Julia Child Director of Culinary Programs Jacquelyn Buchanan

As COPIA’s Julia Child Director of Culinary Programs, Jacquelyn Buchanan is responsible for the creation, development and implementation of food-related programs and activities at COPIA, including daily and weekly classes, tastings and demonstrations, festivals, public tasting events and presentations by guest chefs.  She creates COPIA’s food programs calendar, designs the inspiring menus for those programs, and works with wine and garden programs to implement them.

Buchanan comes well rehearsed with more than twenty years of culinary experience in restaurant, catering and corporate positions.  She has worked at such renowned establishments as Hayes Street Grill in San Francisco, The General’s Daughter in Sonoma and George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch.  Buchanan also brings unique insight into food and wine pairing thanks to her experience as co-owner of Buchanan Ranch Vineyard Services and Buchanan Cellars. 

Buchanan is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and Maryville College, Tennessee, and a graduate of the Nutrition Educator Program at Bauman College where she teaches in the Natural Chef Program.  She’s an active member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, International Association of Culinary Professionals, San Francisco Professional Food Society, National Association of Nutrition Professionals and the Weston Price Foundation.

Buchanan grew up in a rural, agricultural community in Pennsylvania where she had the good fortune to experience and understand delicious, local, organic food and a sustainable lifestyle at an early age.  She maintains a deep commitment to that concept. 

“Sharing food at table with friends and family, is the most important means we have of socializing and humanizing society.  Anything that promotes and makes that concept accessible is vital and joyful work.”

jbuchanan@copia.org