Who We Are

Chef Lisa Counts discovered her passion for cooking at a young age, helping her family make gallons of tomato sauce each summer at her nonna's house. A Kendall College graduate with degrees in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, Lisa honed her skills in Chicago's top kitchens, including 312 Chicago, NAHA, Custom House, Henri, and Spiaggia. She played a pivotal role in opening Acanto, inspired by a transformative culinary trip to Italy.

After years in demanding restaurant roles, Lisa found renewed purpose teaching at The Chopping Block, where she now serves as owner of the Lincoln Square location. Dedicated to preserving its legacy, she inspires students to embrace the joy of cooking while expanding the school’s reach in Chicago. 

Chef David Wieseneck has been teaching at The Chopping Block since 2021, sharing his love for French bistro fare and comforting braises like brisket and Cioppino. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, he attended the California Culinary Academy and has been cooking professionally since 1992, driven by a lifelong passion for food and flavor. His favorite ingredients - olive oil, salt, cheese, butter, and lemon - reflect his bold, satisfying cooking style and love of fat.

David finds inspiration in great ingredients, past meals, and the joy of feeding others. Outside the kitchen, he likes to spend time with his kids, see live music, watch movies, and play ping pong. He believes cooking should be fun, forgiving, and full of experimentation - and that a good apron can be transformative.

Chef Dionna Israel has been inspiring home cooks at The Chopping Block since 2012 with her fun, flavorful approach to food. A graduate of Schoolcraft College and Wayne State University, she’s been cooking professionally since 2001 and is known for the spicy Southern flare she brings to the kitchen with comfort foods like her sage-sausage chicken and biscuits with fire gravy, and her Grandma's carrot cake.

For Dionna, cooking is both creative and calming - a way to transform simple ingredients into something extraordinary.  Influenced by her mood, curiosity, and love of food, Dionna encourages new cooks to experiment, have fun, and learn from every dish. When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s homeschooling her four wonderful children, seeking out sushi with her husband, training martial arts, or singing at her local church. Her must-haves? Butter, cream, all things spicy, and definitely chocolate.

Chef Drake Mandrell has been teaching at The Chopping Block since 2021, where he’s best known for leading sushi classes with a laid-back, flavor-focused style. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he’s been cooking since 1995 and credits his passion for food to a lifelong love of eating - starting with catching and cooking fish as a kid in Dallas, Texas. His signature ingredient? Soy sauce.

Drake enjoys experimenting with new ingredients, drawing inspiration from his appetite and curiosity. He encourages new cooks to taste everything and embrace the process. When he's not in the kitchen, you'll find him enjoying Korean BBQ, exploring tech, or spending time with his young daughter, Willa.

Chef Emma Radochonski has loved being in the kitchen for as long as she can remember, from making family dinners as a child to helping her mom bake pumpkin and apple pies and Christmas cookies during the holidays. A Kendall College graduate, Emma’s passion for cooking deepened when she went vegan about a decade ago and began recreating plant-based versions of the foods she grew up loving. Today, she especially enjoys showing others just how creative and satisfying plant-based cooking can be, with favorites ranging from Buffalo cauliflower tacos and sweet potato pierogi to spinach artichoke ravioli and vegan cupcakes.

For Emma, cooking is equal parts creativity, connection and caring for others. She finds inspiration in her own cravings, seasonal ingredients at farmers markets and grocery stores, and the cuisines and cooking traditions of cultures around the world. She encourages cooks to be patient with themselves, taste and season as they go, and learn from more than one source rather than being afraid to experiment. When she’s not cooking or planning what to make next, Emma enjoys reading, tending to her herb garden and houseplants, playing piano, listening to music, and walking, biking or jogging along Chicago’s lakefront.

Chef Isaiah Ruffino has been cooking since he was tall enough to see over the kitchen counter, first inspired by his mother and by discovering how food can bring family and community together. A native of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Isaiah spent four years studying cooking in technical high school before earning his culinary arts degree from The Culinary Institute of America. His cooking draws on lessons from the mentors who have shaped him, combined with personal touches he has developed along the way. He especially loves working with seasonal ingredients, whether he’s making pasta from scratch with fresh herb pesto or putting farmers market tomatoes to good use.

Isaiah sees cooking as a temporary art form, something that can be created and appreciated in the moment while leaving behind lasting memories. He encourages new cooks to be patient with themselves while continuing to push their skills, following a favorite piece of advice from one of his culinary school chefs: “Take your time but hurry up.” When he’s not cooking, Isaiah enjoys thrifting, video games, movies, biking by the lake, crafting and refinishing projects, and finding ways to build community. His kitchen philosophy includes a few equally practical rules: always salt your pasta water, invest in a good knife and cook like your mom is watching you.

Chef Lucio Davila was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where some of his earliest food memories were formed in his abuelita’s kitchen and around her seemingly endless meals. Cooking professionally since 2000, Lucio trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Spain and was drawn to becoming a chef by the entire process of creating a meal. He loves the balance of technical skill and creativity that cooking demands, whether he’s developing his signature Seared Aji Tuna Carpaccio or using techniques like marinating, braising and searing to build flavor, tenderness, color and texture.

Lucio finds inspiration in the seasons and his senses, letting what he sees, smells and tastes guide his cooking. His advice for new cooks is simple: be curious, be passionate and be ready. That same appreciation for spontaneity carries over to his perfect evening, which involves an impromptu dinner, good wine and endless conversation. Outside the kitchen, Lucio turns to biking and running, tackles organization and DIY projects, and enjoys a particular favorite: Champagne.

Chef Neal Bukiet is a Chicago native who has been cooking since he was a kid and professionally since 2011. After graduating from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Neal continued his education by staging in some of the best restaurants he could get into and reading as many cookbooks as possible. He loves the process and endless creativity of cooking, especially finding new ways to make a dish his own. While he doesn’t claim a signature dish, he has made more pierogi than just about anything else, including his Bulgogi Pierogi with Caramelized Kimchi.

Neal’s cooking is driven by the seasons and a philosophy that “the farmers write the menus.” He looks to what’s being grown right now for inspiration, building layers of flavor while letting great ingredients lead the way. In the classroom, Neal encourages cooks to taste thoughtfully, understand what they’re tasting and, above all, relax and have fun. When he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll likely find him on his bicycle, playing basketball, enjoying music or movies, or spending time with animals. His ideal evening is equally uncomplicated: good people, interesting conversation, delicious food and a great soundtrack.

Chef Nolan Narut has been cooking professionally since 1995, but his connection to food reaches back to childhood memories of Door County fish boils complete with Lake Michigan whitefish, red potatoes, melted butter and cherry crisp. Originally from Chicago’s Northwest Side and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, Nolan trained at the Culinary Institute of America and was drawn to a culinary career by the opportunity to learn something new every day. His cooking is strongly influenced by history and tradition, and his signature dish of beer-battered lake perch with shoestring potatoes, caraway slaw and old-school tartar sauce reflects those Midwestern roots.

For Nolan, cooking brings together craft, creativity, history and hospitality. As an instructor, he emphasizes the fundamentals that make cooks more confident and capable, from mastering mise en place and controlling heat to choosing high-quality herbs and spices and keeping an organized workspace. Away from the kitchen, Nolan enjoys traveling, concerts, Cubs games, restaurants and backyard barbecues with family and friends. He also proudly serves as a self-proclaimed “fencing mom” to his teenage son and daughter, both accomplished saber fencers, keeping them motivated and hydrated at competitions while supplying plenty of dad jokes.

Chef Sara Salzinski has been a cornerstone at The Chopping Block since 2002, bringing decades of experience and a deep love for culinary technique. A Kendall College graduate who trained at renowned restaurants like Ambria and Blackbird, she’s especially passionate about teaching technical classes like sauces and pasta. Inspired early on by family dinners and deep-dish outings at Pizzeria Due, Sara feels most at home in the kitchen, whether she’s roasting meats, braising, or crafting Thanksgiving dinner.

For Sara, cooking is both relaxing and creative - a chance to unwind and nourish loved ones. She finds inspiration in fellow chefs, food media, and her husband, who also teaches culinary arts. When not in the kitchen, she’s enjoying wine, gardening, listening to music, spending time in nature, or exploring the city’s food scene. Her advice to new cooks: experiment fearlessly, season well, and always taste as you go.

In 1997, after 17 years as a professional chef, Shelley founded The Chopping Block with a vision to make cooking approachable, fun, and accessible to everyone. Her innovative concept combined a recreational cooking school, gourmet kitchen store, and private event space - all under one roof. This fresh approach quickly resonated with Chicagoans, and The Chopping Block grew to become one of the busiest culinary schools in the country.

Shelley built a trusted, award-winning brand known for making cooking accessible and fun. In 2023, Shelley successfully sold The Chopping Block Lincoln Square to Executive Chef Lisa Counts, marking the end of an extraordinary chapter in culinary entrepreneurship and the beginning of new opportunities ahead.