Trista Couser
In 1989 Trista Couser was schooled at New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. After a two-year program she traveled to Vail, Colorado where she spent 15 years developing her cooking skills. (A bit of skiing was necessary for the development of these skills.) For three years she worked at a catering company, Foods Of Vail. As a private chef she had the honor to cook for Former President Ford, Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
For nine years Trista was the Pastry Chef of "Splendido" at The Chateau, a Four Star restaurant and private residence club nestled in the surrounding mountain of Beaver Creek Ski Resort. It was there she had the chance to befriend and learn under the direction of Chef David Walford. His life learned skills and dedication to quality helped her focus on creativity, consistency and even more so, how to think "outside the box". These skills gave her the courage and personal growth to open Eileen's Bakery.
Christopher Couser
Chris is also a professionally trained chef and graduate form Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute in Norfolk, Virginia. His family name is followed by a long military history. His first nine years were spent in Germany then the family moves back to the states, from Washington D.C. to Florida, but he remembers Virginia as his home.
His lifetime of travel is reflected in his choices of restaurants around the country; "Sazerac" in the Hotel Monaco Seattle, Washington, where he studied authentic Cajun-Creole dining, Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley, California which focused on pairing sparkling wines with French Bistro cooking and Loongbar in San Francisco, California where he had the privilege to cook under Mark Miller studying in-depth the fine art of four star, traditional Asian dining.
Chris took a detour from cooking to join the United States Marine Corps. While in the corps he served with 2nd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment Fox Company and participated in the invasion of Iraq. He and his wife, Trista Eileen decided to make there home in Fredericksburg, Virginia where they opened Eileen's at The Chimneys, bakery and café.