Interns
Research Chef and Intern
Nina Faustmann, Research Chef and Intern, joins Charlie Baggs, Inc. from Kendall College where she is pursuing an Applied Associates in Science, Culinary Arts Accelerated Program. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Family and Consumer Sciences, Dietetics from Western, Illinois. Nina’s interest in Nutrition motivated her to explore the world of product development.
Nina enjoys working out, making home cooked meals with her mother, loves getting cozy on the couch and watch a good movie or two, and spending weekends boating in Lake Geneva, WI.
Both of her parents are from Poland and immigrated to Chicago in their teens. English was her second language even though she was born in Evanston, IL. Some of her favorite Polish foods are golapky (stuffed cabbage), mushroom and sauerkraut pierogies, and borscht (beet soup).
**** Chef’s corner – a little insight into who Nina is outside of the office:
- Favorite Foods:
- “Melted Cheese”, her mother’s creation; open faced French bread with melted Muenster cheese.
- King Crab legs, steamed with lots of garlic butter
- Favorite Cities to travel to: Key West, Florida where she vacationed almost every Christmas of her childhood
- Things you will always find in Nina’s fridge: Deli meats and cheese, Polish pickles, Wasabi Mayo (amazing on sandwiched along with whipped cream cheese).
Research Chef and Intern
Kathryn Nicholas, Research Chef and Intern, joins Charlie Baggs, Inc. from Kendall College where she is pursuing an Applied Associates in Science, Culinary Arts. Katie holds a Bachelor of Arts, Art History with a Certificate in European Studies from University of Wisconsin. Her love of art, travel, and culture naturally led her to the food industry. Katie studied for five months in Florence, Italy.
Katie enjoys photography, especially while traveling, playing, and watching favorite sports teams, the Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers. She likes to cook for her family and friends and exploring new restaurants.
***** Chef’s corner – a little insight into whom Katie is outside of the office:
- Favorite Food: Deep fired pickles
- Favorite Cities to travel to: Florence, Barcelona and any mountain city in Colorado but hopes to travel to Germany for Oktoberfest soon.
- Things you will always find in Katie’s fridge: orange juice, many tubs of Ben and Jerry’s® ice cream, basil, always
Lubna Alamat, Research Chef
A research chef and intern at Charlie Baggs Inc., Lubna Alamat came from Amman-Jordan to pursue an education in culinary arts. She is a student at Kendall College, in the accelerated associates of culinary arts, where she has maintained a dean’s list status throughout. Lubna is also an interior designer; she holds a bachelor degree from Purdue University, Indiana and a Masters degree from Florence Design Academy, Italy. Before moving to Chicago, she practiced interior design in Amman-Jordan for a number of years with a focus on restaurant design.
Lubna is interested in gearing her background in design, expertise in Middle Eastern cuisine, and experience living in the Middle East and Europe, towards a career in product development, food photography and culinary training.
She enjoys traveling mostly to indulge in new and exotic flavors, the outdoors, and cooking for her husband.
***Chef’s Corner: A little insight to who Lubna is outside the office.
Favorite Food: Eggplants, in any preparation.
Favorite City to Travel to: “A new city, I have some favorites, but my most favorite is experiencing a new city and its food”
3 things we will always find in your fridge:
- Fruit, whatever is in season.
- Cheese & bread, preferably sesame.
- A good bottle of wine in the fridge or out is always needed.
Ryan Winstead, Kitchen Manager
Ryan Winstead, a Culinary Student at Kendall College, has recently joined the Charlie Baggs Inc. team for a culinary internship. He is currently a Deans List student at the Accelerated Associates of Culinary Arts here in Chicago. Ryan was on a much different path just a few years ago. He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelors Degree in communications and wanted to go into radio and television. During his various jobs after graduation he realized he needed something more in his life. Since he has loved cooking for a long time, he decided to go back to school to become a chef, which led him to Kendall and now here to CBI. Thus far, Ryan’s culinary experience has been minimal but valuable; he worked at Buffalo Wild Wings as a line cook and he has also staged at the prestigious Blackbird restaurant as well Aria here in Chicago.
After graduation Ryan plans to travel to experience the world at its flavors. His dream however is to settle down in his hometown, Chicago, to open his own place. He is a simple guy who loves simple food and wants to have a place with uncomplicated food and a great beer selection.
***Chef’s Corner: A little insight into who Ryan is outside the office.
Favorite Food: Pizza, and a double bacon burger with everything on it from Mr. Beef.
Favorite City to Travel to: Haven’t done much travelling, but would love to visit Venice
3 things we will always find in your fridge:
- A few different BBQ sauces
- Salami for a great sandwich
- Some leftover pasta, I have to make pasta at least once a week
