About Cam

Cammie was born into a family of food lovers in 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cooking was far beyond a means to an end in her household. Countless hours were spent in the kitchen with her mother, aunt, and sister and she came to think of the kitchen as a place of creativity and refuge. Her cooking career began as a dishwasher in a fine dining restaurant, where she became drawn to the energy in commercial kitchens. Cammie continued to work in various kitchens throughout high school and college, including La Petit Pierre in Cincinnati, OH and the Riverside Inn in Leland, MI. Upon graduation from Ohio University, Cammie's degree in outdoor education took her to Lake Tahoe, California where she pioneered a women's-specific snowboard instruction course at Squaw Valley. Of course, living in California- the cradle of the local food movement in America- fueled her interest in professional cooking. By day, Cammie made tracks all over Northern California's best terrain. By night, she labored under the sound tutelage of Douglas Dale at Wolfdale's. Trained in Japan, Chef Dale's clean, healthy and respectful approach to food captivated the young pupil. It was Douglas's example of being an athlete, family man, chef, teacher, restaurateur, and coach simultaneously that solidified Cammie's view that the life of a chef could be fulfilling and diverse. While in Tahoe, she also worked as a baker at Plumpjack's Squaw Valley Inn, and as a private chef. In search of new terrain on the mountain and in the kitchen, Cammie then spent a winter working under Stephanie Krizman at the Windy Ridge Bakery in Park City, Utah. After 8 years in the West, the pull from the Midwest was too great to ignore. It was time to go home again. She reconnected with her friend and fellow cook, Andy Schudlich. Inspired by the abundance of local foods and anxious to facilitate commerce in Leelanau County, Epicure Catering was born in 2003. In 2005, Epicure Catering moved into their state of the art commissary at Cherry Basket Farm in Omena, MI. It was also in 2005 that Cammie and Andy began their relationship with renowned chef Mario Batali. Mr. Batali hosts a dinner at the Cherry Basket every year and utilized Cammie and Andy as cooks on the photo shoot of his recent cookbook, Italian Grill.