The Chef’s Table is a gathering space for local chefs and the community to come together to enjoy a wonderful meal. Our talented chefs host cooking classes, seasonal wine pairing dinners, and special culinary events that celebrate connection, creativity, and the vibrant flavors of our region. Our chefs are also available to book for private parties.
Chef Lesa LeBeau
Lesa LeBeau graduated from the School of Culinary Arts in 1996 from Westlake Culinary Institute, graduating at the top of her class. While attending culinary school, Chef Lesa had the great honor of catering for the Academy Awards with Wolfgang Puck and Cecilia DeCastro (instructor). From 1996-1999, she worked in a very high-end restaurant in Los Angeles in both the kitchen and as a pastry Chef.
In 1999, she began working for a celebrity catering company in Malibu California, where she worked with many celebrity clients to include the Playboy Mansion. In 2014, Chef Lesa and her husband relocated back to her home of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She began teaching classes at The Culinary Stone later that year, where she was a mainstay for a decade. There she not only hosted cooking classes but worked as the store manager, as well as the event and cooking class coordinator.
Cooking is her true passion and always says, “Food is love.” Chef Lesa has been featured on many KREM morning cooking segments and works with charities close to her heart.
In 2025, she started her own catering business and continues to teach international fare and private dinners at the GreenTent Station event center.
Chef Troy Louis Chandler
Troy Louis Chandler has been cooking professionally for 33 years. He grew up in San Francisco idolizing the great chefs of public television. As a kid, he would take the bus to Chinatown and Fisherman’s Market to buy ingredients that he would then take and practice creating meals for his family. This opened the doors to his culinary path. After serving four years in the Army, he landed in Portland, where he cooked with great chefs for more than a decade. This led him to opening and running restaurants from Portland to Las Vegas.
His love of the outdoors, hunting and the desire to start a family brought him to North Idaho, where he created and ran a resort restaurant as well as being a personal chef for golfing and vacationing celebrities.
Now retired from the busy restaurant industry, Chef Troy has found a new culinary passion: creating great meals and memories for amazing residents at the Idaho Veterans Home in Post Falls. Plus, he now has the time to actually enjoy all that North Idaho has to offer … and fit in the time for his entertaining cooking classes and special culinary adventures! He’s available to book for private wine dinners and culinary events.
Travis Whiteside
Travis Whiteside is excited to share his sushi passion with you all! Travis has been crafting sushi for over 30 years right here in beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. His sushi journey began with a small dream that blossomed into a thriving business—a sushi truck called RawDeadFish!
Being open for 10-plus years allowed him to introduce the delightful flavors of sushi to our local community in a unique way. Travis takes immense pride in using the freshest ingredients and creating dishes that not only taste fantastic but also bring a smile to your face.
Throughout the years, he’s explored various sushi styles and techniques, constantly seeking to elevate his craft while maintaining the traditional aspects that make sushi so special. Travis loves experimenting with flavors and developing new rolls that surprise and satisfy his customers.
During his sushi classes, you’ll not only learn the art of sushi-making, but you’ll also enjoy a fun experience that includes a gift bag and your first round of drinks—all for just $100 per person!
Travis can’t wait to share his knowledge and love for sushi with you all. “Let’s roll up our sleeves and dive into the world of sushi together!”
Ricky Sawyer
Grilling and smoking meats has been a longtime passion for this seasoned BBQ enthusiast, who first stepped into the competitive world of barbecue back in 2015. After binge-watching just about every BBQ show available, Ricky figured, “I can do that!”—and with his closest friend by his side, entered their first cookoff. To their surprise, they got a call, and he’s been hooked ever since.
Over the years, Ricky Sawyer has competed alongside some of the biggest names in the BBQ world. He’s won a few, lost a few, and picked up plenty of hard-earned lessons along the way. His go-to favorites on the smoker include full packer briskets, pork butt, ribs, chicken—and according to his wife, no one does smoked turkey better. He’s even catered an event with a whole hog on the pit.
Though no longer active on the competition circuit, the skills, knowledge and passion remain. These days, he’s branching out into seafood and desserts on the grill, always eager for the next flavorful challenge—and looking forward to sharing what he’s learned to help inspire your next great BBQ.
All classes and events are held at
The GreenTent Station
2775 North Howard Street
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho