Donna Dooher is a cook with over 25 years of professional experience in the kitchen. A graduate of the culinary program at Ottawa’s Algonquin College, she began her apprenticeship with The Ritz III Group there, working her way up to the position of Chef before moving to Toronto in 1983.

Donna opened her first business, Avant-gout Catering in 1986 and her wildly successful Mildred Pierce Restaurant three years later. In 1998, she pioneered the hands-on approach to cooking instruction when she opened The Cookworks Cooking Studio, offering informative classes and workshops which explored the practical aspects of cuisine. Her popular Food Network show ‘The Cookworks’ which grew out of this initiative is currently aired in over 120 countries worldwide. Her many public appearances include local and national spots on CBC, CTV’s Canada AM, City TV and Rogers Cable Stations. Donna continues to support the fundraising events of such groups as the Willow Foundation, Knives and Forks and The Aquarians in Toronto and the James Beard Foundation in New York. She has served as executive in residence for the University of Guelph’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program.

As food editor of Wish magazine, Donna authored the best-selling ‘Market to Table’ cookbook adding to her previous triumph with “Out to Brunch”, a book of the most popular Mildred Pierce recipes and the winner of Cuisine Canada’s cookbook of the year in 2003. That same year she was awarded the Ontario Hostelry Institute Media and Publishing Award.

Donna is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Cuisine Canada, Women Chefs and Entrepreneurs, James Beard Institute and is a charter member of Slow Food Canada. She is co-chair of the George Brown Chef School expansion Capitol Campaign, and a passionate supporter of local food production.

Her personal motto is ‘Cook with Love and Reckless Abandon’