RUSTIK CHEF

After going to college for fine arts with the study in Photography, Brittany decided to explore the culinary arts field. "I always had a passion for cooking", she says. Time spent working as a private chef and a brief stay at Santa Barbara City College testing the waters of culinary school convinced her it was the right move. At that point, she says, "I knew I really wanted to explore a culinary career.”

In 2002, she went to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, where she completed the Cordon Bleu program that led her to her internship at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara under the guidance of Executive Chef Martin Frost and Executive Pastry Chef Don Hall. She has also worked for a start up restaurants as a pastry chef, worked for several caters in Santa Barbara county and was an pastry chef for a local health food store New Frontiers Santa Ynez Valley.

Though she was focused on becoming formally trained in the culinary industry, Brittany continued to delve deeper into winemaking at Sunstone Winery with each passing year as she participated on the wine production team each harvest. By the time she was done with her culinary internship, her winemaking career was in full swing, becoming the winemaker in 2005.

From here, the future’s looking bright for both Brittany and Millesime and Rustik Chef. Whether it’s in the poetry she is creating in the kitchen, behind a camera lens, with a pen and paper, or in the cellar room, she has an artist's touch; an ability to showcase beauty no matter what the medium. But don’t take our word for it. The proof is in the wines she makes, the beautiful photography she produces for her Millesime label and with her passion in the kitchen for organic foods with Rustik Chef.
Written By: Linda Rice

CHEF BRITTANY RICE