Our Board
Chef Collen Engle
M.S., M.B.A., CEC, CCE, CHE
Chef Engle holds an Associate’s in Culinary Arts, a Bachelors of Science in Recreation Administration from the University of New Hampshire, a Master’s in Business Administration from Boston University, and a MS in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. He has achieved Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator through the American Culinary Federation and Certified Hospitality Educator and Certified Food and Beverage Executive through the American Hotel and Lodging Association. He held several sous chef and chef positions in Louisville, KY before owning and operating his own restaurant, The Meridian Café. His experience cooking at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the U.S. athletes, coaches, and training partners and participation in Guy Fieri’s Road Show Tour in 2009. He has been published in Food and Dining, Escoffier.com, Sizzle Magazine, the Encyclopedia of Appalachia, and Bon Appétit.
Chef Engle has been teaching culinary arts at the college level in the Associates and Bachelor’s programs since 2003. In addition he has taught at the high school level in culinary arts leading a Skills USA team to the State competition, as well as a team from The Miami Culinary Institute to a State competition where they finished first. He was the first instructor at the Miami Culinary Institute that opened in January of 2011. He was appointed to his current position of chair of the Miami Culinary Institute in December of 2013.
Suzanne Kosnitzky
Suzanne Kosnitzky received her Associates in Science degree in Culinary Arts Management with Honors from the Miami Culinary Institute (MCI) at Miami Dade College in May of 2014 and was named Honor Student of her class. She also received the President’s Voluntary Service Award and was a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Before attending MCI, she was a stay at home mom for eighteen years.
Previously, she received a BA in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida which led to a successful career in broadcasting and law firm administration. Currently, Suzanne is the president of the alumni association for MCI and a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier. Over her career she has worked with such notable chefs as Norman Van Aiken, Susan Spicer, Ingrid Hoffman, Cindy Hutson and professional skater and cookbook author Brian Boitano, among others. She also worked at Dinner Lab in Miami, Florida, under Chef Joe Roberti.
Suzanne has volunteered with many organizations, including the Children’s’ Trust, Common Threads and Youth Lead, recognizing that there are many deserving individuals who wish to follow their dreams by pursuing careers in the culinary industry and become productive members of their communities but struggle with financial constraints. This became the impetus for the foundation of Chef Start.
Chef Richard Ingraham
Chef Richard Ingraham was born and raised in Miami, Florida and became a culinary enthusiast at an early age. He trained at the Art Institute of Atlanta. A few years later, he was offered what is now his current position as Private Chef, for the Chicago Bulls’ Dwyane Wade. He is responsible for the nutritional diet that keeps the star fit, toned, and healthy on and off the court.
In 2010, he leveraged his world-class training and passion for fine cuisine into a culinary-business partnership with Soley Gonzalez and created a network of Private Chefs called ChefRLI. The company has served dozens of NBA, NFL, MLB, and Entertainment clients across the country. In 2014, the company worked with celebrity-loved clothing line Peace Love World to create a line dedicated to foodies called Peace Love Cook.
Some of his career highlights include being selected for the South Beach Food and Wine Festival's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate at the Beach" alongside Wade a few years ago, joining Michelle Bernstein and Michael Schwartz in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move 2 Schools White House Initiative to encourage healthier eating habits among our country’s youth, and being recognized as one of South Florida's "50 Most Powerful and Influential Black Leaders" of 2016 by Legacy South Florida Magazine