our Team
These are the folks who make up our core crew, but we wouldn't be able to accomplish anything without the help of friends who work with us in the kitchen and at our events.
JAKE mazar & Will Van HEuvelen
Founder + Executive Chef
Will's experience with food began with farming. In his time as a grower, he came to appreciate that cooking and menu design is more than the sum of constituent ingredients and dishes. It is a choreography of weather, soil health, labor, and luck; his passion is to cook food that celebrates the soil and the farmers who tend it.
Founder + Business Director
Jake came to agriculture by way of management consulting. After a few years of counting other people's beans, he decided it was time to start growing his own. Jake's already started one successful local food business, Artifact Cider Project, a hard cider company.
Zofia noble
Assistant General Manager
Zofia’s appetite for food started at the source with her hands in the soil, grounding her curiosity as she moves through kitchens, across dining tables, and within art spaces. After studying architecture and public action at Bennington College, she's back home in Western Mass, happily rooted in the local landscape and community.
Gabrielle chapman
Executive Chef
After moving to Western Mass from Southern California, Gabby has excelled in a variety of different food industry environments that inform her experience. With a goal to bring positive change to kitchen culture, she brings a fresh perspective to our team.
ALexandra Goines
Senior Catering Manager
Alexandra is a Pioneer Valley native whose passion for food was ignited by a diverse family life which encouraged her to explore her palette. Going to school for culinary studies while simultaneously working in many different avenues in food and beverage allowed her to fully immerse herself in the industry. This experience has led her to a path that combines her love of people and food.
CASSIE DOWNEY
Senior Catering Manager
Cassie’s love for family and over a decade in the service industry have cultivated a passion for taking care of the people around her. Getting to collaborate on the creation of moments where people gather to celebrate brings her joy. Her dedication to organization can be seen in even the smallest details.
PATRICK HANAS
Sous Chef
Patrick worked at his uncle’s bakery while learning Culinary Arts in high school and continued his education at the New England Culinary Institute. He has worked in many southern restaurants where he found his niche and developed an eagerness for using food to its highest potential and keeping waste to a minimum. He believes cooking is always evolving and can’t wait to see what the future of food will bring.
LEXI MONESSON
Event Chef
Lexi grew up in the kitchen, learning to connect with food from a very young age. The community that comes from thoughtfully preparing and sharing food feels natural to them. While new to the food industry, this deep rooted appreciation for the nourishment that comes from food, and from sharing food with others, has translated into a passion for cooking.
CHINA WITHERSPOON
Catering Manager
China was raised with the understanding that food can form connections with people in ways that words can't communicate. Her favorite part of any gathering is the diversity of the people she's able to meet. From cooking in the kitchen with family to working in food and customer service over the past decade, she has the passion and drive to handle any twists and turns with a smile.
Shannon lambert
Catering Manager & Bar Manager
Shannon was named for the waitress at a Northampton diner who served her family breakfast the week she was born. Befitting of this namesake, she has long fostered a passion for connectivity through hospitality and food service. She is proud to fuse her love for the landscape of her home with her enthusiasm for people and parties to serve you locally-sourced meals and memories alike.
MIREN NEYRA alcántara
Bar Manager
Miren grew up in Mexico City surrounded by the hustle and bustle of big city life. She enjoys talking to people from all walks of life and building a sense of trust. While working at Wheelhouse, Miren has built her love of people coming together to celebrate and tailoring drinks to set the vibe. As a Bar Manager, Miren values efficiency, creativity and making sure everyone has fun.
DANIEL LOPER
Event Chef
Daniel's journey with cooking began when he was 12 after his mother caught a grill on fire, and subsequently no longer wished to grill. This inspired him to start cooking on his own, later turning it into a career. Daniel comes to Wheelhouse after a two year exploration in farming. His passion for food led him to farm in order to better understand where food comes from.
Oliver noble
Manager of Drop-Off Catering
After spending his childhood in Amherst running around farm fields and his later summers weeding and harvesting, Oli now finds himself immersed in food in new ways. At Wheelhouse, he explores the social and celebratory aspects of service that bring people from all around Western Massachusetts together.