Marisa's love of cooking began early in life. As a young girl she cooked in the kitchen with her Greek grandmother. Under her loving guidance, Marisa learned how to cure her own olives, make homemade breads and pastas, and how to create a wide variety of authentic Greek dishes.

In 1999 Marisa decided to turn her life-long passion for cooking into a career. She graduated from the California Culinary Academy, and then furthered her education in advanced pastry skills and savory cooking, at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Marisa has worked at such notable restaurants as Rubicon, The Slanted Door, Ame, LuLu and Yoshi's. Food critic Michael Bauer has called her "one of the cities top pastry chefs."

Marisa's work has been featured in Food & Wine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and has received high praise from Food Arts, Master's of Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit. Her work has also been televised on the Food Network, NBC, Tokyo TV, KRON, View from the Bay, and Top Chef!