Meet the Team
We are a network of private chefs in Portland Oregon who share a passion for healthy, whole-foods cooking & environmental sustainability. We believe that eating healthy should never mean compromising on deliciousness. We combine vibrant local foods with simple yet elevated cooking techniques for a unique farm-to-table experience you can enjoy at home!
JOHANNA GLASER
Co-owner, Chef
She/Her
Chef Johanna is a personal chef & holistic nutritionist who is passionate about creating nourishing dishes featuring fresh produce from local farms and seasonal wild foods. She operates with the wisdom that our bodies are microcosms of the larger living earth and that in turn, each individual has different needs to support optimal health, in contrast to the one-diet-fits-all approach. Chef Johanna's cooking style is informed by farm-to-table and focuses on creating meals that highlight the abundance we have here in the PNW. Her work is also influenced by her Italian roots and the crafts of cooking passed down to her by her grandmother.
JED THAGGARD
Co-owner, Chef
He/Him
Jed is a culinary nutritionist living in Portland, OR. After a decade working on organic farms, studying holistic health & nutrition, and growing a love for cooking, these interests & passions intersected to help form Gather Around Nutrition, a farm-to-table private chef company with a food-as-medicine approach to cooking. His cooking style is influenced by his Cajun roots, plus all of the wonderful, rich global cuisines he has been lucky enough to enjoy in life, as well as the culinary creativity he learned from farmers. With an understanding that everyone has their own dietary needs, his goal is to help you maintain your optimal health with tasty & nutritious local food.
ALEXA BILLY
Chef, RD, Oncology Specialist
She/Her
Alexa is a registered dietitian based out of Portland, OR. While working within an oncology clinic, Alexa found the disconnect between nutrition knowledge and an ability to nourish oneself. Seeing firsthand the power of nutrition through the use of carefully tailored medical nutrition therapy, Alexa hopes to care for all her clients in a way that is educational and empowering. Alexa’s main passion will always be oncology, as it is a population that is very near to her heart.
KRISTINA TRANCKINO
Chef
She/Her
Kristina is a farm-to-table chef, yoga teacher, and herbalist living in Portland, OR. Kristina’s time spent at the Himalayan Institute provided her with knowledge of Ayurvedic cooking and using food as medicine to bring the body into balance. Kristina is experienced at accommodating allergies and food intolerances, as well as a wide range of diets, using the best produce, meat, eggs, and dairy that Oregon has to offer. She is excited to bring healing, nourishing, and tasty meals to your home.
RYAN BUGNASKI
Chef
They/Them
Ryan has over 15 years of professional cooking experience in a host of different environments including a vegan food delivery service, a vegetarian bar, a vegan fine dining restaurant and as a postpartum personal chef. They are passionate about making delicious, nutritionally dense meals with fresh local ingredients that bring people together around the table and support a good quality lifestyle. Ryan is experienced in cooking for a wide range of therapeutic diets.
SUSANA HOLLOWAY
Chef, Culinary Instructor
She/Her
Susana is a classically trained chef with over 25 years of experience cooking and teaching, having been the co-owner of Portland’s Culinary Workshop for 10 years. As a nutritionist, she believes very strongly in the therapeutic benefit of nutritious whole foods that should always taste amazing, capturing the best of each season. She specializes in diabetic, keto, paleo, dairy and gluten free. Her personal favorite flavors to infuse into her meals are SE Asian, Brazilian, and Mediterranean among a few.
SARAH BRENNAN
Chef
She/Her
Sarah’s relationship to food is guided by the permaculture principles of earth care and people care. With an educational background in environmental science and farming, cooking has become a way for Sarah to embody the things she cares about most, the health of our local community and the health of our local ecosystem. Sarah is largely inspired by Mediterranean and Asian cuisines, with a seasonal twist, always bringing bright flavors and colorful aesthetics to her cooking.
GABRIELLA GONZALEZ
Chef, Holistic Nutritionist
She/Her
Gabriella is a holistic nutritionist, grassroots food sovereignty activist & community educator. Her cooking style is global and she loves to weave flavors from all across the world including her own Nicaraguan indigenous roots. She is experienced in cooking for a variety of therapeutic diets but her passion lies in helping women become more in tune with their cycle and balance their hormones through food.
Gabriella also runs Sky Above Trail Grub, an adventure meal company that provides whole food plant-based dehydrated meals!
Now accepting clients for 1:1 nutrition counseling
ALEXANDRA NERI
Chef
She/Her
Chef Alli comes from a large Italian family, where her connection to food and cooking started from a very early age, as Alli learned to cook food straight from the garden with her grandmothers. She holds a master's degree in environmental protection and management which lead her to the world of farming and farmer's markets and eventually the culinary arts. Her goal is to help empower clients to take their health back into their own hands. She believes that the body knows how to heal itself, and it is our job is to support them through the process.
EMILY GREEN
Chef
She/Her
As a chef, farmer, and folk herbalist, Emily is passionate about actively practicing what it means to live in reciprocity with the land. She loves to cook nourishing meals that connect people to their environment & bodies, while also supporting farmers who are engaged in regenerative soil & seed practices to promote plant diversity. Her French, Italian, and Jewish roots have informed her love of cooking simple & seasonal foods, and her background in studying herbalism has expanded her ability to cook through a lens of food as medicine. Her joy in preparing meals informed by therapeutic diets is fueled by her own experience healing her body through nutrition.
HANNA LILLY
Chef
She/Her
Born and raised in the rich and diverse ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest, Chef Hanna has worked as a food systems educator, a farmer, and most recently, the founder and lead producer of Freedom Harvest, a project working to build just food systems with previously incarcerated folks and their loved ones. While in the kitchen, Chef Hanna focuses her culinary exploration on foods that are highly nourishing, taking inspiration from her German matrilineal line to incorporate a nose-to-tail approach to cooking with animals (sometimes even doing her own butchering). She is also savvy with vegetarian and vegan cooking, thanks to several seasons as a produce farmer.
GILLIAN MILLER
Chef, Holistic Health Coach
They/Them
Gillian is a chef, herbalist, and holistic health coach inspired by farm-to-table food, global flavors, traditional diets, and seasonal eating. They combine their training in food-as-medicine cooking and integrative nutrition with years of experience working in restaurants and bakeries to cook at the intersection of flavor and function- highlighting whole foods, fermentation, herbs, and seasonal produce. Gillian loves to explore flavor and texture, source ingredients with care and intention, and make nourishing food that celebrates the pleasure of eating. They are experienced with Ayurvedic, vegetarian/vegan, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, and are familiar with most therapeutic diets.
KEITH BIDWELL
Chef
He/Him
Keith is a farm-to-table live-fire chef, avid forager, and supporter of local agriculture. As a chef living in the PNW, he loves to cook with the season and his creations always feature the best bounty the farmers have to offer. Keith’s interest and connection with food started at a young age, where he experienced cooking outdoors on camping and fishing trips with his family. Keith is the Culinary Director for Pickathon Music Festival and a directing member of Love, Oregon. He has worked with both of these organizations to develop strong culinary programs that highlight local chefs, farmers & ranchers. Through this work, he can express his creativity with the community while also supporting locally grown & raised food.