ABOUT THE CHEF

Chef Esther L. Merriweather Esther L. Merriweather grew up in a household where encouragement, purposefulness and family closeness were commonplace. Esther started trailing her mother, Ms. Rebecca (her first cooking teacher), around in the kitchen at a very early age.  The time spent imitating her mom eventually transformed from a childhood fantasy into a burning desire to cook for others.  After graduating from high school, Esther pursued a somewhat traditional career path for women, i.e., secretarial science, accounting, and business management.  She obtained a Accounting Degree (A.S.) from Atlantic Community College in Mays Landing, NJ and a Bachelor Degree (B.A.) in Business Management from Stockton State College in Pomona , NJ . But, the childhood desire to make the perfect "mud pie" that was entrenched in her  during those formative years, would later manifest itself into her ultimate desire to make the perfect meal. While Esther sharpened her skills as an accountant, she simultaneously sharpened knives in the kitchen, nurturing her passion for cooking by working part-time in fast food restaurants.  After moving to the Washington , DC metro area, she co-founded a wholesale bakery with her brother, Howard Brown, and through the bakery catered functions for customers, friends and family. As her zeal for cooking consumed more of her available time, the accountant in her realized that like "balancing her books", she would need to balance her time. This was particularly important as she decided to pursue a formal education in Culinary Arts.  To help her obtain that balance, she first studied at Stratford University in Falls Church, Virginia (graduating Magna Cum Laude), receiving an Associate in Applied Science degree in Advance Culinary Arts.  She felt that her learning was not complete and went on to study in New York at America 's oldest Culinary College , The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).  Her passion & intensive study, would allow her to make the dean's list and graduate with a degree in Culinary Arts.  The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is known for having the largest staff of instructors with the elite designation of MASTER CHEF, than any culinary school in the world.  This professional instruction(s) would lay the foundation for Esther to become a world class Executive Chef.   After obtaining specialized training in Culinary Arts, she again turned to her brother, who was now owner of  Howard Brown & Associates, to assist with strategy & business development.  As more people were exposed to the passion, discipline, and unbelievable culinary skills that Esther brought to the table, no pun intended, her demand had increased to the point that she needed to explore new methods to take her much-demanded skills to a wider audience. Now with several culinary degrees in hand, along with a wealth of experience, Esther has launched a new company, Red Aster Corporation, whose mission is to enrich lives by sharing the culinary experience, educating and creating smiles. Esther along with Howard, have produced a series of videos that allow Chef Esther Merriweather to be a part of every meal and/or special occasion.