Cookie Kickoff Spotlight: The Chefs

As we shared with you earlier this week, 103.5 KISS FM is extremely proud to be a part of the Great Cookie Kickoff event with the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage.  This event, which will be held virtually on Thursday night (February 23rd) will be an opportunity for cookie fans, dessert aficionados and supports of the Girl Scouts alike to come together and kick off cookie season! This year, the event is going to feature four well-respected local chefs who have been tasked with making a dessert using--you guessed it--girl scout cookies!

For more on the event and how to watch, click HERE.

Before you check out the event this week, we want you to be able to meet the chefs who have agreed to the challenge! Check all four of them out, below!

Cody Bielen of Fork

Hello, my name is Cody Bielen, and I am the Executive Chef of Fork. I have been with Fork for just about 7 years working my way up from line cook to Executive Chef. The Culture of the people and food at Fork is what drew me in and being able to grow and further develop in this great city, is what keeps me coming back hungry for more each day.

You can place your vote for Cody Bielen by donating ANY amount of money to the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, HERE.

Michelle Kwak of KIN

My culinary journey officially began 13 years ago when I took a sabbatical from my life as a high school science teacher and enrolled at the French Culinary Institute. After a few years as a pastry cook in New York, my husband Ron and I moved to Boise in 2012 and I worked as a chef instructor at Create Common Good. After a couple years in the nonprofit world, I was drawn back to the restaurant life as the pastry chef at State & Lemp and now KIN. While lesson plans and grading are things of the past, learning and teaching continue to weave through all parts of my life. When I’m not working on desserts in the kitchen, I can be found mountain biking on our trails or hitting the slopes at Bogus.

Thirty years ago I was a young Girl Scout Junior knocking on my neighbors’ doors and selling cookies for $2.25 a box. My nickname then was Munchie, I was motivated by the prizes, and Samoas were (and continue to be) my favorite cookies.

It was clear to me then, and even more so now, that the cookies were more than just snacks; they were magical boxes that allowed us to attend camping trips, helped us earn our badges, and provided a safe space for us tweenagers to build confidence.

We’ve been supporting our local (and far away) Girl Scouts each January buy restocking on Samoas, thin mints and Do-si-dos, and it’s an even greater honor now that I get to participate in this (fiercely) friendly cookie competition.

You can place your vote for Michelle Kwak by donating ANY amount of money to the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, HERE.

Sabrina Vaillancourt

Sabrina was born and raised in California and moved to the great Boise, ID area well over a decade ago. She is a Boise State University graduate and holds her B.S. in Finance. She's also a recent graduate from the University of St. Francis, where in 2020 she earned her Masters Certificate in Logistics.

She has been baking for what seems like forever and is passionate about making desserts that taste good with an aesthetic look. She's a strong believer in quality over quantity and takes pride in whatever it is she's creating in the kitchen. Sabrina uses her mothers very own KitchenAid mixer that has now been whipping up delicious desserts for well over 15 years!

She recently started her business The Measuring Spoon Baking Co. LLC which is an online baked goods store that she operates out of her home. While it has been a learning curve, this business venture has taught Sabrina a lot in a small amount of time, and she's grateful for the experience it has brought so far.

When she's not baking, Sabrina is spending time with her boyfriend and their four dogs, practicing photography, traveling, and enjoying the beautiful Idaho she lives in.

You can place your vote for Chef Sabrina by donating ANY amount of money to the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, HERE.

Chef Zee

Christopher Zahn  “Chef Zee” is the owner of Zee Christopher, LLC - including Zee’s Rooftop, Zee Christopher Catering and Floral, CW Penthouse, and is the founder of the non-profit Corks 4 A Cure.

Chef Zee is a graduate of Boise State, and Montana Tec. His journey as a chef has provides wonderful experiences, he started out at the Arid Club, where he learned and served up some of Boise’s most high-end foods. Chef Zee has been a personal chef for several, including several bands including REO Speedwagon, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dustin Lynch, Styx to name a few. He has perfected the art of personal meal prep.

Chef Zee has been recognized for server elite awards 2015 Southwest Chef of the year, 2019 industry Chef of the year, 2019 Idaho’s Brightest Star,2019 Jefferson’s Award, 2019 Small Business of the year. Zee loves to give back to the community with his talents, he donates several meals to many of the homeless shelters in Boise, provides meals to the Ronald McDonald house, and holds a Corporate Piler status with the WCA. Chef Zee has been a Girl Scout troop sponsor for troop 521, “There is such joy in seeing young ladies being successful Entrepreneurs” “Chef Zee”

You can place your vote for Chef Zee by donating ANY amount of money to the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, HERE.