Jill Paradis has been working with top Colorado restaurants for more than 15 years, starting out as a program coordinator for Share Our Strength, where she provided cooking classes and volunteer chefs to underserved communities. A sommelier and cheese aficionado, Jill divides her time between Colorado and Piedmont, Italy, where she lives on a five-acre farm in the small hilltop village of Maretto d’Asti with her husband, Giulio, and their dogs, Bella and Yampa, who occasionally find truffles! She also makes wine, grows hazelnuts, and runs the Monferrato Farm, an experiential learning place where language skills and creative culinary training come together.
In 2004, Jill created Culinary Translations, a consultancy that provides food safety training to some of Colorado’s best eateries. She has been teaching classes in the Colorado resort communities ever since. Jill attended Colorado Mountain College from 1996-1998 at the Spring Valley and Edwards campuses. Jill holds her alma mater in high regard and has fond memories of the excellent, dedicated instructors, and the opportunities to enjoy the beautiful rocky mountain lifestyle. While at CMC, Jill participated in the Friendship City Exchange to Nicaragua, and it had a profound effect on her.
Jill is currently an instructor for Colorado Mountain College, where she teaches ServSafe® and Employee Food Safety Training in Spanish and English annually at the Edwards campus. The next round of classes is set for January 2014.
When she is not teaching or working on the farm, Jill helps her family with a philanthropic project in Haiti. www.help-haiti.net. They have several on-going projects in the town of Fond des Blanc, about an hour outside of Port au Prince. They are currently shipping two containers full of agricultural supplies and non-electrical (treadle) sewing machines to start a sewing co-op for the women in the village and to increase the agricultural production of the area that will create jobs and provide fresh food for the villagers. The group also hopes to install solar energy in the village.