Rae Ellen Gutrich

Common Threads’ Chef Instructors are professional chefs and teachers, trained in Common Threads’ unique curriculum, who teach the students at each of our thirty sites throughout Chicago, as well as in Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, DC. Chef Instructors nurture and mentor our students, while leading them through the prep, cooking, clean-up and, of course, eating of the three hands-on ethnic recipes each week!

Chef Rae Ellen started her culinary career in San Francisco where she fell in love with the fresh availability of food . Four years later she moved back to Chicago and graduated with top honors from Robert Morris College with her culinary degree. Currently she is working with Healthy School Campaign promoting Cooking up Change which raises awareness of the challenges in school food.  She is excited to be a part of teaching children the importance of a healthy lifestyle and a proper diet.  Her passion for educating children about food has become more relevant working at Common Threads. “I have found my calling..teaching the children of the future how to live a healthy life is so rewarding and I wouldn’t change it for the world”  Rae Ellen enjoys supporting the local farmers in the city and her favorite food is sushi.