ONE LIFE KITCHEN

It’s been said that people use food to tell a story. Sues’s story is about showing her love for family and friends. That story set her on her journey as a self-taught home chef. Sue loves to entertain – and nothing excites her more than a themed party!  The intersection of her passion for cooking and baking with her joy of creating affordable and unique experiences is something that she loves to share.  Her kitchen is truly her “happy place”.  Nothing warms her heart more than someone’s smile while they ask for a second helping. Sue creates menus and recipes that anyone can make – no matter your age, cooking skill level or creative genius. She enjoys sharing her passion teaching kids and adult classes.

One Life owner, Lauren Brynjelsen, prides herself as a self-taught cook (YES, that means you too can learn to cook!) Lauren has received her cooking training through private and group culinary classes, boot camps as well as through celebrity chef programs/classes. Lauren philosophy on cooking is “keep it simple.” At One Life Kitchen, I offer our guests a place where they find cooking confidence and are able to then go home and replicate the dishes for their family and friends to enjoy.

Miranda is a Barrington food stylist and photographer with a passion for nutrition, traditional french cooking and pastry. When she and her husband aren’t traveling or hiking, you can find her in her garden or out foraging for wild asparagus and elm seeds to create the perfect locally sourced, healthy dinner made with in-season, nutrient-dense ingredients. Join her at OneLife Kitchen to learn how to make simple, healthy (and some indulgent sweets), and aromatic meals at home.

Sean is a professional chef with almost a decade of experience. He developed his love of cooking as a child growing up in Korea, Italy, Germany, and the American south. After receiving his culinary degree he worked extensively in San Francisco, Napa, and Sonoma at Michelin-starred restaurants and award-winning wineries before moving to Barrington with his wife Shauna and son Hunter. Both in the kitchen and out, Sean loves how cooking can introduce a new experience, ingredient, or culture.

Beth Christensen is the owner/founder of Happy Littles Sleep Consulting and a self-proclaimed home cook. In addition to healthy sleep habits, Beth is convinced that healthy eating habits form early in life and lead to happy and healthy children. Her current mission in life is to pass along her love of healthy wholesome home cooking to her five-year-old twin boys. She has been involving her boys in meal planning, grocery shopping, and the preparation of family dinners since the early age of 2 years old. There’s nothing like seeing the pride on their little faces when your children gobble up a meal they helped to cook! When she’s not involving her children in the kitchen Beth also loves to host dinner parties for friends and family and experience the culinary scene in Chicago. She is originally from a suburb of Boston and has an affinity for dining on any body of water as well as cooking any dishes that involve fish.

Paula’s inspiration for cooking comes from her grandmother, Nana, who taught her that food is love. If you love someone then you feed them well. Paula met her husband working at Hackney’s in Lake Zurich together, and later on, partnered with other investors to open two restaurants, ZaZa’s Tavola Italiana in Lake Barrington and Incontro A Tavola in South Barrington. Paula worked at ZaZa’s Tavola as their private events coordinator where she designed corporate & family events included a Kids cooking classes over the summer, Pizza parties and a Gingerbread house decorating event. She loves to share her passion for cooking with children and adults!