Leadership
HELLO!! We are Adam and Lissy, the founders of The Cookbook Project!
Lissy (aka Alissa) is a Food Education Scholar, Professional Chef, and Certified Health and Wellness Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. chef and foodie, with a background in environmental sustainability.
Adam is an Educator both in and out of the classroom. Since the age of 15 leading summer storytelling adventures in the woods of Camp Lyndon as a Junior Counselor he has devoted his time and energy to youth education. Since then he has led 7 International Travel Programs for high school students to Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Ecuador with both Windsor Mountain International and Global Routes. He has taught for Outward Bound and also worked with some of the most at-risk youth in the Boston Public Schools for 4 years.
As a teacher in the public school system, Adam noticed that as students arrived from other nations to Boston there was a consistent decline in both physical health and academic performance in his students. While most teachers were demanding that medication was the solution for decreased academic ability Adam realized that the problem was at least partially food-based He passionately believes in health and nutrition as a means to support at-risk youth both domestically and abroad. As a teacher . While he truly enjoys the classroom, he thrives on developing and implementing leadership and community development-oriented programs for his students.
Between the two of us we have over two decades of travel experience and over 60 countries visited! We founded The Cookbook Project to help people connect with food – by participating in workshops, becoming trained as local leaders, or experiencing cultural exchange, we can all become closer to our food and the role that food plays in our own health, the local economy, and our global environment.
Meet The Board of Directors —
David Cohen – With a background in energy conservation, sustainable living, and community activism and organizing, David brings TONS of energy to The Cookbook Project. He is a Local Leader in Brooklyn, and he has traveled with CBP to places like India and New Orleans to help run projects. Currently he is working in experiential education in the NYC area, juggling Cookbook Project programming and much more!
Hannah Huffines Amick – After graduating from Tulane University in 2004, Hannah moved to NYC where she represented some of the world’s top chefs as an employee of Bullfrog & Baum, a premiere hospitality public relations firm. After a stint in Napa Valley, she now resides in Atlanta where she is the Director of Public Relations for Concentrics Restaurants which includes over 15 total properties in Atlanta, Florida, Alabama and St. Louis. She also boasts her own Public Relations consulting practice, Huffines PR, where she represents beverage products, wineries, personalities, artists and more. Hannah brings her top PR/Media skills to CBP.
Dianna Hahn – With a dynamic background in experiential education and inter-cultural immersion coupled with her role as Director of the US Chapter for Clowns Without Borders, Dianna brings her love of education, creativity, and culture alongside her valuable skills of organizational development and planning to CBP. We are thankful to have her exuberant smile and tireless character present on our Board.
Leah Boch – After working and traveling all around the world as an experiential educator Leah now serves the amazing experiential education community of The Chewonki School in Maine as the Director of Admissions. She brings countless years of program development and leadership programming to CBP. Leah is a huge advocate for locally sourced whole foods and a dedicated consumer of hummus.
Maggie Klousia – With a background in Environment and Agricluture and a lover of culinary delights, Maggie Brings her experience working for the UN FAO and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Global Agricultural Development Initiative to the table. She is a self-taught chef from way back when, and is just as comfortable making homemade hot sauce as she is with conducting research. Lucky, CBP loves hot sauce –
Michael Kuczinsyki – A foodie inspired by the bold flavors of his university’s hometown of New Orleans, Mike brings his experience as an accountant, LLM, and practicing attorney in Non-Profit compliance law to the table in order to help CBP grow and thrive. He is a superstar in the kitchen and at the office!
