ABOUT US
Niki Tehranchi
Owner & Chef
After practicing law for a few years, Niki decided to follow her passion for cooking and went to culinary school. She received her culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts – Hollywood, and loved every minute of it! She’s had a major love for cooking since she was a kid, and remembers cooking crepes for her family and reading cookbooks as a child. She loves to cook, entertain, and teach…and her mission was to combine all three with the opening of her business. She started EATZ in 2008 with the goal of giving each student a truly fun, dinner party cooking experience. Not only does she want everyone to cook as much as possible during class, she also wants to bring the joy of cooking to the classroom by encouraging her students to experiment and have fun with the cooking process. Take a class at Eatz and awaken your inner chef!
KELSEY BRANCH
CHEF INSTRUCTOR
Chef Kelsey Branch is a fourth-generation Sicilian chef and founder of CiaoCiaoKelsey, a vibrant culinary brand rooted in family heritage and conscious California coastal cuisine. After discovering her passion for competitive cooking and ice carving following culinary school, she continued by training for a spot on Team USA for the Culinary Olympics, the Bocuse d’Or. Chef Kelsey has cooked for celebrities, athletes, and musicians alike—bringing the same intentionality and warmth to private classes as she does to large-scale events. Today, she leads energetic, hands-on cooking experiences that celebrate ingredients, spark creativity, and nourish people with wellness in mind. Take a class with her and awaken your inner chef!
MARITA DE LA TORRE
CHEF INSTRUCTOR
Marita’s journey in the culinary world began in her hometown of Brownsville, Texas cooking the traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex foods with chefs of the region. Later, she worked in restaurants in Austin, Texas in both the casual and fine-dining scenes. Upon arriving in LA, Marita found a place at the Godmother of Malibu Cafe where she worked for years. Today, she continues to work with the Godmother catering team. She spearheads the production and sales of Godmother Salt, an artisanal line of salt blends created to carry on the legacy of the one and only, The Godmother of Malibu herself. Marita has been with EATZ since 2016 and loves to hear back from students when they learn a life-changing skill!