School of Cooking Staff

Deb Lackey is a home economist and Director of the School of Cooking for Dorothy Lane Market. She writes the curriculum, manages the classes and the volunteer program, and is responsible for buying and merchandising the retail department of the school. Cooking and cookbook collecting are a passion for Deb. An avid cook, her approach to cooking is to keep it seasonal and simple, using the freshest and best quality ingredients available. She holds a B.S. in Home Economics from Ohio University and has taken graduate courses in food science and nutrition at Miami University.

Marilou Guy is the Assistant Manager for the School of Cooking at DLM. An avid cook and baker, she has a collection of over 2000 cookbooks which have provided inspiration for her culinary training.

Marilou has worked as an artisan bread baker and cake decorator for the DLM Bakery for the past five years. She studied cake decorating under Toba Garrett at The Institute of Culinary Education and studied advanced cake decorating, fondant, and gum paste under Colette Peters, Nicholas Lodge, and Maisie Parrish at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating and Confectionery Art. Marilou also completed Nick Malgieri’s Techniques of Pastry and Baking at the ICE. A graduate of the University of Toledo with degrees in English and Political Science, Marilou is married and has three children, who all worked at DLM while in school.

Our Staff

A huge thank-you is owed to our staff kitchen assistants. They’re the backbone of the school and our success is largely due to their hard work and dedication. We sincerely believe we have the best kitchen assistants of any cooking school. Many of our celebrity chefs that teach in schools across the country would heartily agree!

Peggy Neary is our office assistant and does all of the grocery shopping for our cooking classes. Zebbie Borland, Mary Cooney, Julie Jackson, Stacy Kibler, Robin Knorr, Lisa Mays, Ruth Neely, Nick Raines, Sharon Savage, and Jack Zindorf are all kitchen assistants and are instrumental in preparing for classes and keeping the school in good operating condition, clean, and sanitary. Their efforts before, during, and after class enable our program to run smoothly and efficiently. All of our instructors are most grateful for the help they provide during their classes. Several kitchen assistants also teach classes for us. Carrie Walters is our resident chef; Zebbie Borland teaches all of our kids' classes; Mary Cooney is our resident "Pie Queen" and also teaches some of our authentic Italian Classes; Jack Zindorf specializes in teaching introductory classes in Chinese, Creole, and Cajun cuisine.

Our School of Cooking has a very active Volunteer Program. If you are dependable and a team worker, have good culinary skills and/or would like to improve your culinary skills, this is a wonderful opportunity to explore. I won’t kid you, it’s hard work. It’s also a lot of fun and a terrific opportunity to expand your culinary skills and knowledge. A very special thank you is owed to our dedicated School of Cooking Kitchen Volunteers: Kevin Achs, Paul Barnett, Linda Crane, Gayle Diesing, Jenny Dillon, Durelle Fullenkamp, Jennifer Grubb, Paula Harrison, Margaret Hoge, Robin Knorr, Susan Serr, Linda Spears, and Martie and John Szelog. Working alongside our staff Kitchen Assistants, they are an invaluable part of our team.