My Journey so far

Hi I’m Claire the founder of Cooking With Company, this is a quick version of my story so far! Hailing from the NE of Ireland I’ve settled in the US via a stint in Helsinki and many years in London. My background was in the world of corporate media and telecommunications. When I moved to NYC my eldest daughter, Molly was one and after a career break I decided to follow my passion and enrolled in Culinary School.

As a Pastry Arts Graduate from The wonderful Institute of Culinary Education, NYC, I worked in the kitchens of some of the most highly esteemed, Michelin Star restaurants in Manhattan under some phenomenal chefs. It was a tough few years being a new mom and working such crazy hours. Then my younger daughter, Lucy decided to enter the scene. Like a lot of mothers, I realized this lifestyle wasn’t sustainable, I put my career on the ‘back burner’ and became a full-time mom.

We moved to Portland, Oregon in 2014, my children are now teenagers and no longer need me around quite as much. With the full support of my wonderful fam, I’ve decided to invest in the next chapter of my career. Whilst trying to decide how best to get back into the job market, I just knew it had to involve food but couldn’t face starting at the bottom all over again. I’m in my element when talking, or for that matter, thinking about food. I’ve barely finished one meal when I’m thinking of my next.

For me, there is no better way to show someone you care than cooking for them or sharing one of your most lovingly developed recipes. This is where the concept of Cooking With Company came from. What could be better, I get to have small groups of foodies over to my beautifully designed kitchen, show them how to cook some of my favorite dishes, and at the end of our session, sit down and enjoy the fruits of our labor together. If this sounds like your jive you’ve come to the right place!