About
My name is Casey. I'm from Savannah, GA, but I’ve spent most of my adult life in DC, Paris, and New York. I have a B.A. in journalism from American University and earned a cuisine diploma at Le Cordon Bleu Paris after college. I speak French and I deeply loved living in France; I hope to live there again one day.
As a child, I always wanted to be a chef. Since graduating from culinary school, I’ve had a huge range of experiences in the restaurant industry. My jobs as a cook, event planner, operations manager and designer have allowed me to experience every facet of this interesting and complex industry.
In my life, art is second only to food. I am incredibly passionate about design and illustration and how they can shape an experience, whether that experience is reading a menu or perusing a website.
I look forward to connecting with you!
—Casey Brand
Experiences
Poppy’s | Multiple Roles, including OPERATIONS + DESIGN MANAGER
Brooklyn, New York
September 2020 - Present
- Spearheaded an organizational overhaul of two locations to improve efficiency
- Designed holiday postcards, promotional PDFs, T-shirts, window displays and more
- Made aesthetic and branding decisions related to the company’s café and website
- Supervised the transportation + logistics team
- Organized catering for photo and film shoots and social events
- Launched nationwide shipping of Poppy’s cookies, processing and shipping hundreds of orders in the first month
- Launched a new website designed in cooperation with BentoBox
Celestine AND grand army | events and operations coordinator
Brooklyn, New York
August 2018 - March 2020
- Planned and executed social and corporate events for up to 110 guests
- Created content for social media by liaising with influencers and setting up press photoshoots; quadrupled Instagram following and increased Facebook fans tenfold
- Handled administrative tasks such as answering phones, organizing the office, running payroll and tracking labor costs
- Designed marketing materials such as an events kit and check presenter postcards
museum of food and drink (mofad) | culinary intern
Brooklyn, New York
June 2018 - August 2018
- Tested recipes for “Chow: Making the Chinese American Restaurant” exhibit
- Prepared and plated food for various private and public events
the grey | multiple roles, including senior line cook
Savannah, Georgia
February 2016 - April 2018
- Collaborated with executive chef to write a training guide for all kitchen positions
- Created daily lunch specials and trained new cooks
- Led the hot line during service, coordinating the timing of tickets with other cooks
Château de Bagnols | stagiaire
Bagnols, Rhône, France
November 2015 - January 2016
- Worked garde manger, preparing and plating foods for the hotel’s two restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Le 1217
more experiences
Pared (Summer 2018)
I cooked at various restaurants and events around New York as a freelance contractor.
Griffin Market (September 2017)
I assisted a chef in preparing for and teaching cooking classes during a three-week long food tour of Northern Italy.
The James Beard House (February 2016)
I assisted chefs Kristin Butterworth and Michael Lombardi at the Beard House.
Le Cordon Bleu Paris (July 2015)
I assisted four Mexican chefs during a three-day event on Mexican gastronomy.
Education
Le cordon bleu paris (paris, France)
Diplôme de Cuisine
Graduated November 2015
american university (washington, DC)
B.A., Journalism
Minor, Studio Art
Minor, French Language
Graduated Cum Laude December 2014
Awards
The James Beard Foundation Scholarship (2014)
AU Abroad Mobility Grant (2013)
American University Dean’s List (2012-2014)
National Merit Scholar (2011)
Programs
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Audacity
BentoBox
CorelDRAW
Google Workspace
Microsoft Office Suite
Procreate
SmartDraw
Square
Squarespace
WordPress