Instructors

Instructor - Hospitality and Dining Room Services
Culinary Arts
413-863-9456, ext. 182
[email protected]

 

Born and raised in a small town outside of New York City, Maura O’Connor learned the fast-paced delicatessen business at a young age. In fact, that’s where her love of the food industry originated, and ultimately gave her direction to go to culinary school.

 

After graduating with her Bachelor of Science in food service management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, Maura returned home to work as a manager in corporate food services in Manhattan and Connecticut. She then had the opportunity to work in healthcare as a food service manager where she gained experience catering for fundraising events. Maura states, “I managed all the banquets, it was a great learning experience.”

 

After a few years, she returned to corporate food service management at several Compass Group locations. Then, prior to moving to Western MA, as store manager for Starbucks, she developed a true passion for teaching. Maura said, “Starbucks has one of the most advanced training programs for their employees, and that became the most important aspect of my management position.”  Her work at Liberty Mutual Insurance as a customer service specialist also pushed her toward pursuing a teaching career.

 

Maura has taught with the Collaborative of Educational Services, and has been on the vocational faculty at the Franklin County Technical School since 2019 .

 

She runs the hospitality and dining room services aspects of the Culinary Arts Program, and has been a licensed vocational teacher in Massachusetts since 2016. Maura recently earned her Master's Degree in Vocational Education.

 

Culinary Instructor - Chef & Back of the House Services
413-863-9456, ext. 182

Heather Olson is a talented and creative Baking Instructor with 20 years of experience learning the broad spectrum of Culinary Arts. She loves to explore and share the techniques and traditions of baking from around the world and is constantly building her knowledge.

 

Mrs. Olson is a Franklin County Technical School (FCTS) alum. After graduating from FCTS’s Culinary Arts program in 2006, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts from New England Culinary Institute. Staying local to her alma-mater, she continued her working career in Vermont at Sugarbush Resort as the Assistant Manager of Timbers Restaurant where she learned customer service skills and how to snowboard! After living in Vermont, she seized several opportunities afforded to her by the culinary network and has worked in Breckenridge, CO, Portland, OR, and Charlotte, NC operating in several capacities within the Culinary world.

 

After 8 years of exploration, she returned home to Massachusetts and in 2014 began working as the Pastry Chef of Woodstar Café in Northampton. She managed a team of ten bakers, was responsible for $800k+ per year in pastry sales, and coordinated the production of over 650 products – all made by hand from scratch, daily.

 

When Mrs. Olson is not baking in the classroom or at home, she is also an avid gardener, cookbook collector, and nature lover. She lives in Leyden, MA with her husband, son, and two doodles: Jackson and Charlie.