A seasoned food professional with over 30 years of experience, Denise Vivaldo has catered more than 10,000 parties and has cooked for such guests as George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Prince Charles, Bette Midler, Suzanne Somers, Merv Griffin, Cher, Aaron Spelling, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. She began her culinary training at the Ritz Escoffier and La Varenne in Paris then graduated Chef de Cuisine from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Denise spent numerous years as a professor at UCLA’s Culinary Program and at her Alma Mater, the California Culinary Academy. Denise’s televisions clients carried her into media food styling.
Denise is the author of eight books: The Food Styling Handbook, winner of numerous awards, considered to be the food styling bible and now in it’s 2nd edition; How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business, which has sold more than 150,000 copies and is in its 7th edition; How to Start a Home-Based Personal Chef Business, now in it’s 2nd edition; The Entertaining Encyclopedia, winner of the Cordon d’Or for International Culinary Entertainment, and its companion book Perfect Table Settings; Do It For Less! Parties, and Do It For Less! Weddings, entertaining books with quantity recipes and winners of IACP Cookbook Awards; and The Top 100 Napkin Folds, winner of the Mom’s Choice Award.
In addition to books, Denise is a contributing blogger for the Huffington Post as well as her own blog, Denise Vivaldo Blogs.
Denise is also a featured speaker at culinary conventions all over the globe: Fabulous Food, CaterSource, and Food & Wine Conference, Disney Food & Wine, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Santa Barbara Food and Wine Festival, Women Chefs and Restauranteurs, the Paris Cookbook Awards, the National Association for Catering and Events, and Europe’s Food Photo Festival.
Denise has been a featured guest on a variety of television shows including Good Day L.A., Next Door with Katie Brown, At Home with Lisa Quinn on Live Well Network, ABC Morning News, the Japanese Drama Channel, TV Food Network’s UnWrapped, Home & Garden Network, TV Guide Channel, SoapNet, Lifetime TV, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, TV Land with Betty White and Home and Family with Christina Ferrari.
As a consultant, Denise assists companies to better their products. Clients include The Meyer Corporation, Hamilton Beach, QVC, Hunt-Wesson/ConAgra, Euro Direct, Hy-vee, Capital Brands, Future Kitchen Technologies, Bradshaw International, the Canned Food Alliance, the California Avocado Board, the Hass Avocado Board, The Milk Advisory Board, Disney, and Mann’s Chinese Theater.
Denise has helped many people with their cookbooks, including: Celebrate by Elizabeth Kurtz, Pure Food by Veronica Bosgraaf, Skinny Bitch and Vegan Baking with the Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin; Mariel’s Healthy Kitchen by Mariel Hemmingway; The Date Night Cookbook by Meredith Phillips; Somersize Fast and Easy Cookbook, Somersize Desserts, Somersize Chocolate, and Eat, Cheat and Melt the Fat Away, by Suzanne Somers; The Food Mover Cookbook and Steam Away the Pounds! by Richard Simmons; The Calorie Countdown Cookbook by Juan-Carlos Cruz; Eat, Taste, Heal by Dr. Tom Yarema; The 3-Hour Diet Cookbook by Jorge Cruise; and Hey, Mom! I’m Hungry! by Susan Powter.