Meet the team behind
Blend Culinary Foundation
At the heart of Blend Culinary Foundation and the Cookery School is a passionate team. This talented team are dedicated to bringing people together through food. With decades of experience across patisserie, fine dining, hospitality, and food education, they are our experts.
With a commitment to making a real impact in all they do. Whether it’s tackling food insecurity, championing diverse cuisines, or delivering unforgettable cookery experiences, they are at the heart of everything we do.
Let’s meet the team…
Niki Baker
Curator & Community Engagement Lead
Niki lives and breathes the Blend Culinary Foundation. With a career spanning over 25 years, initially, as a trained patisserie chef, she has extensive experience across the food & drinks industry covering new product development (NPD) & manufacture, food research & training, hospitality & events and communications & marketing.
Niki met Matt and Nina back in 2009 whilst working freelance, writing the initial session plans for the Milestone Cookery School and was delighted to be asked to develop and lead the Blend Culinary Foundation for them.
She is committed to delivering an exciting, innovative portfolio of social cookery classes that are both informative and fun.
Alongside the cookery school element Niki is passionate about forging relationships that enable the foundation to fulfil its aims, and is dedicated to supporting a proactive approach to the implementation of initiatives that reach and support as many local communities as possible.
Wendy O'Brien
Resident Head Chef
Wendy began her Chef career under the eagle-eyed tutelage of Albert and Michel Roux Jnr at the revered 3-Michelin star restaurant Le Gavroche in London. The Roux chose Wendy, who also has a passion for travelling, to send on ‘stages’ (chef style ‘placements’) to their affiliated venue based in the Adirondack mountains, New York State and then onto ‘Micheal’s Waterside’ in Santa Barbara, California.
Eventually, on returning to London, Wendy worked at some of London’s best-known modern eateries including Kensington Place, Orso, Joe Allens and Launceston Place, eventually taking on the position of Specialist Canape & Patisserie Lead Chef for a high-end catering company where she enjoyed a number of years delivering a huge variety of styled events.
On relocating to Yorkshire Wendy set up a number of cake companies and most recently you may have enjoyed her skills as Head Chef at Marmadukes. Wendy possesses a wealth of experience across numerous cuisines and is a fantastic teacher, eager to share her knowledge with all of you who come and join us here at our Cookery School!
Lauren Bartlett
Community Development Officer
Originally from the United States, Lauren came to Sheffield to pursue her MBA at the University of Sheffield and, like many before her, found a sense of home here. With a background in community engagement, programme management, and non-profit development, she brings a wealth of experience from working with grassroots organisations across both the UK and the US.
Lauren joined the team initially to support class delivery and became a familiar face in the kitchen and beyond. Now, in her new full-time role as Community Development Officer, she is helping to shape the future of Blend by building new partnerships, supporting strategic development, and expanding the reach of the Foundation’s work.
She’s especially passionate about using food as a tool for connection, inclusion, and community empowerment. Working closely with Niki and Wendy, Lauren is focused on raising awareness of Blend’s impact mission, connecting with organisations across Sheffield and beyond, and helping more people access the Foundation’s growing range of programmes and events.