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Our Team

		Founder and Chef Dante D'Avello Husband, Father, Entrepreneur, Chef/Owner of Totally Cooked Inc. and business partner with Vince Rucci of Pure Fuel Inc. Dante lives and works in the N.E. Ohio with his wife, Kelly, three boys, Dante, Nathan and Austin, two cats and one dog, two lizards and schools of fish. He considers himself an accomplished one mile trail runner, enjoys cycling, kayaking, fishing, camping and hiking and stays connected to the earth with gardening. Dante enjoys interacting and teaching people about the culinary field and helping people stay connected to a healthy, balanced, sustainable lifestyle. His culinary style is approachable, comfortable and down to earth with a fresh, natural kind of vibe. He maintains a humble appreciation for his culinary skills by learning from everyone, everywhere and everything through taking time to break bread and share. He does business locally, buys locally and supports the communities around him.
		Rebecca Gearhart, Customer Service Administrator Monday thru Friday you can find me managing the front desk of the Totally Cooked World Headquarters; it's a juggling routine of customers, orders, staffing and "Grand Pooh-Bahs" special projects, all the while hoping the salad of the week is Broccoli Bacon!! With over thirteen years in administrative/customer service roles, I enjoy the organization and relationship growth of my work. When not engaged with my Totally Cooked l ife, you can most likely find me enjoying my spare time with friends, family, a Min-Pin named Brutus Maximus, serving at my church, traveling, or relaxing with a good book. I look forward to investing my talents within Totally Cooked and seeing where we are headed next!
		Caroline Clappas I was born and raised in northeast Ohio and have lived here all of my life. My kitchen training goes all the way back to when I was 15. The first commercial kitchen that I worked in was at White Oaks in Westlake, ohio. I stayed there for several years and then moved on to the hair replacement industry. Taking a break from the kitchen only lasted so long , and it was time to go back. I moved down to Jackson Township and trained with Julie Pryce at 91 Woodfired Oven. I really enjoyed my time there and I learned a lot from Julie. I finally made my way to Totally Cooked about 6 years ago. I am now the inventory manager and also a chef. It has been a fun learning experience working at a company that has grown so much since I started. Outside of work I really enjoy cooking, hiking,camping, and spending time with my family and friends. I love cooking for everyone and enjoying a night around the fire. I am also an artist who specializes in jewelry making and any other fun project I come up with. It is safe to say that I try to enjoy life to its fullest whenever possible!
		Jodi Church I recently joined the Totally Cooked team as Event Coordinator after relocating from New York City. I am thrilled I was able to continue my love for event planning here in the Ohio area. I am originally from the Midwest and was born and raised in Michigan. Just like most college graduates I was unsure of where my career path would take me, but I knew I wanted to explore other cities. I traveled with friends and family throughout the years and I was curious about living and experiencing a “big city life”. Well, shortly after graduating from Michigan State University in 2002 I came across an amazing opportunity to interview and work for an off-premise catering company located in New York City. I was immediately intrigued, not only with the city, but with catering and event planning. I quickly learned the business and attended as many events as I could as I took on more and more responsibilities. I ended my career as the Director of Operations, which I decided to leave after becoming engaged to an Ohio native. So here, I am. I am very happy to be back in the Midwest and lucky again that I found a perfect position and career opportunity here at Totally Cooked. I have planned hundreds of events throughout the years, ranging from small private affairs to elaborate Galas. I truly love what I do and look forward to growing my career here at Totally Cooked.
		Jenn Frankino As the Senior Event Coordinator, I’ve always known that I wanted to work in the event coordinating world. At a young age I would help my mom set up and prepare for meetings, and had the chance to attend the larger events with her in New York every year. Because it was such a fun and interactive experience I realized I could make a career out of something I loved helping with. After graduating from Stow High School I attended the University of Toledo. My time spent in Toledo benefited me in pursuing my passion as an Event Coordinator. While at Toledo I had the opportunity to participate with multiple organizations giving me more experience and a stronger understanding of what the details are that go into the process of planning an event. In the winter of 2006 I was given the opportunity to intern with Totally Cooked, this allowed me to put my education and experiences to work. Once I finished my internship with Totally Cooked, I returned to the University of Toledo and graduated with a degree in Public Relations.    After I finished my college career I was invited back to Totally Cooked, although not as an intern. I was given the opportunity to take on the position of Event Coordinator. Over the past four years I have created many lasting friendships and memories with my clients. It is humbling to look back in the process and realize my accomplishments as I am now the Senior Event Coordinator.  Jenn’s fun facts: I am a concert and music enthusiast and have a passion for traveling.
		Damen DeFago As the Director of Communications and Marketing, and the Special Events Planner, I bring both the collection of my education and past experience to help grow the Totally Cooked delight to all. I have spent nine years working in both the culinary and corporate fields. I began my kitchen journey on the line at Gasoline Alley in Bath, Ohio and moved into the Personal Chef and menu writing side of the industry until moving back into the kitchen as the menu creator and chef of Tasty Jones, in Akron, Ohio. I completed my time at Tasty Jones in December of 2008 to finish my education at The University of Akron, graduating in the summer of 2010 with my bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management. I am a lifer to the Northeast Ohio area (raised in the Stow). I enjoyed a wonderful and active childhood, spending most of my time participating in golf, soccer, and baseball. My appreciation for the arts started in middle school, although I did not realize my love of food until high school. Outside of the culinary arts, I have a passion for design and illustration. From my passion for the arts and food, I began studying farming and artisan cheese making in 2008. These have become hobbies of mine and have given me a greater appreciation for the art of both. On the fun or humorous side, I grow great facial hair and won a contest for best mustache in Cleveland in 2008, sporting a “Rollie Fingers” mustache.  My favorite snack: Cured meats, cheeses and some bread, matched with a good beer or wine.
		Steph Goehler As an event coordinator at Totally Cooked, I play many different roles.  I handle all the behind the scenes coordination of full serviced events.  These events could be anywhere from a small gathering to a wedding or fundraiser.  We can handle the coordination of an entire event which is what sets us aside from most catering companies.  In addition to the behind the scenes coordination, I am on site at events to handle any troubleshooting as well as oversee the service staff and make sure the actual event runs smoothly. I can’t say when I first dreamed of being an event coordinator but I can say that it has been a dream of mine for quite some time.  I graduated from The University of Akron with a bachelor’s degree in communications with a main focus in public relations and organizational communication with a minor in marketing and sales.  While I was at The University of Akron, I enjoyed my sorority life where I planned and executed fundraisers for my foundation.  This is what led me to my internship with Miracle Resources.  They are a small full service marketing, advertising and fundraising firm located in Akron.  While I was with them, I helped mainly with the execution of the events as well as reached out to companies and private donors to raise funds for different organizations. I am very close with my mom and two sisters…one of them is my twin!!  I love doing things outdoors (like hiking, biking, playing tennis and softball) and painting.  I am a very social person which is one reason why I love what I do.  I am spontaneous which is surprising given that I plan for a living.  I love trying new things and doing volunteer work.  My favorite food is sushi.
		Sydney Murphy As the Totally Cooked Customer Care Representitive, I believe that I bring a lot to the table. As daily tasks arise, I think of myself as a troubleshooter and take pride in the work that I have accomplished from day one. My role as the Customer Care Representitive entails a wide range of responsibilities. Most of my work focuses on making sure that our customers remain happy with the business that we provide them. I aid Rebecca in taking daily orders for Catering production and make sure that everything goes smoothly from when the order is taken, to the time that the client receives what they’ve ordered. I also frequently coloborate with Damen and Dante on special projects and other assignments to come up with new, creative ways of advertising Totally Cooked. In the future I have hopes of attending college to further my education. I still have an undeclared major but am sure that with a little direction, I will easily make this decision. I also would like to become a singer one day! Singing is one of my favorite hobbies. A little more about myself: I have just finished high school. I graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 2010 in the top third of my graduating senior class. I went to Saint Joseph’s School here in Cuyahoga Falls as well from Kindergarten through eighth grade. When I was younger, I was involved in volleyball, dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading. My favorite sports are volleyball and gymnastics. On occasion I still make it to the gym to practice my gymnastic skills. In my free time I like to exercise, shop, go to concerts and listen to music and discover new types of music as well as music groups. As I had mentioned before, I love to sing all types of music! A little fun fact: My favorite color is Teal! My favorite band is Killswitch Engage and my favorite types of food are Oriental, Mexican and American.