Our Team

We are very proud of our amazing Team at The Gourmet Spoon!

Chef Dan Witherspoon is the Director and Executive Chef of The Gourmet Spoon and The Seasoned Chef Cooking School. Chef Dan is Denver’s premier culinary instructor for home cooks.

For over 30 years, Chef Dan has devised delicious versions of the classics. Working his way up from Apprenticeship under celebrated Belgian Chef, Henri Bergmans, to executive chef positions in Southern California and the Denver area, Chef Dan has achieved extraordinarily well-rounded culinary skills. Classically trained in the Western European tradition, he brings an extremely down to earth teaching style to his students of all levels of culinary expertise.

Chef Dan enjoys incorporating Pacific Rim, Southwestern, Northern Italian, French and contemporary Americana cuisines and themes into his cooking and entertaining. Dan's passion is to be working with great food, surrounded by people who are enjoying the experience.

Amy Hoyt, Chef de Cuisine of The Gourmet Spoon

Chef Amy began her culinary career nearly 25 years ago. She honed her professional skills working at Strings and then Zenith under Kevin Taylor. In 1991 she opened the popular Bobby Dazzler Bakery. named Best of Westword in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Her bakery was famous for its breads, wedding cakes, and American-style desserts. Her favorites are from her collection of old family recipes. Chef Amy has taught classes for more than 14 years and loves sharing her passion for simple food made with the best ingredients and lots of love.

Scott McClelland, Manager of Operations for The Gourmet Spoon

A 3rd generation native of Colorado, Scott McClelland started his culinary life in the kitchen of his mother's restaurant, ‘The Happy Cooker’ in Georgetown, and has been a foodie ever since.

As a teen, Scott began working for Le Petit Gourmet Catering where he learned his fine service skills from the master of catering, Bill Bown. Scott was then chosen to manage some of the grandest parties in Denver’s history including the Royal Family, the Papal visit, Summit of the Eight, and six, sitting American Presidents. One of his most exciting experiences was cooking with the legendary Julia Child. His love of fine food and impeccable service continue today, where he is indespensable at The Gourmet Spoon.

Cathy Harokopis is an accomplished cook who lives in Laramie, Wyoming.

Feeling the need to get out of the house after her husband retired 12 years ago, she attended the techniques series at the Culinary School of the Rockies in Boulder, where she met Dan Witherspoon, her culinary mentor. She went on to work at a bakery for 5 years in Laramie, where she was responsible for the homemade soup served at lunch everyday. Many of her travels also involve culinary adventure. She has taken cooking classes in Mexico; Oaxaca and the Yucatan – and a week of culinary indulgence and classes in Italy. She teaches an occasional class at The Copper Kettle, a kitchen store in Laramie, and does some catering for food starved Wyomingites.

Chef RJ Harrington has a love for food and cooking encoded into his DNA.

His mother began a soup, salad & sandwich restaurant when RJ was a child. He gained a passion for the business while his mother avoided child labor laws using family as the backbone of that and future foodservice endeavors.

RJ went on to attain a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management at The Pennsylvania State University while gaining further experience as a management trainee, line cook, server and pizza delivery driver. Ultimately, RJ followed in his mother’s footsteps and opened his own restaurant in Crested Butte, CO.

Enjoying the creation of fine cuisine with love and flair can be more pleasurable than consuming the results. “Learning that passion for the essentials of diet, keeps all of us moving through the day to day chores of life.”

Chef Keith Jones, “The Champagne Chef” with the big personality, feeds all the senses while sharing twenty-three years of culinary artistry and chef’s secrets through his “Eatertainment” presentations.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Chef Keith studied under certified Master Chef, Edward Janos for eight years, learning classical French cuisine and techniques. “Edward is my mentor and I owe my culinary skills to him. He took a genuine interest in me at an early age and created the foundation that my career is based upon today.”

Chef Keith was certified as an Executive Chef in December 1999 and has served at several prestigious country clubs. He has won several medals in culinary salons in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Colorado, including the grand prize in the Clos Du Bois Wine and Food Pairing competition. He keeps his participants spellbound with his unique sense of humor and wealth of culinary knowledge.

Chef Devin Lamma, a native of Virginia, has lived in Colorado for ten years.

He combines 20 years of food industry experience with a degree in education to inspire others about cooking. Influenced by Thomas Keller, Michael Pollan and Anthony Bourdain, Devin leads culinary team building events, cooking classes and private tastings. Devin spent 6 months in 2009 travelling in Tuscany studying sustainable and organic farming. He continues these travels each year, learning new specialties and sponsors other like-minded individuals.

Chef Deb Traylor is an extremely motivated chef, who has knowledge in all areas of the food industry.

Chef Deb is also the owner and manager of A Divine Dish in Longmont, Colorado and writes a food blog called ‘ The Tasty Bits’. She has managed private kitchens, coordinated culinary camps for teens, and managed muti-station banquets for large celebrations. Throughout her career, Chef Deb has had a muti-faceted experience in all areas of the industry. She is also an advocate of using local produce, building relationships with local farms and artisan food producers.

She received her Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and graduated from the professional culinary arts program at The Culinary School of the Rockies