Daina Soto-Sellers

Daina Soto-Sellers is a science-driven chef with more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, both front- and back-of-house. Her experience includes catering, casual, fine dining and hotel environments in Puerto Rico, Saipan, St. Thomas USVI, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi and Boston. She has been a full-time culinary instructor at JWU Charlotte since 2015 and previously taught in Puerto Rico, where she is from.

Soto-Sellers has a master’s degree in Culinary Innovation and Food Product Development from the Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland. She has also trained in San Sebastian, Spain, with research and development chefs at the Basque Culinary Center. As an alumnus, it is an honor for her to teach and inspire students at the Charlotte Campus.

Education

• M.Sc., Culinary Innovation & Food Product Development, Dublin Institute of Technology
• B.A., Foreign Languages, University of Puerto Rico
• A.A.S., Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University, Culinary Arts

Teaching Interests

Experimental Cuisine
Sensory Properties of Food
Mixtures and Emulsions
Nutrition and Recipe Modification
Latin American Cuisine
Offal Meats

Courses

• CULN2020 Applied Culinary Nutrition
• CULS2210 Food Science
• CULN3155 Vegetarian Cuisine