Stacie Archer, Founder
I am Stacie Archer, a single mom of three kids who once struggled to make ends meet. I taught myself how to cook on a restricted budget so that my family could eat a homemade meal each night for dinner. It was important to me. It was the way I grew up, always having a family dinner. I also believe that cooking was a way for my kids to “taste my love”.
In 2016, I started a food blog called Seven Plates so that I could share tips and recipes with others cooking on a tight budget. The popularity of the blog led me to want to do more, specifically for under-served families who really could benefit from what I learned.
I partnered with Camillus House to work with the families and children living in supportive housing in South Miami. My partner, Norman Van Aken joined me and we united in the cause to teach these families basic cooking skills as well as budgeting, nutrition and tips for reducing food waste.
Fast forward to today, we have served over 1,500 families with meal kits so they could participate in our 42 “live” and interactive virtual classes. We have now expanded our program to Orlando and our vision is to replicate this program nationally.
Norman Van Aken, Culinary Director
Norman Van Aken is the only Floridian Chef recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s ‘Who’s Who’ in American Food and Beverage. He has also been a semifinalist for the “Best Chef in America”. His namesake restaurant NORMAN’S, was nominated as a finalist for “Best Restaurant in America.”
Norman has been instrumental in recruiting award winning chefs to participate in our cooking classes. These chefs share the same passion for teaching money saving tips, encouraging families to try new foods and inspiring nutritious eating.
Alex Erdmann, Dean of the Walt Disney World Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality at Valencia College, is an accomplished German-Certified Master Chef with a Master’s in International Hospitality Management and over 30 years of leadership in the hospitality/food service industry. He has lead culinary programs for both Royal Caribbean Cruises and the Disney Cruise Line. After several roles at educational institutions around the country, Alex is now leading a new generation of world-renowned chefs and hospitality talent.
Pam is a founder of Edible Orlando magazine and former managing editor for 13 years. She authored two award-winning Florida cookbooks and 26 Disney cookbooks (and working on #27). Pam also serves on the board of directors of Edible Education Experience in College Park, where the mission is teaching life skills from the garden to the table. She has worked with The Walt Disney Company, first as a senior publicist, now as a contractor with Disney Publishing, for three decades.
Brian Hansberry, Executive Chairman of the Board for Turkey Hill, built his career in the consumer food industry representing brands like Nonni’s, Heinz, Classico, Jif, as well as frozen foods like Ore Ida, TGI Fridays, SmartOnes. He has a keen understanding of America’s eating habits and how the food and beverage industry influences the foods we consume.
Jania Fuller is the Community Partnership School Director for one of Orlando’s inner city public schools, OCPS ACE and is dedicated to promoting equity in education and empowering vulnerable communities. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker she supports the academic, social, and emotional needs of Central Florida students affected by systems of oppression.
Ofira Bondorowsky, CEO of Rosen JCC leads the strategic development of a diverse array of child and adult programs and initiatives. She is the former VP of Programs & Strategic Partnerships at Charity Navigator where she developed an evaluation framework used to rate nonprofit performance of nearly 200,000 organizations nationwide. Ofira has held a range of roles in the social sector gaining experience in public school leadership, policy, research analysis, children and family services and philanthropy.