About Tiny Onion Cooking School

ABOUT US

Tiny Onion began in late 2015 when founder Annalee Dunn was approached to teach a short series of Sunday evening classes to a group of teenage boys. She accepted the challenge, and what unfolded was a wonderful experience of fun kitchen instruction, shared mealtime, and recipe testing in a two-hour class for beginner cooking techniques and life skills. She quickly realized this could be a great addition to the Bellingham community in a variety of kitchen environments, class offerings, and for different age ranges.

Annalee started her restaurant career as a server and bar tender at the famous Moosewood Restaurant in her hometown of Ithaca, NY. As an employee at the cooperatively owned vegetarian pioneer, she witnessed a kitchen where food was made from scratch, honored, and celebrated in a unique way. The dedicated chefs there encouraged her to pursue her own path to culinary school where she earned a degree in Pastry Arts. She then worked in a series of restaurants from Massachusetts to Ohio to Washington, where she has lived for the last 23 years.

Annalee's kitchen experience has continued as a philosophy where food is made fresh, and with local ingredients, utilizing basic, home-cooking techniques and style. She doesn't strive to be too fancy, she prefers good flavor, highlighting health and wholeness, and leaving you wanting seconds.

As a cooking instructor, Annalee has been praised for her warm approach to play & improvisation in the kitchen, for allowing children to try new things and take risks (and make a mess!), and for recipes that are true winners over-and-over again! Annalee has raised two children in her kitchen and alongside her as supportive assistants to her Tiny Onion work, both are now teens who cook! This work is a joy and a privilege for the entire family.