Lets meet and get to know Create a Cook chefs and co-owners Maria Crann and Bethany Mitidieri!
Maria Crann
Professional Chef and Co-Owner of Create-a-Cook St. Augustine
Born and raised in South Philadelphia Maria learned to cook old school Italian favorites at a young age. She and her father were often in the kitchen creating family and holiday meals for everyone to enjoy.
In 2017 she retired from a 29-year career in law enforcement and went to culinary school to obtain a degree in culinary arts. Upon graduation she worked as a Culinary Instructor for a summer camp program as well as a virtual Culinary Instructor with Vetri Community Partnership providing virtual culinary instruction to underserved middle school students in Philadelphia.
When she moved to St. Augustine she volunteered with Epic-Cure Inc. as a cooking instructor providing cooking classes to underserved children and Veterans in St. Johns County. In addition to her work with Epic-Cure, working with Epic-Cure Inc. led her to meet Chef Bethany. Soon after meeting they discovered they both had a passion for teaching the youth of St. Johns County.
She is so fortunate to have met Chef Bethany and to be co-owner of Create-a-Cook Saint Augustine. She enjoys teaching children and is elated when she sees their expression after they have created something on their own. Everyday is a new adventure and not only is she teaching the students, everyday one of them teaches her something new as well!
Bethany Mitidieri
Professional Chef and Co-Owner of Create-a-Cook St. Augustine
Bethany Mitidieri has had a passion for cooking and baking for over 25 years. In 2022, she retired from a 30-year career as a educator, half of that time spent as an elementary school principal in St John’s County, Florida. She spent the last three decades loving and inspiring underserved youth to think big and chase their dreams. She is dedicated to her community.
Daily, she could be heard saying things like, “Be your best self”, “Hard work pays off” and “Nothing is out of reach with effort and inspiration”. In 2022, she made the decision to follow her own advice and chase her own dream.
Bethany is a self-taught chef. She was raised in a family of exceptional cooks and even better home bakers. She often tells kids that baking is her “love language”. While her career as an educator was so rewarding in so many ways, she feels that now she is being called to educate and nurture people in a new and exciting way.
When the opportunity arose to collaborate with a talented chef and educator like Chef Maria, Bethany jumped at the chance. She feels that Create a Cook Saint Augustine is the perfect blend of her skill sets and passions and she is thrilled to be able to pass this passion on to young people.
She is so excited to be co-owner of Create a Cook Saint Augustine. Bethany feels that it is the perfect synergy of her two passions: children and culinary arts.