Bio
Carliss Retif Pond, a native of New Orleans now living in New York City, is a food writer, recipe tester and cooking teacher. Her experience as Bloomingdale's Culinary Advisor, The Plaza Hotel's Banquet Coordinator, and Caterer of her own company, Carliss' New Orleans Kitchen, gives her a broad scope of the culinary world.
As a recipe tester, she applies a variety of skills to guarantee a cookbook author or editor a clear, concise finished project. Awareness of ingredients, culinary techniques, proper equipment, food science and editing is crucial for the home cook to create a perfect dish.
As a cooking teacher, she turns work in the kitchen into fun. Whether it is a class for one or a group of friends for a cooking party, students create their own customized menu. Choose your favorite foods or your favorite ethnic dishes. From the simple to the complicated menu, all essential techniques and tips are expained and applied.
In New Orleans, Carliss Pond operated a Bed & Breakfast in an 1835 plantation house where her interest in cooking led to her catering company, Carliss' New Orleans Kitchen.
This on-premise business, specializing in authentic Cajun/Creole cuisine, provided special events for B&B guests, including entertainers, politicians, media personalities and tourists. Menus were customized to the unique needs of each client. And all dishes were prepared by her from unwritten recipes handed down from the past four generations.
In 1986, Pond moved to Philadelphia where she was Culinary Advisor at Bloomingdale's for nine years. As Culinary Advisor, she conducted cooking classes for customers and employees utilizing all brands of cookware and gadgets to illustrate various methods and techniques involved in food preparation. Incorporating new international gourmet food products with everyday store-bought ingredients, she developed easy-to-make recipes for the home cook.
Chef appearances and book signings were a major Bloomingdale's attraction. At these events, she prepared recipes from the celebrity chef cookbooks while customers sampled and had their books signed by the author.
While at Bloomingdale's, Pond taped segments on Cookware and Cutlery for the television show, Home Matters. The segments aired across the country for two years.
In 1998, The Plaza Hotel brought her to New York to conduct their Children's Etiquette Program for the Young Ambassadors Club. Children were instructed in the art of food and manners. Emphasis was placed on the necessity of manners and common courtesies for success both in the social world and in international business.
A year later, the Plaza offered her the position of Banquet Coordinator. Working with hotel chefs, sommeliers, event planners and sales representatives, she organized weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, corporate meetings, etc for The Plaza''s international clientele.
During her employment at The Plaza, Restaurant Associates hired her as a Protocol Consultant. As a consultant , she held seminars for the restaurant wait staff. Emphasis was placed on the importance of understanding and respecting food restrictions, eating habits and social interaction of diverse cultures.
Education:
University of New Orleans, M.A. in English Literature
University of London, Graduate Studies in Comparative Literature
Moscow State University (Russia), Graduate Studies in Political Science
Culinary Education:
Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, France
Ritz Escoffier, Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise, Paris, France
Master Classes with Madeline Kammen, Jacques Pepin, Rick Rodgers, Lydie Marshall and Shirley Corriher (Food Science)
Professional Membership:
WCR (Women Chefs & Restauratures)
Roundtable of Food Professionals-NYC
Midtown West Business Association-NYC
Travel:
Europe, Egypt, Russia, Mongolia, Siberia, Panama, Scandinavia, Caribbean
Television:
Home Matters Show: Segments on Cookware and Cutlery Use
United Nations:
Protocol Consultant for Restaurant Wait Staff