Chef Christopher Tanner

Christopher Allen Tanner, a culinary instructor at Schenectady County Community College and Chef de Cuisine of the SPAC Patron’s Club, has worked in and ran kitchens at Walt Disney World, Vermont, New Orleans, New York, and Yosemite, CA.  He is a Certified Executive Chef and Approved Culinary Judge with the American Culinary Federation as well as a Certified Hospitality Educator with the American Hotel & Lodging Association.   His education includes an AOS in Culinary Arts from SCCC, a BBA from SUNY Delhi and a Masters in Gastronomy and Food Studies from Boston University.

At SCCC, Chef Tanner teaches a number of subjects.  His main subject is Garde Manger which explores the production of pates, terrines, sausages, along with ice sculpting, hors d’oeuvre, cheeses and food preservation methods.  He also teaches a class on Modern Culinary Trends and Techniques which explores a number of Asian cuisines, Latin American Cuisines, African Cuisines, Molecular Gastronomy, vegetarian cookery, and modernizing comfort foods.  Tuesday nights finds the chef running the educational kitchen for the full-service Casola Dining Room located at the college fully staffed by SCCC students.

Chef Tanner is a strong supporter of the American Culinary Federation, which is the largest organized group of professional culinarians in the United States.  On a local level he is very active in organizing events including a nationally sanctioned culinary competition at SCCC, Knowledge Bowl and Hot Food Competition teams comprised of students from SCCC, preparing and hosting a practical examination for professional chefs at SCCC for certification with the ACF, hosting a dinner for the local chapter at SCCC, along with other items.  On a national level, Chef Tanner is an ACF Approved Culinary Judge, which takes him to various locations in the country to judge ACF sanctioned culinary competitions.  As an approved judge, this means that Chef Tanner has achieved a number of gold medals and taken a formal class with the ACF to pass on his culinary knowledge to his peers.  In ACF sanctioned competitions, he has personally won over 30 medals, four of them being gold.

During the summer Chef Tanner is the Chef de Cuisine of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s Patron’s Club.  A restaurant open only during the days of SPAC’s ballet and orchestra week, the menu features a blend of contemporary and classical French, Italian flavors and Techniques.  Chef Tanner’s ancestral heritage from Alsace features prominently in a number of dishes at the Patron’s Club as done his love for charcuterie.

You can find Chef Tanner’s thoughts on food and culture, the culinary industry, and food in general on his blog Gastronomical Inspirations

Return to Cooking Classes.