Faculty and Staff Profiles
Thor Erickson
Chef Instructor
Chef Erickson worked within the restaurant industry since 1980 and in post-secondary education since 2009. Chef Erickson holds an Associate’s Degree, Culinary Arts – Columbia Community College. Throughout his career, Chef Erickson has worked in many facets of the foodservice industry from small startups to large hotels. He established his reputation in fine dining at Chez Panisse and Jeremiah Tower’s Stars, and went on to manage kitchens of fine dining restaurants. Chef Erickson is the 2013 winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals Culinary Teacher of the Year Award. In 2015, Chef Erickson was invited to The White House where he educated The White House culinary team on the sustainable procurement, butchery, and preservation of meat. A specialist in cheese making, butchery, and charcuterie, Chef Erickson is a member of Slow Food USA and a volunteer for Edible Schoolyard, Chez Panisse Foundation and Neighbor Impact. Instruction: Chef Erickson is a firm believer in foundation skills, techniques, and sustainability. Chef Erickson teaches the Foundations courses, Garde Manger, Butchery, Charcuterie, International Cuisines, and Kitchen Operations. He is passionate about culinary education and believes that high standards lead to student success.
David Trask
Chef Instructor
Chef Trask worked within the restaurant industry since 1986 and in post secondary since 2013. Chef Trask holds an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts from Western Culinary Institute. Chef Trask’s culinary career began working for the McCormick and Schmick’s corporation. His early career afforded him ample experience in a fast-paced, high volume, fine dining environment. He utilized his culinary background to become a food salesman, and eventually Director of Food service for a Portland-based food brokerage firm, where he represented a number of nationally branded companies and products, responsible for marketing campaigns, product placement and menu consultation. Chef Trask has lived the last nine years in the US Virgin Islands where he served as Head Chef for a private dinner club, as well as Owner/Chef for his own catering business and Tex-Mex Restaurant He is excited to share his passion for food and culinary experience, as a Chef Instructor, with the students of Cascade Culinary Institute. Instruction: Due to his international experience and background as a restaurant owner / chef, Trask provides instruction dealing with restaurant operations, procurement and food cost control, and international cuisine.
Darrell Henrichs
Chef Instructor and Hospitality Management Instructor
Chef Darrell Henrichs graduated in 1993 from New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. After graduating he worked at an array of restaurants and resorts, including the following four start establishments: Flagstaff House in Boulder, Colorado; Hotel Jerome in Aspen Colorado; and Fess Parker Resort in Santa Barbara, California. In addition to these roles, Chef Henrichs also owned and managed the Blue Sage Bakery in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, specializing in breads, pastries, cakes and specialty desserts.
Since relocating to Bend in 2003, Chef Henrichs has held three positions: the Executive Chef at Bend Golf & Country Club, the Executive Chef at Touchmark at Mount Bachelor Village and, his most recent role, the Executive Chef at Oxford Hotel. He has appeared on Cooking Central Oregon Style in addition to taking first and second place in The Bite of Bend’s Iron Chef Competition.
Chef Henrichs enjoys experimenting with flavors and cuisine. Whenever creating new menus, he takes a worldly approach, drawing upon flavors and ingredients from around the globe to provide meals with a unique food experience. Chef Henrichs can be found in the great outdoors-biking, hiking, camping, fishing and skiing.
Penny Fraker
Chef Instructor
A Central Oregon native, Penny Fraker was classically trained in pastry at Bend’s own Cascade Culinary Institute, where she graduated with honors at the top of her class. Her love for the art of baking grew into a thriving business, as she launched Penny Bakes in 2021, a cottage bakery specializing in cakes and macarons. Penny also taught through Kara’s Kitchenwares and was a Baker at the Council on Aging. Additionally, Penny has served in education and youth-centered roles where she did event planning, fundraising, administration, communication, budget planning and volunteer recruitment.
Maybe it‘s the sugar rush, or the challenge of baking at high altitude in the High Desert, but Penny tirelessly seeks to understand the “whys” behind the science of baking. She says the only thing she loves more than creating beautiful and delicious desserts is researching and perfecting a new recipe. Sharing her knowledge and passion with her students is her great honor and privilege.
Penny’s husband and two college-aged children are her biggest cheerleaders and favorite taste-testers. When she’s not in the kitchen trying new baking experiments, she can be found snuggling her cat, watching reality TV, or eating chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.
Lisa Camp
Purchasing Specialist
Living so close to the sea, I grew up with an appreciation of fresh Pacific Northwest Seafood, in addition to grass-fed beef and fresh produce. Our leisure time including salmon fishing, digging razor clams and fresh manila clams, and picking wild blackberries, which contributed to my appreciation of the outdoors.
“I worked at Mt Bachelor for about 16 seasons, 10 years working in the ‘Castle Keep’, the bar in the West Village lodge and six years as the Pine Marten Lodge Manager where I was responsible for three different restaurant outlets. Provisioning a lodge at 7000 feet has its challenges and this is where my restaurant inventory and purchasing skills were honed. I received HAACP training and certification while working at Mt Bachelor. During the summer, I worked for Sunriver Banquet department catering.
This job is fun every day! I learn something new each day and am becoming excited about food all over again. I am an avid equestrian and enjoy everything about spending time with my horses.”
Hilary McDonald
CCI Coordinator
Hilary joined Cascade Culinary Institute in 2019 and serves in the lead on-site role as CCI Coordinator. She facilitates all components of running Cascade Culinary Institute. Hilary loves getting to know all students, the personal nature of the Jungers Culinary building, and the welcoming nature of Central Oregon Community College.
Hilary holds a Master’s of Education in Human Relations Degree with a Public Management certificate from Northern Arizona University and a Bachelors Degree in Geography from Humboldt State University in Northern California.
Hilary grew up amongst the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. After earning her Bachelor’s degree and a post-degree teaching credential, Hilary found her calling when she began working with college students in 2007. Hilary worked at Northern Arizona University for six years in department coordination and student services roles, including serving as an Academic Advisor in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Hilary’s family came to Oregon in 2013. She worked for Rogue Community College for 6 years, primarily as a Program Coordinator, and later Interim Director, in the Education Partnerships Department, where she helped high school teachers and departments coordinate early college credit programs for high school students. She also served in the RCC TRiO Department where she provided financial aid advising and advocacy for students.
Molly Markland
Chef Instructor
Chef Molly Markland brings a diverse set of culinary experiences, restaurant experience, and culinary teaching to her work at Cascade Culinary Institute. Chef Molly Markland has a Bachelor’s Degree from Culinary Institute of America in New York as well as a Master’s Degree in Education.
Chef Markland spent years in New York City working at Per Se and Blue Hill Stone Barns, with an emphasis in organic, farm-to-fork, sustainable food. She opened a restaurant in South Carolina and worked in Washington D.C., creating menus and sourcing specialty items for a national grocery chain. While in D.C., Markland discovered her passion for teaching while volunteering for Michelle Obama’s food movement teaching young kids about ingredients and cooking. She moved back to Oregon, taught culinary classes at a local high school, and completely overhauled and modernized their culinary program.
Chef Markland brings extensive travel experience to her teaching. She has traveled across Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, SE Asia, and lived in China for 6 months. This travel experience impacts her approach to teaching every day. Chef Markland states: “Travel is a true passion and there is nothing like experiencing culture through food. No other industry offers the ability to instantly connect people from all over the world; we are all connected by the simple pleasure of eating food!”
In commenting on her passion for teaching, Chef Markland states: “I believe I have found my calling teaching culinary! I love going to work every day and still ‘nerd’ out over all things food. There is so much to learn in this realm and I find it truly humbling to know that no one will ever know it all. I am passionate about food, sustainability and I love the creativity that this industry has to offer. We are all here to learn, understand and to share a bite.”
Outside of work, Chef Markland lives with her husband, two young kids, and a husky. Her family enjoys traveling, all types of outdoor adventures, and pizza night! Chef Markland is also a local bee keeper with 3 hives.
Dom Shorthouse
Chef Instructor
Chef Dom Shorthouse brings a wealth of international, entrepreneurial, teaching and business experience to students at Cascade Culinary Institute. The classic jack of all trades, he has lived, worked and adventured all over the world.
After attending Culinary School at the Box Hill Institute in Melbourne, Australia, Dom worked in almost every role in the food and beverage industry including Maître d’, Bartender, Sous Chef, Head Chef, Waiter, Chef, and Lead Bartender before going to La Trobe University to study History and Education. He met his wife in Taiwan and got married in Oregon.
Dom later worked as an elementary school teacher in Australia and went into TV production. He spent the last eight years in Battambang, Cambodia with his family exploring his passion improve the opportunities of young Cambodians. Initially he managed Café Eden, providing job opportunities and training to locals, before starting a successful community center project combining fitness with personal development, helping to launch the careers of Battambang’s leading fitness professionals. After moving to Bend, Oregon, with his family, Dom served as a chef at Jackson’s Corner in Bend and has been consulting with a number of restaurant projects in Central Oregon. He has a passion to help people find their passions and potential.
Laura Unverzagt
Chef Instructor
Chef Unverzagt (formerly Laura Hagen) is the founder of the Bakery Kiosk at Cascade Culinary Institute and currently teaches Laminated Dough and Viennoiserie, Custards and Frozen Desserts, Wedding Cakes, Retail Baking Operations, Classical French Pastries, Custards and Frozen Desserts, Artisan Breads, Baking and Pastry Foundations I, II, and III, and more. Chef Unverzagt has worked within the restaurant industry and high-volume commercial bakeries, product training, bakery sales and marketing since 1985 and has taught baking and pastry full-time at COCC since 2012.
Chef Unverzagt holds a Bachelors Degree in English from Western Washington University. In addition to an iron strong pair of forearms, Chef Unverzagt developed a lifelong love and appreciation of baking. She had the fortune to train with a hot bed of talent including Iron Chef Cat Cora with whom Unverzagt collaborated while head Pastry Chef at Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa. Chef Unverzagt trained institutional and in-store baking staff for three H.C. Brill locations (California, the upper Midwest and in Oregon). She became an account manager, developing a keen understanding of the economics of high-volume pastry production while working with buyers and managers. After moving to Bend in 2009, she became the Executive Pastry Chef at Staccato and then at 900 Wall Restaurant in downtown Bend. Additionally, she traveled to France for an extensive study of French baking and pastry techniques. She believes that chefs should consider dessert as something customers look forward to rather than an afterthought and most importantly, that bread is life!
Brooke Harris
Chef Instructor
Chef Harris teaches many baking specialization courses, passionately instructing students in innovative techniques for classes such as Petit Fours Migardise, Entremets, Plated Desserts and Presentation, Wedding Cakes, Retail Baking Operations, Intro to Baking and Pastry I, II, II as well as Baking Foundations courses.
Brooke earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Washington State University in 2007. While pursuing that degree, she always had an interest in Baking and Pastry, and began working at the Bread Peddler in Olympia, Washington, where she found her passion. She moved to Bend, Oregon in 2010 and graduated from Cascade Culinary Institute’s Baking and Pastry program in 2014. Brooke held the position of Pastry Chef at Bend’s premiere fine dining restaurant, 900 Wall, before serving as the Baking and Pastry Sous Chef for Elevation Restaurant for many years. Brooke teaches baking and pastry students advanced skills, artful and organized techniques, and has a tremendously positive attitude as she mentors and guides students in her classes.
Katie Fuller
Chef Instructor
Chef Fuller’s passion for baking started early, baking her first loaf of bread at 10 years old! After working for many years as an optician, Katie fulfilled her childhood dreams by graduating from the Baking and Pastry Program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Prior to moving to Bend, she served as the head pastry chef at Macrina Bakery in Seattle where she published recipes in their cookbook and was invited, along with the owner of Macrina, to cook at the James Beard House. Katie has worked at COCC since 2015, serving as an instructor for COCC Continuing Education and as a faculty member at Cascade Culinary Institute. When Katie is not teaching baking and pastry classes, she spends most of her time in an array of recreational activities such as skiing, hiking, and paddling, cooking at home and eating out at restaurants.
Brian Kerr
Chef Instructor
Brian has worked as a chef for 36 years and offers a wealth of industry experience to Cascade Culinary Institute students. Brian has seen it all in the industry: he has opened restaurants; turned failing restaurants into successful ones, been a chef at many fine-dining restaurants; and worked as both a dining services director and food and beverage controller. Brian has also taught over 100+ cooking classes in the past 20 years. Brian loves teaching!
Brian brings a great deal of international culinary expertise to his teaching. He has had culinary experiences in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland, Iceland, and the Netherlands. Brian’s favorite cuisines are of Japan, Korea, Thailand, Italy, the Middle East, and of course, the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Brian spent a summer working in Russia as a chef at a remote fishing camp, serving international parties from all over the world.
Brian began his culinary career in 1987 by studying kitchen and restaurant training through a program at Southwestern Oregon Community College. Since that time, he has furthered his education through countless classes and a month in 2000 at the Culinary Institute of America at St. Helena. Besides cooking, Brian can be found hiking, birding, and fly fishing. He also enjoys playing music, shopping, and reading.
Cassandra Mahr
Hospitality Management and Culinary Instructor
Cassandra Mahr grew up on the southern Oregon Coast where she spent a majority of her childhood indulging in foods her family grew, hunted, foraged, or gathered. Her passion for food began at a young age and fueled her desire to get into the world of Hospitality/Culinary Arts when she grew up.
Cassandra is currently the Head chef and Kitchen Manager at Sisters Coffee, where she leads kitchen operations and team development at two locations, and has served in other management roles there. She has worked in multiple fine dining and casual dining restaurants, including Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. She has held positions/titles of Line cook, Pantry Chef, Head Chef & Kitchen Manager, and Travel Advisor throughout her career.
Cassandra earned a Bachelors of Applied Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management at Southern Oregon University. She holds an AA degree in Culinary Arts and a second AA degree in Culinary Management at Southwestern Oregon Community College. She served as the Club President for the SOU Hospitality and Tourism Club during her time as a student.
In her spare time Cassandra loves to enjoy food with friends or hangout with her husband Willie & dog Cedar. Her favorite outdoor activities include hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, and paddle boarding.
Will Warne
Hospitality Management Instructor
Instructor Will Warne brings an extensive array of business experience to Cascade Culinary Institute, benefiting CCI students who are future culinary leaders, business owners, hospitality managers, employers and entrepreneurs.
Will holds an MBA in International Business from ASU/Thunderbird and a BA in International Relations from USC with an executive education background at Stanford and MIT.
Instructor Warne’s career has been focused on global business and program development with experience in corporate, entrepreneurial ventures, and university-level teaching. Will’s executive-level leadership includes the US, Latin America, Asia, and Europe, focusing on organizational management, strategic planning, customer experience, and entrepreneurship. Will was the Senior Director of Global Programs and Customer Experience for one of the world’s largest supply chain management companies supporting companies like Nike, GAP and others. Will is passionate about understanding customers and building/supporting great teams to solve problems.
As the Founder & CEO of Bend-based KidRunner since 2018, Will has been working on an award-winning consumer sports product, www.KidRunners.com. Will’s role involves strategic partnerships with technology and material suppliers, establishing a global supply chain, and overseeing a B2C program reaching parents and their kids all over the world.
“I grew up in Mexico and the US which shaped my perspective and instilled an appreciation for diverse cultures. Being bi-cultural and bilingual, I try to use this background to navigate across different environments and mindsets. These experiences have not only influenced my approach to leadership but also provide a lens through which I view the interconnectedness of the world.”
Ron Boldenow,
Professor of Forest Technology
Department Chair, Natural, Industrial, Culinary Resources
Ron Boldenow is the Department Chair of Natural, Industrial, Culinary Resources and is a Professor Forest Resources Technology at Central Oregon Community College. Ron provides leadership for four dynamic areas of the College: Automotive, Forestry, Culinary and Manufacturing.
Ron has taught at COCC since 1999, with nine years of experience as Department Chair. He has taught 20 different courses since starting at COCC. He is also a former part time instructor at Oregon State University-Cascades, Humboldt State University, and College of the Redwoods.
Ron holds a Ph.D. in Wildland Resource Science from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. in Forestry from Humboldt State University, and a B.S. in Biology from Calvin College. He is currently on the Society of American Foresters (SAF) Board of Directors, where he was appointed Fellow in 2020 and Oregon Chair in 2013.
Tina Failla
Chef Instructor
Chef Tina Failla teaches Culinary Foundations III, Kitchen Operations, runs Open Lab, and is assigned to special events and projects. This spring, Chef Tina will also be coordinating the front of the house side of the Culinary Capstone dinner course.
A Cascade Culinary Institute super star, Tina graduated with honors from Cascade Culinary Institute with her Associate Degree in Culinary Arts while also running a successful catering business. Tina served as President of the ASCOCC Culinary Club when she was a student; was selected to be a part of the 2023 Danish exchange summer exchange; coordinates Open Lab and mentors students; assists other faculty with large classes; and was one of two chaperones for the 2024 Pebble Beach Food and Wine Event Culinary Club field trip.
Tina has always loved food and being creative in the kitchen so when the pandemic hit, she decided to take that love and creativity and open her own charcuterie business called Bountiful Boards of Bend. The business gave her the opportunity to bring smiles to people’s faces through such hard times. When the world “opened up” again she was able to continue creating beautiful works of art with food for many special occasions. She was featured in Bend Magazine as well as “Taste This” in Central Oregon Daily News.
Tina was previously a legal assistant for a criminal defense attorney and after many years in the field needed a break and decided to follow her passion and pursue her degree in the culinary field. Tina is originally from Santa Barbara, California but has lived in Bend with her husband for the last 12 years. They enjoy the outdoors and spending time with their two mini–Australian Shepherds exploring nature.
Lori Walls
Chef Instructor
Lori Walls comes to CCI with a wealth of culinary, food cart, wine, and front of the house experiences from an extensive career in culinary and hospitality settings. In 2018, Lori Walls opened the Bleu Rooster Food Cart. Five of those years were spent at On Tap, one of Bend’s premiere food cart lots. Upon retiring in 2023, Chef Walls began teaching the Food Truck Operations course at Cascade Culinary Institute. In regards to her years as a food cart owner, Walls states: “I am extremely excited to share the knowledge and experience I’ve gained during the past 6 years with the students here at CCI.” Lori also looks forward with sharing her wine expertise with students in the future.
Lori grew up in Southern Oregon, but spent 32 years in Alaska. While in Alaska, Lori was a Fine Wine Specialist with Liquor Distributors, and became a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. She also spent 3 years in Salt Lake City as the Food & Beverage Director for The Alta Club, established in 1883. Upon returning to Oregon in 2007, Lori worked as a general manager & sommelier in fine dining before going into the food cart business.
In her personal time, Lori loves to travel and play golf.
Tim Currie
Chef Instructor
Rian White
Instructor of Hospitality Management
Stanton Snyder
Kitchen Steward
Also see:
Elevation Staff Bios