Welcome to CookWise
Luca and Meredith met in 2019 and have spent the past 5 years working together to help Portlanders become more confident and thoughtful cooks.
More recently, they have bonded over a shared frustration: the never-ending challenge of deciding what to cook for dinner. Tired of the hassle of meal kit services and overwhelmed by the endless sea of recipe sites and blogs, they set out to simplify the process.
Their goal was clear—to create a solution that helps busy people plan, shop for, and cook delicious weeknight meals with ease. That’s how CookWise was born: a streamlined approach to getting dinner on the table without the stress.
Meet CookWise
Meredith Mortensen
Founder
Meredith grew up spending time at her Grandparents’ home in rural New Jersey, where most days were spent hunting for crayfish, climbing trees, and foraging for berries. She developed a love for desserts, despite being an extremely picky eater as a child. Meredith started making chocolates as gifts for friends at 13, had a subscription to Gourmet Magazine at 15, and was voted “most likely to replace Julia Child” in her high school newspaper.
After a dozen years working as a pastry chef and educator, Meredith founded a cooking school and event space called Cookshop in 2018. She has since grown the cooking school and event space into a thriving business. With a passion for bringing people together through food and education, she is most proud to have fostered a vibrant community of cooks and food enthusiasts.
Luca Ponti
Creator & Chef
From a young age, Luca was drawn to the relationship between food & culture. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, he spent his youth devouring Mission-style burritos, exploring Boba bars & his own ancestral heritage. Luca graduated from the University of Oregon in 2014 with degrees in Political Science & Business. His studies focused on political philosophy, business & environmental sustainability, which have been the catalyst for his culinary curiosity.
After honing his craft at Portland’s finest restaurants, Luca brought his expertise to Cookshop. Beginning with sourdough baking classes, his teachings have since evolved into the Kitchen Essentials series, which has since become the cornerstone of the CookWise framework.
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