My name is Tamalpais Star Roth-McCormick, but I go by "Pai." I am a professional chef, cookie maven and creator of Bunches and Bunches Ltd. based in Portland, OR. Bunches and Bunches is a dream come true, a company born out of my passion for cooking and preparing delicious treats. It's a brand inspired by my lifelong love of food and the joy that I get when I see the delight on someone’s face as they bite into one of my concoctions. The secret to my success is that love is genuinely the most precious ingredient in my pantry. Love has been a steady ingredient in my life and culinary experience. I was raised on an organic farm in the Pacific Northwest where the long growing season, the gardens, the fresh flowers, and the beautiful setting by the sea continue to inspire me. I have been cooking since I was a child in my parent’s kitchen and some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around food. I got my first restaurant job in an Italian restaurant in Port Townsend, WA when I was 13 years old and I knew shortly thereafter that I wanted to become a chef. I attended Trinity College in Connecticut and then the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco (where I met Mark). I worked for the amazing and talented Traci Des Jardin at Jardiniere in San Francisco, and cooked under and alongside other incredible chefs like, Lizzie Binder (Bar Bambino and Top Chef), Douglas Keane (Cyrus Restaurant), and Richard Reddington (Redd). After this wonderful culinary chapter, I left the bay area, following my heart to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A place so beautiful it will take your breath away, and a place where I imagined I would have a more balanced life. In Jackson, I wrote the local food column every other week for 7 years and cooked at the Snake River Grill. At the Snake River Grill, I worked my way up to sous chef and then honed my baking skills as pastry chef before bidding a fond farewell to start my own catering company. The Kitchen at Pai’s Place was nothing but a joy. I was fortunate to have my commercial kitchen attached to my house in Jackson and more work than there were hours in the day. I shared my recipes with wonderful clients, and spent my days alongside my three dogs and sweetie, Mark Slawson. I loved my community in Jackson Hole, the landscape, and my quality of life. However, when my dear mother Etta passed away, I realized that I wanted to live closer to my family. In 2010, Mark, the dogs and I moved to Portland, OR, where I now produce some of my most successful recipes from The Kitchen at Pai’s Place under the guise of my new business Bunches and Bunches Ltd. It has been an exciting and rewarding new chapter. I am enjoying the city of Portland, the mild winters here, the long growing season, and more time with family. And, once again, Mark is cooking in the kitchen with me! Life is good!

I hope you will enjoy my treats as much as I enjoy making them for you. I love what I do and people tell me that they can taste it. For me, the secret to living well is to sprinkle love into everything, surround oneself with special friends, happy dogs, beautiful things and live as fully and as deliciously as possible.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or to place an order.

Love,

Tamalpais (Pai)
[email protected]
Read more at bunches-bunches.com