The Chopping Block
Karen Dante possesses a diverse professional background with extensive experience in both culinary and management roles. Currently serving as a Chef Assistant at The Chopping Block since March 2017, Karen collaborates with chefs to prepare for classes and events while coaching guests through their culinary experiences. Previous roles include Assistant Manager of Shipping at Neiman Marcus, where responsibilities included management and documentation of departmental procedures, and Owner of Accessories East, Inc., focusing on wholesale business operations and international trade. Additional experience encompasses event planning for the American Chamber of Commerce in China, strategic alliances at Resource Information Management System, and consulting in healthcare management with notable firms such as Arthur Andersen & Co. Educational credentials include a Master's degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Oakland University.
The Chopping Block
The Chopping Block, Chicago’s largest recreational cooking school and gourmet retail store, offers guests a large slate of demonstration and hands-on classes, as well as wine classes, private cooking parties and corporate team building events. Classes at the two locations cover cooking skills and techniques as well as seasonal, ethnic, healthy, vegetarian and weeknight cooking. A series of "boot camp" classes allows students to take cooking to the next level with an intensive week-long taste of professional culinary school style instruction. The Chopping Block’s retail stores feature professional-quality cookware and kitchen tools, plus an array of gourmet and ethnic ingredients and hand-selected food-friendly wines.