Who we are

The Kitchen staff includes:

Rachel Stein-Echevarria
Director of Catering and Sales
Rachel is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Culinary Institute. Most recently she ran the catering component of The Farmington Gourmet in Farmington, and prior to that she was the catering manager of Tambourine Catering in South Windsor. Her love of food combined with a talent for event planning has been the driving force behind her eight years of catering and café experiences.  

Julie Carrion
Executive Chef and Director of Education
A recent return to the Connecticut area brings Julie Carrion into the Kitchen family. After graduating from Wesleyan University, Julie spent her first year cooking with "Top Chef Master" Anita Lo, before studying at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. She interned with Montreal-based chef Normand Laprisse of Toque, and later at Bay Wolf Restaurant in the San Francisco bay area. Back in New York, she then accepted a position at the acclaimed restaurant Daniel, the year that Daniel Boulud won back his coveted fourth star from the New York Times. Julie is also the former chef and co-owner of Full Spoon Catering in Austin, Texas.

Becky Stevens-McGuigan
Pastry Chef
Becky is a graduate of Connecticut Culinary Institute and the University of Connecticut. Becky has spent time baking throughout New England learning her craft at places such as Oakland House Seaside Resort, Brooksville, ME; The Bedford Village Inn, Bedford, NH; and The Black Forest Bakery and Cafe, Amherst, NH.  A constant theme everywhere she has worked has been seasonal and sustainable ingredients, a passion that has been growing since she was a child.  Becky also spent some time living in Paris, France while a student at UConn, this French inspiration is evident often in her menus.