about gina
My name is Gina and I am a chef in San Francisco. My cooking career started early. I was just 15 when I began working at French bakery. Since that time my love of cooking has taken me around the world and through many, many kitchens. Now I’m working on sharing all that I’ve learned about food because I want people to eat well and there is no better place to do that than your home.
I received my formal training at The Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York. After graduating in 1997 I moved out to the West Coast. I spent some time in Southern California and then settled in San Francisco and began working at Zuni Cafe. After spending a year and a half working with Judy Rogers (and once making Tom Waits dinner!) I moved to Europe and found work at restaurants in Barcelona and Tuscany. I have eaten my way through much of Europe, Central and South America and Japan in the years since that first sojourn to Spain and Italy.
Back in San Francisco I worked at a several different restaurants including Universal Cafe and Hog Island Oyster Bar. My work at The City’s eateries was interrupted for a year after a pretty bad skiing accident. But this, like so many things, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Being on crutches for so long inspired me to start my own business selling Crutch Cozies. This entrepreneurial experience helped me learn many of the skills I needed to open my own lunch catering business in 2006. I started Lunch-In because I wanted to be my own boss, but I also wanted to show people how good a meal at the office could be if you used local and seasonal ingredients.
I’ve started this blog for the same reason: I want to share all that I have learned about food and cooking. I want to help people with all the little details involved in shopping for and preparing meals. I am hoping to help you eat the way you’ve always wanted to. So, put down that microwave dinner, sharpen your knife, preheat the oven and put on some music. I see a delicious homemade meal in your future.