern Cross Hospital Invercargill cooking for the post-op patients.

At times this meant amending meals dependant on how the patients were feeling and creating something for them with what I had on hand.

When we moved back to Christchurch, I got a role at a hospice cooking for all the residents.

Good food heals my soul and it is my pleasure to share this with anyone whom will enjoy it.

I am empathetic, patient, caring and have an excellent sense of humour.

I am looking forward to meeting our future chefs and seeing them grow within the My Home Chef environment.

Cookery Teacher

Stephanie Berry

Hi, I’m Steph

I have been a chef for almost 30 years and still enjoy cooking!

I work part time at a cafe and also do volunteer baking classes at my kids school where possible.

I am married with 3 boys and a golden retriever and live in north Canterbury.

I love sugar and making things look pretty.

I enjoy cooking for friends and family and showing others how to master something in the kitchen.

Teaching at My Home Chef will be so rewarding for me personally, and I look forward to meeting and cooking with special members of our community.