The Culinistas

Jill Donenfeld

Jill Donenfeld is a chef, hospitality expert, and cookbook author with a global perspective on intuitive cooking. As the culinary force behind The Culinistas, she has spent two decades working with private chefs in thousands of homes, transforming the way people approach home cooking. Recognized on Forbes “30 Under 30” list in 2012 for her innovative contributions to the food world, Jill has been hailed as a visionary in making professional-level cooking accessible. Her work spans international kitchens—from running the restaurant at Villa Lena in Tuscany to honing her craft in Japan and Sweden—and she has written for Food and Wine, Men’s Journal, The Huffington Post, and National Geographic. Jill’s previous cookbooks, including Better on Toast (HarperCollins) and Party Like a Culinista (Lake Isle Press), reflect her belief that great cooking is about understanding flavor, improvisation, and the joy of sharing meals. Through this book, she distills the expertise of private chefs into a framework that empowers home cooks to think, cook, and create with confidence.

Tiana Tenet

With a background in finance and a deep passion for food, Tiana Tenet has built The Culinistas into a thriving platform that brings professional chef techniques into home kitchens nationwide. As co-founder, she has transformed an in-home chef service into a tech-backed hub for culinary expertise, making high-touch hospitality scalable and accessible. Before partnering with Jill, Tiana spent five years as a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan, where she saw firsthand the challenges busy professionals—especially parents—face in getting wholesome, delicious meals on the table. She combined her business acumen with her love of cooking, drawing from hands-on experience in a Tuscan kitchen, contributions to Food Network Magazine, and work on the set of Giada at Home. Recognized by INC. as one of 2019’s “30 Under 30 Rising Stars,” as a mother of three, she knows that cooking needs to be efficient, flexible, and deeply satisfying—and this book gives home cooks the tools to make that a reality.