Chef Biographies

Chef / Proprietor David Babcock
Starting in an industrial kitchen at age 11, and with more than 20 years experience in retail sales (housewares and gifts) and culinary education, founder Chef David Babcock knows what works and what doesn't work in up-scale culinary retail and consumer and professional culinary education.

Chef David has more than six years of 'real world' merchandise buying, management and sales at Brinton's in Carmel. As a graduate of both the California Culinary Academy (Salinas College of Food) and the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu (Paris), Chef David has a broad base of culinary and education training. During his tenure as a highly regarded chef instructor at the California Culinary Academy's College of Food in Salinas, Chef David worked with a variety of full and part time students who gave him high marks for innovative and imaginative teaching techniques. From his base in France, Chef David has spent time honing his pastry and baking skills on the job at Lé Grénier á Pain (Paris) and Delicés d'Issy (Paris). In high demand are Chef David's coveted Culinary Barge Tours of France. Chef David's volunteer work in the local community includes educational seminars at local schools, cooking segments on local television (KION 'The Morning Show') and frequent assignments judging local culinary events such as the Castroville Artichoke Festival and the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

The past year has found Chef David busily working on his newest project, Clementine's Kitchen, Tools and Techniques for the Home Chef. Located on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula, this combination store and cooking classroom opened in 2002 to rave reviews and has successfully attracted a loyal clientele of both local residents and visitors to the area.

Chef / Instructor Glenn Hoekstra
Chef Glenn has more than 10 years of culinary experience including his professional training with the California Culinary Academy (Salinas College of Food) and specialty courses at Le Cordon Bleu (Paris). Chef Glenn enjoys creative food projects and teaching in the kitchen. Before coming to Clementine's Kitchen, Chef Glenn's credits include K's Catering in Aptos and the Monterey Culinary Center.

Instructor and Culinary Expert Dorothy McNett
Dorothy comes to Clementines with many years (dare I say 40?) of experience in cooking instruction and making food fun. Dorothy published one of the first Microwave cookbooks back in 1978 and owned a chain of appliance stores in the bay area before moving to Hollister and opening Dorothy McNett's Place there more than 14 years ago. Her 'Cooking with Dorothy McNett' television show started in 2002 and was regularly seen on the local CBS and Cable channels. She has been a free lance food columnist for more than a decade and enjoys teaching and helping customers learn more about good food.