Blandine Mazéran moved from France to Colorado Springs in 2008, and she’s been sharing the art of French cooking ever since.

You may have known her as the personal chef of Chez Blandine, or as the owner and chef of Wholly Crêpe. But today, she’s recognized by a different title: Blandine Mazéran of The French Kitchen culinary center — the woman uniting families around the dinner table with the art of French cuisine.

As a single mother of three teen girls, Blandine fully understands the hustle and bustle of daily life. That’s why she’ll give you recipes that are quick, easy, and doable in large quantities.

If you are looking for professional chefs’ techniques, credentials, or professional material, this is not the place. There are some great cooking schools out there, and Blandine is ``just`` self-taught. But if you are looking for a great place to learn and share the art of French cooking, then Blandine’s kitchen awaits!

Her promise to you:

- Detailed recipes that you can reproduce anytime, anywhere
- Tips and tricks for organization and faster cooking time
- No fancy utensils that you can’t find in your own kitchen
- Alternative techniques if you don’t have the necessary utensils
- Blandine’s favorite utensils and ingredients available for purchase in The French Kitchen boutique
- Simple techniques you can reproduce anywhere
- No crazy ingredients that you can’t find in stores

Sébastien is originally from a small village near Valence, France, where his passion for French baking first began. Before moving to the States in 2000, Sébastien undertook several apprenticeships to hone his craft, starting as a baking apprentice for Boulangerie Dufour and eventually becoming a pastry chef apprentice for Patisserie Dagand.

After moving to Colorado Springs, Sébastien was eager to expand his career. He worked at several upscale restaurants and bakeries in Colorado Springs, searching for one that truly felt right.

That’s when he found The French Kitchen — his home away from home.

Today, Sébastien is proud to be a part of the French Kitchen family, and he loves sharing his passion for French baking with his customers. He’s not just a phenomenal baker and pastry chef, but he's also Blandine’s right-hand man and regularly advises her in all aspects of the business.

“A good meal may not change your whole life, but it can certainly change your day”

Hogan Ahrens started his culinary career in Colorado Springs when he began a 6000-hour apprenticeship program with the American Culinary Federation in 2004. Three years later he completed the program while working simultaneously as a Sous Chef at the Garden of the Gods Club where he would remain until 2010. Hogan then resumed his education completing his bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from UCCS in 2011.
Since then he has expanded his knowledge and experience by working at restaurants around the springs including Nosh, and most recently the Warehouse Restaurant where he has been for the past five years.
A US Marine Corp Veteran Hogan spends his free time with his wife and three children typically outdoors playing lawn games or sitting by a fire. When he’s not entertaining them with his humor, you can usually find him extending his creativity beyond the professional culinary world by creating something new in the woodshop or in his home kitchen.

Jeff is a Colorado Springs native, who originally started as a prep and line cook for a small restaurant, then quickly switched to a career path of baking and pastry. Jeff built his broad baking skills while working in a small cake shop while attending culinary school with a baking and pastry focus. Jeff fell in love with the bread baking process While working at the Broadmoor Hotel and quickly advanced to a lead baker position. After two and a half years, Jeff changed restaurants to learn more about baking creative and unique breads and pastries. Jeff is excited to join The French Kitchen team and use a variety of techniques to create seasonal menus and delicious bread and pastries. Growing up, Jeff was not exposed to a wide variety of foods and as a result, Jeff's goal as an instructor is to help expand his students' culinary experiences!

I am originally from Ohio. I graduated from The Ohio State University...Go Buckeyes!...with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science. After graduating in 2018, I attended Culinary School and graduated with an Associates in Hospitality Management specializing in baking and pastries. I have been a baker for the past three years and have learned so much! I just recently moved to Colorado where I plan to expand my knowledge in the culinary world and learn more about the savory side of cooking.

I absolutely love the outdoors! In my free time I love to go on hikes with my dog Luna! I also love to rock climb and snowboard.

Kristal is a retired KC-135 pilot, originally from North Carolina. Her husband is originally from Pueblo, and they both retired from the Air Force in Colorado Springs and have been living there since 2010. While she was on terminal leave from the Air Force, Kristal attended Cook Street Culinary School in Denver, earned her butchery certificate from the Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat, and her Level 1 Sommelier certification from the International Sommelier Guild. She is currently a Level 2 certified sommelier with the International Wine Guild and Kristal also teaches yoga at a local studio.

Kristal has been with The French Kitchen as an employee off and on for over a year, but she has attended lots of classes. Her favorite class has to be Potatoes, since they are one of her favorite foods! She loves pairing wine and food together, and potatoes can pair with anything... making it the perfect food for her. Kristal also enjoys the bread classes and taking classes with her son.

As for 2020, Kristal is starting to teach a Cooking with Wine Series here at TFK, where she will share how to use wine in your every day meal preparation and how to approach wine tasting and food pairing. She will also continue to offer wine and food pairing experiences around our major holidays. Cheers!

Hi! My name is Anne. I am a mom to three very active kids. They keep me busy with their activities and school work! I love to cook, eat, and share meals with friends and family. I collect cookbooks and I love to read cookbooks, I have over 200 cookbooks in my growing library! I love to craft, sew, crochet, I love to take pictures of nature on my hikes, I love to get my hand dirty in my garden and I love to travel.

I grew up in Vietnam and came to the US when I was 10. My life has always been around food, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been in the kitchen either with my mom or with my mom’s kitchen helpers! I was raised to have three full meals a day that my Mom happily made for us. She was a very adventurous cook! There was nothing that she couldn’t make or recreate at home! My cooking is greatly influenced by my Mom’s cooking and the memory of my childhood in Vietnam.

As a young adult off to college at The College of William and Mary, I met many international friends that also loved to cook and eat good food like myself. There I learned how to cook food from Greece, Japan, Thailand, the Middle East, China, and the Philippines.

As an adult, I married my husband and together we lived all over the world! With his career, we were lucky enough to live in France. There I was determined to learn how to make French food from my retired neighbors. They became my extended family, my neighbors taught me how to make food the way they make it and not like fancy French restaurants. I shopped, ate, and cooked like a local. I shared many delicious meals with my neighbors.

After France, we were lucky enough to live in Japan for a few years. Again, I jumped right in and found a few wonderful ladies who were willing to take me in and taught me how to make food like they do. I shopped, cooked, and ate like a local. I shared many delicious meals with my extended family in Japan. I also learned so much from them on how to eat and how to appreciate food.

Cooking and eating for me is a way to create memories for my family. A dish can take me back to each place and time that I’ve shared with the people that I’ve met in my life. I love to cook and share food with friends and loved ones. It is how I show people I care about them.

I hope with each dish that I share with you, it will bring good memories for you and your loved ones. I am just happy that I have this opportunity to share my joy of cooking with you. Thank you!

Heidi grew up in Ohio in a German family. She and her brothers were the first generation in the family to be born in America. She moved to Colorado during her college years and graduated with a B.A. in Education. She has worked with children and animals (horses and dogs) in many different settings through the years, including outdoor camps and schools. She spent many years raising her 4 kids, 3 boys and a girl, and has cooked and baked her fair share in the home kitchen! Heidi most recently has run a Bed & Breakfast out of her home and really enjoyed all the wonderful guests throughout the past years.
When not at work, she loves doing most anything outdoors such as bicycling, hiking (with her chocolate lab, Jesse), snowshoeing, kayaking ... and also loves reading, sewing/quilting, music and playing with her awesome grandchildren. She is enjoying learning about the wonderful foods The French Kitchen has to offer, and yes, learning to pronounce them properly as well!
Heidi is currently writing a cookbook featuring her breakfasts served at her Bed and Breakfast, and is passionate about the non-profit she is a part of ... NASTaP (Association for Native American Sacred Trees and Places).

Welcome to the French Kitchen Team, Logan!

Big B joined our team in honor of Blandine's 40th birthday. She always RIGIDly supports her coworkers in all their efforts and is an overall STAND-UP gal! Come by and say hi!

Welcome to The French Kitchen Team, Luke!

Heather is originally from Pennsylvania, but has lived in The Springs for the last 4 years. She is married with 2 boys (ages 7 and 2). She has 3 dogs (small, medium, and very large), and a Russian Tortoise named Waffles. Growing up Heather was a gymnast and performed shows on the Exhibition Team. She taught pre-school and pre-K gymnastics classes for 5 years. In 2017, Heather became a certified Yoga Instructor and has taught yoga in North Carolina and Colorado. Although she enjoys baking, Heather HATES cooking dinner. She says if she won the lottery she would hire a personal chef and never cook again. Namasté!

Bailey was born and raised in Georgia, so she has always appreciated good homestyle cooking. She moved to Colorado in 2014 and immediately fell in love with the Colorado mountain life. She recently graduated from UCCS with her bachelor’s in Business Marketing and really enjoys helping with The French Kitchen’s social media and marketing. The love of her life is a small fluff puff named Cash, after the infamous Johnny Cash, but he will also respond to Cash Money. Together they love hiking and most importantly eating good food. In her free time, Bailey is working towards weaning herself off the college diet and is experimenting with cooking appliances other than a microwave. She is hopeful and optimistic!

Member of The AwesSome Team: Administrator of Website and Excellent Superior Supervisor Of technology Management Execution

From a young age, I remember going to both of my grandmothers’ houses and cooking various dishes. This sparked my interest in cooking delicious meals from a young age. At age 8, I discovered Blandine’s In-Home French Cooking Class. Since then, I have taken any and every class I can with Blandine. After completing numerous classes, I became the first teenage V.I.P. When I'm not in the kitchen, I enjoy skiing in the Rocky Mountains and hanging out with my family. I look forward to showing your kids the basics of cooking and laying the foundation for a a lifetime of talented of cooking.

Blandine's oldest daughter.

Member of The AwesSome Team: Administrator of Website and Excellent Superior Supervisor Of technology Management Execution.
Also Blandine's middle daughter.
Days usually consist of work, sleep, and anime.

Blandine's youngest but tallest daughter!

Elisabeth is originally from China, but was raised in southern Georgia for the majority of her life. She moved to Colorado Springs in 2016 and absolutely adores the wonderful weather here, along with the breathtaking scenery.

Elisabeth is the eldest of six children. She loves her large family and is used to helping with meals and cleaning. Because of this, she feels right at home at The French Kitchen. Growing up, Elisabeth was homeschooled along with the rest of her siblings. She has been dual enrolling at Pikes Peak Community College where she is enjoying classes immensely.

Besides school, Elisabeth enjoys a variety of activities including baking, reading, and music. She loves spending time with her family going hiking, playing games, doing puzzles, and cooking in the kitchen together. Elisabeth loves Jesus and cuddling with her cat, Allie.

Daniel lived in Georgia for 10 years, but moved to Colorado Spring in 2016. He likes the nice weather here. He is 1 of 6 children and works alongside 2 of his siblings at The French Kitchen. Daniel's favorite subject is English and he is passionate about fitness, art, and soccer.