About Us

Mike is a die hard foodie and Owner of CCW! He graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a BA in Entrepreneurship, and has been a longtime Annapolis resident, and successful entrepreneur, marketing executive, author, and business and political consultant, with more than 25 years experience. Mike spent several years in corporate marketing, and project management before he went on to found Tours & Crawls of Annapolis and Baltimore in 2002.  Under Mike’s leadership, Tours & Crawls has grown to become one of the nation’s leaders in the ‘Destination Entertainment’ industry, winning best tour for 5 years in a row! During that same time period, Mike also became a certified Master Tea Blender and created and ran Alchemy Teas, a successful international importer and purveyor of organic teas at both the wholesale and retail levels. In 2017, Mike became an owner/investor in Mason’s Famous Lobsters Rolls of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, a popular restaurant catering to both visitors and locals alike with a love of delicious regional New England cuisine! 

Joanie is a top notch home  cooking fanatic, Owner and Director of Operations at CCW!  As a native and lifelong resident of Catonsville, Joanie has a deep-rooted love for her hometown and a desire to share her passion for food and cooking with its residents and those of the surrounding communities! She sees the ongoing renaissance taking place in Catonsville as a positive force for change and wants CCW to help lead that charge into the future! 

Joanie is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. 

In 2011, Joanie joined No More Piles and began using her background in social work and her innate organizational skills to become a Professional Organizer, Productivity Consultant and Project Manager. Over the past eight years Joanie has earned three certifications through the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and has managed hundreds of projects, leading her to become the Senior Project Manager at No More Piles. 

Friends and family know Joanie for her incredible cooking, knack for entertaining and love of good food and wine. After years of being frequently asked to share her recipes, to teach someone how to make something or if she will “feed my family”, creating Culinary Craft Workshop was the obvious answer.

Executive Chef Nate, food professional and coolest nerd you'll ever know. He was born and raised in Baltimore County. Not too long after high school he made the decision to move out west, Nate attended culinary school in San Francisco, California. Following his completion of school, he stayed in the Bay Area. Falling in love with butchery, He worked as a butcher for several years. Wanted to round out his culinary adventures, he worked as a bartender, fried chicken chef and caterer to name a few. Later in his culinary journey He began working for Seaglass Management at the Exploratorium museum. Working his way up to one of the head chefs. Besides serving the museum restaurant they did everything from catering large parties to small sitdown dinners.  After 14 years on the west coast he decided to return home to Baltimore. He has a deep love of animals, not just to eat, he has two pet pot-bellied pigs.  Shortly after returning to Maryland, Chef Nate began teaching recreational cooking to eager students. First at a tiny cooking school in Baltimore City, then moving on to teach classes at the Culinary Craft Workshop. Chef Nate is a highly versatile chef! For his hard work and dedication to excellence, he was promoted into his position as Executive Chef of CCW! He loves Asian cuisine, grilling and BBQ, in addition to being an expert on butchering and knives. As such he teaches the BBQ Workshop, the Knife Skills class, and many of the Asian-centric classes, along with a variety of other workshops at CCW. Come and join Nate for a great time learning to cook! Chef Nate can be found on Instagram at: @natecooksall

Senior Chef Pat grew up in Baltimore county, Maryland and began working in the food industry in 2001.  He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 2006, and moved to Paso Robles, California to work as a harvest intern at a local winery.  In 2008, he received a certificate in Brewing Science and Technology from the Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany and worked as a professional brewer for several years in and around Baltimore before returning to the restaurant scene. Pat started teaching cooking classes in 2019 and hasn't looked back. His skill as an instructor and incredible database of food and cooking knowledge led the owners to promote Pat to his position as Senior Chef at CCW! He likes to pack his classes with food science and fun facts about your everyday interaction with food. Outside of the classroom, he loves camping and the outdoors and you can often find him in the woods foraging for edible plants and mushrooms.  In the summer, he helps maintain a large garden plot and enjoys canning and preserving the produce he gets from it. If you want to reach out to Chef Pat with any questions or comments he's on Instagram:

@Fun_Facts_With_Pat

Chef and partner has been a Chef both full and part-time since graduating Baltimore International Culinary College (BICC) in 1997. Her life-long interest in the environment and localism, combined with her knowledge of food and food issues, has resulted in her passion for sustainability. Charlotte celebrates free world trade, and the options it offers, while specializing in local, seasonal, sustainable, balanced cuisines, and bringing the skills to cook them to her community.

​Charlotte has taught numerous cooking classes, including at a small cooking school in Baltimore City for more than 3 years, the Community College of Baltimore County, and School of Food also in Baltimore City.  She is the Executive Chef for the 14 West Hamilton Street Club in Mt. Vernon, and also cooks and teaches at special events, seminars, and retreats, both far and wide. Her zest for food and balance is evident in both her cooking and lifestyle.  She is a mother, chef, journalist, a volunteer in her community, and a regular fixture at farmer's markets. Chef Charlotte's philosophy is food is nourishment, pleasure, and love. It is her goal to make healthy, delicious, home cooked meals more accessible to people, and less intimidating. To give people the basic skills and knowledge to approach shopping for food, and preparing it, with knowledge, confidence, and joy.​

Balance, health, knowledge, sustainability and pleasure are what she strives to practice and teach!