My Background
Chef Chris Thielman retired from the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn in 2019 after thirty-two years as a Culinary and Pastry Arts instructor teaching culinary arts, pastry arts, garde manger, sanitation, and culinary math. He holds certifications as a Certified Culinary Educator and a Certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation and is certified to teach sanitation (Servsafe) in the state of Illinois.
He earned his degree in Culinary Arts at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and has a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL. Prior to teaching, Chris worked in restaurants and hotels throughout Chicagoland and earned a 4-star review as Executive Chef at Annabelle’s in Glenview.
He currently is a hospitality consultant for local restaurants.
Chris and his wife Karen Thielman, C.S.W., give online and in-person cooking and wine classes/demonstrations for restaurants, libraries, colleges and French organizations in the Chicago area.
Chris and Karen created and led Culinary and Wine Tours in France for nineteen years through the College of DuPage Field Studies Department, leading groups to sites around Lyon, the Roannais, Beaujolais and Burgundy. In 2015, they established a ten-week work/study program for four College of DuPage culinary students through the École des Trois Ponts in Riorges and the CFA in Mably, France.
Christopher is proficient in French and continues his language studies here and in France.
Working in conjunction with Media Production Services at College of DuPage, Christopher is featured in cooking segments for the cable access program "Images"
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWBdQ8iSKNHuQ7rAkpTsIPYnG8EPWEMIK
and has been heard on culinary programming for WDCB radio.
Christopher has been an active member of Alliance Française DuPage (www.afdupage.com) for the last 15 years. He and Karen give monthly online cooking demonstrations for AF DuPage members, sharing recipes that they have developed based on their years of traveling and dining in France.