Chef Liz Valenti
Monday, September 26
Employees First: Creating a Positive Company Culture
Chef/Owner Liz Valenti grew up in the Chicago area, graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in Organizational Behavior and a minor in Accounting. Liz also has a culinary degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
Chef Liz’s earliest memories are of being in the kitchen with her mother, surrounded by aunts and cousins. The Valentis were from Abruzzi, a wild, mountainous region in Italy east of Rome, while the Espositos, her mother’s side of the family, were from Naples. The recipes may have been different, but the food from both families was full of tradition and love. Liz began cooking in professional kitchens in high school. More than forty years later, Liz is still in the kitchen, inspired by the mentors and chefs she has worked under, including California Cuisine pioneers Judy Rogers, Barbara Tropp, Annie Summerville and Joyce Goldstein, and more recently, 13-time World Pizza Champion and restaurateur Tony Gemignani.
Called The Energizer Bunny by some and “Wild Bunch” by her closest friend, Liz starts her day in the middle of the night, excited to cook and work with her amazing team. To Liz, there is nothing better in the world!
Liz lives in Yellow Springs with her wife Ann. In 2011, she leapt at the chance to join her oldest and dearest friend Wiley and the Meadowlark team, moving to the Dayton area from Chicago. Together, they opened Wheat Penny Oven and Bar in 2013.
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