Marla Gilman is the owner and chef of Northern Feast Catering. Growing up she was always excited about food, but it was at college that her true passion bloomed. At the University of Vermont she learned the importance of agriculture and environmental consciousness. As an Entrepreneurship major and Food Systems minor, Marla dived into the connection of cooking seasonally and sourcing local. She then spent time working at a cooking school in New Jersey and farming on a few small vegetable farms in New York.
After learning to grow food, Marla backpacked in Europe to explore the tastes and flavors of France, Italy, and Germany. From there she attend the well-known Ballymaloe Cookery School. This school, located on a 100 acre organic farm, is where she developed and honed her culinary skills. From there she had the privilege to work at the renowned 'Blue Hill at Stone Barns' and then spent time making artisan cheese at the award winning creamery Consider Bardwell located in Vermont.
In the Fall of 2012 she visited a friend who was working on an organic vegetable farm in Keeseville, New York. It was located within a mile of a vegetable farm, butcher shop, creamery, and future farm brewery. The beautiful surroundings and ability to eat food grown locally and consciously was exactly where she wanted to be. The following Summer she moved to the Adirondacks and worked as a line chef in a Lake Placid farm-to-table restaurant. From there she helped start and manage a small cafe on a nearby dairy. A few years later she transitioned in to her own business and started Northern Feast Catering.
Marla's family comes from a long line of cooks, bakers, and entrepreneurs. They have worked in the food industry for many generations and it is an honor for her to keep the family tradition alive.