Meet our team

Leah has spent her entire adult life slinging pizza, primarily for the Santa Cruz-based Pizza My Heart. Walking into the tiny beach shack at 18, she rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the executive chef and overseeing its expansion from two restaurants to 24 throughout the Bay Area.

In 2020 Leah opened PizzaLeah in Windsor and took the North Bay pizza scene by storm. In a few short years she has earned numerous awards and set a high standard for what handmade, seasonally focused pizza can be. Leah is passionate about the art and science of pizza, rolling and tossing dough each day. She brings this same passion for her craft to the classes she teaches at Wind & Rye along with a deep love for community and a dedication to having a good time.

Daniel Kedan’s name is synonymous with good food and strong community in Sonoma County. After years of working in some of the best kitchens in the region, he opened Backyard Restaurant in Forestville. There he highlighted the incredible produce and proteins of neighboring farmers, sourcing everything on his daily changing menu from local purveyors who champion organic and sustainable growing practices.

In the most current chapter of Dan’s distinguished career, he has found himself back at the Culinary Institute of America as an instructor to the newest generation of great chefs. He generously shares his extensive knowledge and endless passion for food with all he teaches and is a vital member of the Wind & Rye family.

Nicole is a true icon of the American pastry world. Her resume is astounding and jam packed with some of the most prestigious restaurants of the past 30 years spanning cost to coast. Yet, even after winning Michelin stars and a James Beard Award for outstanding pastry chef, Nicole is constantly striving to learn more from everyone she can.

She most recently held the position of Director of Pastry Arts at the San Francisco Cooking School where she taught aspiring pastry chefs not only how to execute recipes to perfection but also the type of work ethic and determination it takes to build a name for yourself in this industry. Now she is bringing her wealth of knowledge and experience to Wind & Rye, leading classes for both home bakers and professionals alike.

For Colleen, herbalism is both a passion and a career, allowing her to channel her love of nature into her everyday life.

With her 10+ years as a natural product formulator focused on incorporating botanical extracts into skin care, Colleen now provides plant-based formulation support for existing and emerging beauty and wellness brands worldwide. Her current product line Poppy Botanicals is the repository for her most precious creations. Through her classes at Wind & Rye, students are offered the unique opportunity to meet one on one with Colleen, see, taste, and feel what herbal combinations resonate with them and soak in all of her plant magic.

After leaving her home in small town South Dakota, Laci has constantly been searching for the sense of place and belonging she cherished growing up. After working her way through some of Northern California’s most renowned kitchens she found herself in Sonoma County with a new dream, to create that sense of community from the ground up.

In 2014 she witnessed this dream become a reality when she opened the doors of Wind & Rye. Calling on her renowned mentors, award winning colleagues and closest friends, Laci has put together an ever growing collection of classes and events aimed at bringing people together to celebrate a love for good food and a full life.