NATASHA CALVERT

Our new in-house chef and food guru comes to us from our Denver, Colorado team. She is passionate about leading a conscious lifestyle with extensive knowledge about enjoying fresh and nutritious whole foods.

Natasha believes her culinary career began when she was a small child, learning to cook classic American cuisine from her mother and grandmother. Coming from a large family that gathered weekly for home prepared meals, she was a skillful chef by the time she left for college. While studying for her degree in business at the University of Colorado, her professional culinary career began with chef assistant positions in local restaurants. After several years in several kitchens, she expanded her culinary skills in classic European restaurants while working abroad in New Zealand. More recently, Natasha became a nutrition and supplement specialist in Whole Body and began a very successful cooking class program in the Denver. Her culinary claim to fame is assisting Keegan Gearhart of the Food Network Challenge at the Taste of Colorado Culinary Showcase.

Favorite Cookbook: The Junior League of Denver's Colorado Cache

Produce Must Haves: Coconuts, Avocados, Fresh Parsley, Garlic and Artichokes

Favorite TV Chef: Julia Child- she was never afraid to improvise or make mistakes.

Best Answer for a Sweet Tooth: Cranberry Cake with Hot Butter Cream Sauce

Best Advice for Cooking: Practice makes perfect. Anyone can learn to cook- you just have to dive in and try.

Guilty Pleasures of Choice: Southern Red Velvet Cake, New York Strip Steak & Tawny Port

Tanya Darling

Whole Foods Market Roosevelt Square’s resident Wine Enthusiast.

Tanya Darling was first exposed to fine food and wine during her studies in France as a young woman where she became fascinated by the interplay between wine, food, history, and cultural identity. Educated in the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma program, and at the Cervantes Institute in NYC, Tanya is also a stalwart traveler; she has visited many of the great wine regions of Western and Eastern Europe as well as the those of the United States. Over the past 5 years Tanya has developed a wide-reaching wine appreciation program at Whole Foods Market’s Salud Cooking School in Seattle where she it has been great joy for her to encourage and delight her students. Her love of classical wines, her passion for life, nature, and gastronomy inspire her teaching, and her classes are often filled to overflowing. Tanya is an experienced wine retailer, and is currently available for consultation every Sunday in the wine department of Whole Foods Market in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood.

JOEL KLEMENHAGEN

Whole Foods Market Roosevelt Square's resident Beer Enthusiast.

Mentored for many years under extreme tutelage, Joel learned the ways of beer lore! He takes his beer very seriously and loves to do recommendations according to your individual preference.  He is also an avid beer hunter and is thrilled to track down those hard to find jewels! So, come to him with some of your obscure finds and see if he doesn't already have it on the shelf