Meet Our Team!
Ian Douglass, Lead Chef Instructor
Chef Ian Douglass has more than 20 years of experience working in the food industry and is a 1995 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He recently settled in the DC Metro area with his family to lend his expertise to other food lovers and epi-curious students.
Ian learned to love and appreciate food at an early age by helping his mother in the kitchen. At the age of fourteen he got his first job as a pizza maker at Little Caesar’s Pizza and within two years was Legumier at an exclusive Atlanta restaurant. Since then he has held executive chef positions in a number of restaurants ranging from a fine dining establishment in Iowa to an organic bistro in New York. Ian is trained in the art of creating many different types of cuisines (German, Caribbean, and Latin to name just a few), and has helped open three restaurants in locations across the country. Ian has a creative and skillful approach to cooking that is easy to relate to for students at any level. He is extremely excited to be a part of Cookology and is looking forward to meeting others that share his passion for food and wine.
Brad Spates, Lead Pastry Chef
Brad studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and the James Rumsey School of Culinary Arts. He learned his baking skills from some of the best pastry chefs in the world, such as Master Chef Judeth Stains, CIA Award Winning Chef Steve Brown, and Steve Weiss, Executive Pastry Chef of the Trump Taj Mahal and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
He has traveled and studied pastries worldwide, including an in-depth study of French, Italian, and classical American Pastry. Brad specializes in unique forms of design, including the use of classical techniques that are practiced by very few modern chefs, such as pastillage, formed marzipan, pulled and blown sugar, and casting chocolates. He has a passion for baking and creating, and can’t wait to share his talents with the students at Cookology.
Mary Watson, Sommelier
Mary Watson has a knack for flavor pairing. As a culinary student she loved food, but enjoyed it even more with a glass of wine. Over the last 20 years she’s been perfecting her palate, and the results are some of the sublime flavor combinations we’eve ever experienced. A chocolaty mousse turns to velvet in your mouth with the sop of a Spanish Monsastrell, a a simple cracked wheat cracker becomes fresh and crisp with a juicy Sauvignon Blanc. She even pairs wines with Twinkies and Gummy Worms!
The key, she says, is keeping an open mind. Mary believes everyone’s palata is different, and with the right wine, a basic grilled chicken breast will be as exhilarating as a seven layer chocolate cake. She conducts all of her tastings with this passion and curiosity in mind, and students walk away with a greater apprection for tasting techniques and a new craving to explore the world of food and wine.
Eliana Mattioli Lima-Campos, Retail Manager
Eliana was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With Italian parents, she enjoyed fabulous foods influenced by both European and South American cultures. Her fondest memories are of her mother’s and grandmother’s meals…the fresh pastas were incredible…and the sauces—ah, the sauces! And let’s not forget the delicate French pastries! Delicioso! Eliana passed on her love of food to her kids, whom she spoiled with incredible Brazilian meals. After spending nearly 20 years in the retail fashion industry helping women update their wardrobes, Eliana now helps men and women of all ages update their kitchens—and their cooking skills!
Erika LaChance, Marketing & Communications Director
Food has always been a central part of Erika’s life. Even as a kid, her parents could see a little “foodie” blossoming. Unlike most children who wanted hot dogs or spaghetti, Erika requested her grandmother’s gyoza or tofu stir fries, and she preferred veggie sticks to potato chips. Everything about the world of food fascinated her, and she often played the part of pretend chef during her family’s meals.
As journalism major at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Erika was able to get up close and personal with the world of food. For her senior thesis she pitched the idea for a magazine aimed at young professional gourmands to editors from Every Day with Rachael Ray and Better Homes and Gardens who praised the magazine’s original voice, creative story angles and sleek, modern design.
Erika manages all of Cookology’s marketing efforts including the development of brand identity, promotions and events planning, curriculum development, and the coordination and execution of print and web campaigns. She also manages Cookology’s newsletter, blog and social media. She resides in Northern Virginia and spends her free time reading, cooking and trying out new DC area restaurants.
Maria Kopsidas, Founder & Owner
Cookology is a creation of Maria’s delicious design. A foodie since birth, she grew up around women who loved to cook and who took pride in their cooking.
Maria inherited their same passion for food; and now, as a wife and mother, she wants to share those cultural and culinary experiences with her own family. However, like many of you, she juggles the demands of a full time job and a full time family. She’s always wanted to be like her mother and grandmothers who could whip up new and exciting meals or throw elegant dinner parties for 150 of their closest friends at the drop of a hat, but the rules have changed since the 70s and 80s. There are more products, recipes and cookware to choose from, but less time to figure it all out and pull it all together.
Finally, an idea struck her. Somewhere between picking up her daughter from daycare and throwing leftovers in the oven, she cooked up the idea for Cookology. Maria wanted to create a place where parents, professionals or the generally epi-curious just like her could go to try out the latest kitchen gadgets, have a taste of a chocolate bacon candy bar, or learn how to put together a healthy and homemade meal that leaves money and time to spare.
By combining her food-centric background with her extensive career in marketing, design and communications, Maria was able to conceive the culinary center of her dreams, and then make her plans a reality. She urges you to stop by and see what this sumptuous little shop has to offer, and invites you to join her in her journey to explore and enjoy a world of food, wine and cooking!
What Our Students Say
“I want to start by saying, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” From my first phone call to you my experience with Cookology has been tremendous. As you know, our book club read Julie and Julia and we wanted to have a private Julia Child inspired cooking class. You were accommodating and wonderful to deal with. I bombarded you with phone calls, questions and special requests, but you were always patient and kind. Our group of 12 met this past Tuesday for a wonderful night of learning, fun and amazing food. Everyone enjoyed every minute. Chef Ian was entertaining, knowledgeable, skilled and patient with us. We learned many new techniques and had fun doing it! What could be better than cooking, eating, laughing with friends and not having to clean the kitchen? Thank you again and we are looking forward to our next class!”
–Jeri H. & Book Club Friends
“I was truly impressed with the meals that came home, and my daughter has never been so excited to cook! You all did a fabulous job with the kids! Thank you! And we cannot wait until she uses the recipes and her newly learned skills to recreate the food!”
–Jenny H.
“We had an incredible party at Cookology! My daughter and her friends had a great time! Thank you for helping make yummy food and a fun party, but mostly for making lasting and special memories of her turning 6!”
–Shannon B.
“I’ve been so impressed with the facility and staff. It’s a professional-grade kitchen, and one that’s kept very clean. I love the fact that you use natural ingredients and don’t take shortcuts, so that my son is being trained to create dishes from scratch.Equally important to me has been the staff; all very friendly. The chefs are excellent, creative, and know how to instruct the kids. They even email the recipes so the kids can recreate the dishes at home! We’ve been so pleased…I highly recommend them to anyone interested in improving their cooking skills!”"
–Jill P.
“Cookology was great fun! Cannot wait to do it again!”
–Scott Z.
“We took the basic Sushi class at Dulles and loved it. Kids took a camp class and loved it. Can’t wait to get back in there.”
–Dee M.
“My kids loved the pumpkin muffins I brought back home. They were asking for more!”
–Silvana M.
“Everything about it is just right on the mark,” Marty said. “The classes are fun and entertaining, you meet new people, get a great meal and walk away with a lot of useful skills.”
–Marty M.
“We were really just blown away right from the start. We had so much fun, and then we got home the very first night we realized we had picked up all these tidbits. How to heat up the pan, when to put the food in, how to properly season with salt and pepper…stuff that is really pretty basic, but makes a world of difference when you learn to do it right.”
–Mel M.
Read all about Marty & Mel’s experiences at Cookology on our blog!
