The Staff at Tante Marie Culinary Academy

Andrew Maxwell
Managing Director and Principal
Andrew's association with Tante Marie began in 2006 before becoming Deputy Principal in 2007. Andrew trained in 1998 and after spending 2 years teaching, went on to work in Australia's 2000 Restaurant of the Year, MG Garage, for two years before returning to London and working at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, and then Thyme in Clapham. He is involved with every aspect of the school and regularly teaches and examines the students.
When not at the school, Andrew will most likely be found either under water or up a mountain as he is a qualified diving instructor and a keen climber!

Sue Alexander
Director of Studies
Sue Alexander also trained at Tante Marie and went on to gain a Certificate in Education. Sue returned to teach at Tante Marie and has headed Tante Marie's teaching since 1984. Sue's vast knowledge of the culinary arts and relentlessly high standards continue to inspire and encourage all our students.

Claire Alexander-Brown
Deputy Director of Studies
Claire is a former Tante Marie student. She graduated as top student in her class and has now been teaching at Tante Marie for 15 years. Whilst being heavily involved in the day to day management of the teaching staff and organisation of the courses at Tante Marie, Claire is also a popular and skilled teacher whose enthusiasm and approachable nature gives her a natural talent for getting the best out of our students. She has attained her Postgraduate Certificate in Education and has extensive experience in food styling, cake decorating and recipe development as well as being naturally artistic and creative after a background in floristry and private catering. Claire is also quite keen on music and if she is not at the school, is most likely to be found singing her heart out to some very loud music!

Alex Brady
Alex is a former graduate of Tante Marie who joined Tante Marie after spending a number of inspirational years at the 2 Michelin starred Le Gavroche, working under the watchful eyes of Michel Roux Jnr, and the legendary Albert Roux. This valuable experience provides Alex with an excellent insight into the industry at the highest level.

Tim Zawada
Tim trained at Tante Marie before working at The Rising Sun in St Mawes, Cornwall under MasterChef winner Ann Long. Tim then took up a position as Head Chef at The Three Horseshoes in Thursley, Surrey, where he earned the pub an impressive reputation as one of Surrey's leading gastro-pubs.

Ally Molyneaux
Ally worked as a chef for the royal family at Kensington Palace prior to joining the team at Tante Marie. She has now been teaching at Tante Marie since 2006 years and her youth and enthusiasm have made her hugely popular amongst the staff and students. Ally is a fully qualified teacher with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. She is to be found most evenings in her allotment growing the most incredible array of fruit and vegetables!

Vera Crawford
After finishing at Tante Marie, she set up her own catering business in Indonesia which she sadly lost in the Tsunami in December 2005. She has worked tirelessly to re-build her career and brings a wealth of cooking experience to Tante Marie. She is passionate and devoted and accepts nothing less than perfection in her cooking. Vera's self discipline is an example and inspiration to students at Tante Marie and she gets the best out of her students by being quietly perfect at everything she does!

Ann-Marie Perera
Annie is also a fully qualified teacher with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and has a wealth of teaching experience. Annie is also an experienced food stylist and manages to juggle her role at Tante Marie with her 2 beautiful kids!

Kate McKinley
Kate has recently joined Tante Marie after an amazing year working at Surrey's acclaimed Red Lion in Horsell. This local gastro pub has developed an impressive reputation in Surrey and Kate's experiences with the day to day running of the kitchen mean she has a fascinating insight into the world of gastro pubs! Kate and her husband love a spot of orienteering!

Debbie Volans – School Secretary
Debbie joined team in 2007 as PA to the Principal and School Secretary. In her previous life she was Communications and PR manager for a multi-media computer training and education company.
Debbie is a master of organisation and when she is not working, she is most likely to be found on a tennis court, where she is frighteningly good!