Elizabeth Mikesell, C.E.C., A.A.C. was born in Tucson, Arizona on December 11, 1946. She has been married to Robert E. Mikesell for twenty-seven years and has a son 26, a daughter 23 and a stepdaughter 32. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona in 1969. Her chef training started after college during a four year stay in Europe working in the industry. On her return from Europe, she co-owned and was chef for a restaurant in Lenox, Massachusetts for four years. She continued to work as a chef when she moved back to Tucson in a Mediterranean restaurant for seven years and eventually as an executive chef at a country club for thirteen years. She then turned her attention to being a culinary educator at Pima Community College where she has worked from 2001 to the present.

Her involvement with the American Culinary Federation began in 1986. She has served in her local chapter as president, chairman of the directors at large, vice-president, secretary, education chair, membership chair, culinary knowledge bowl coach and student hot food team coach, chef and child chair, competition chair, scholarship chair, regional conference co-chair, AAC dinner chair and local competition judge. For the national American Culinary federation, she has served on the board for the national Chef and Child Foundation since 1992, as secretary for the foundation from 1999-2004 and as chairman 2005-2011. She was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs in 1998 and served as the membership chair from 2002-2006.

Elizabeth has been honored as chef of the year in her own chapter in 1992, 1995 and 2007. She also received the ACF chefs association of southern Arizona’s Board of director’s award in 2011. She is working closely with Hattie Mae and Pals, the first large scale children’s wellness center in the country being constructed on the gulf coast of Mississippi where childhood obesity is among the worst in the country, to establish Chef and child training programs for the children. She received the Vocational Instructor of the year award 2003-2004 at the Pima Community College Desert Vista campus, and was also awarded a star educator’s partner award in 1993 from Pima College. She received the American Academy of Chefs Good Taste Award in 2004. She received the American Culinary Federation national Humanitarian of the Year award in 2008. It is her ultimate reward to contribute to the professional growth of aspiring culinarians and to contribute to the community of chefs.

Elizabeth has been involved with the Tucson Meet Yourself October event organizing the healthy ethnic Iron Chef competition for local high school and college culinary students and the healthy ethnic recipe contest for elementary and middle school students since 2008. This has particular importance now that Michelle Obama has initiated the “chefs on the move”campaign. Elizabeth was honored with the distinction of being invited to the White house for the kickoff of this campaign. She has been invited to participate in the Southern Arizona Food council in 2011.