Meet the Chefs
Mary Kernan - Owner/Chef
I've had a life-long passion for cooking, beginning at an early age when I learned to prepare dinner for the family - all 8 of us.
After a 20 year career in high tech that went from IBM to a doomed dot com, I went to cooking classes in Florence, Italy and at the Culinary Institute of America to hone my craft. I started Homemade Today 2002, where I enjoy pouring through cookbooks, matching recipes to client's tastes and searching for the best possible ingredients. I feel incredibly fortunate that my passion for food has become my business.
When I'm not cooking or testing new recipes on my family, I'm bicycling, practicing yoga and skiing. I think of good food as a party in your mouth. Enjoy!
Diane Manteca - Chef
Homemade Today is thrilled to welcome Chef Diane Manteca to our staff. With over 17 years of experience, we are very fortunate to have her cooking for Homemade Today clients.
Diane has worked as a chef in several upscale, gourmet kitchens including Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge and L’Alouette in Lexington. She also owned and operated the Brickyard Café, an electric neighborhood lunch spot in Cambridge, for seven years.
Diane teaches a variety of cooking classes at the Boston Center for Adult Education, where she has received the “Teacher of Excellence” award. Her classes have been featured on WCVB-TV Channel 5’s prime-time television show Chronicle and the Boston Phoenix newspaper. Diane also has the pleasure of leading students on cooking trips to Tuscany. In addition, she volunteers her time as a culinary instructor with Operation Frontline/Share Our Strength.
Joe Gatto - Chef
Joe’s passion for cooking began in Arlington, MA, where he grew up helping his mother and two older sisters in the kitchen. Cooking and sharing food was always an integral way for the family to connect. It wasn’t until much later, however, that Joe saw cooking as a career path. His early success in directing independent films drew Joe and his wife, Carey, also a filmmaker, to Los Angeles. While in L.A., Joe would often show appreciation to his friends and colleagues by hosting extravagant dinner parties with unforgettable menus. After much persuasion, Joe began holding private cooking classes and “The Killer Cook” was born.
