Liz Curcio

Owner/CFO

With a passion for great food and great service, Liz followed her dream to attend the Culinary Institute of America in NY and continued on with a degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University. It was important to Liz to experience every realm of the industry. Her experience includes working the line at fine dining restaurants in NYC to managing the food and beverage outlets for different hotels.

Liz traveled to over 30 countries while working as a hotel consultant experiencing different cultures, food and styles of service. Liz has found that working directly with clients is what truly brings her joy. She comes to The White Apron offering great experience in Fine Dining food service and Catering Sales. As a native New Yorker, Liz has been exposed to great restaurants and creative food trends. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with the clients of The White Apron by assisting in creating menus and planning memorable events.

Alice Palmer

Director of Sales

Alice hales, originally, from upstate NY where an early love of food and events
blossomed through great home cooking and large family functions. She achieved her
degree in Sports, Entertainment and Event Management from Johnston & Wales
University in 2011 and went on to utilize her degree in New York where she worked with
a well-respected décor and entertainment company, Fine Affairs. From there, she made
her way to Phoenix, Arizona where her catering career really took off. She has since
moved back to the Northeast to be closer to family, with her husband Jonathan and two
kids, Evie and Jonah (& her fur babies too).

Alice loves how events bring people together, no matter the occasion, and truly enjoys
being a part of making someone’s day the best it can be (from a graduation, or
corporate luncheon to a wedding celebration). She has a passion for food and for
people – what better way to blend those two loves, than through catering! Alice LOVES
being a part of The White Apron Family and looks forward to working with you on the
details of your next event.

Olivia Bernier

Kitchen Operations Manager

Olivia is a Seacoast native, and has been a part of the White Apron family for years. She began working with the White Apron as a server in 2018 while attending college, and slowly transitioned into a kitchen-based role. Most Sundays, Olivia and her siblings gather together at her parent’s house, where lots of laughs are shared over a collaborative meal.

Olivia thrives on problem solving, and has always enjoyed having a multi-faceted role. Her position at the White Apron is no different, where she bounces back and forth from working behind the scenes on kitchen-related clerical matters, to being hands on at events. She believes that food is one of the greatest ways to bring people together, and couldn’t be happier helping people enjoy their special occasion over a meal.

Cameron Heins

Executive Chef

Cameron began his culinary journey at the age of nine by helping to cook the family meals. Cam graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. During his four years of college, Cam was hired at one of the city’s top find dining restaurants called Gracie’s. He soon became an integral part of the large kitchen staff. His experience at Gracie’s and abilities in class created another opportunity as a teacher in his senior year Cam often taught classes on his own during that time. Upon graduation, Cameron was made Executive Chef on Appledore Island, ME for the faculty and students of UNH and Cornell University’s marine biology program There he worked with Chef Evan Mallett and Fore Street’s Sam Hayward on a unique culinary event called “Take a Bite”. He would scour the island and shore foraging for unique and rare ingredients for a memorable multi-course dinner.

Cam went on to become the sous chef of “The Restaurant” in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The unique ingredients and cooking techniques he learned have played an integral part in Cam’s culinary style. Most recently, Cam was the Chef de Cuisine at The Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, NH. There he led the team that created memorable dishes for many happy guests.

Cameron has now joined The White Apron team as the Executive Chef and also brings a wealth of knowledge from the world of wine, having been trained by his father and through the Deutsche Wein und Sommelierschule in Koblenz, Germany. The passion to bring wine and food together has energized his brilliant culinary creations.

Nick Durling

Lead Cook & Event Manager

Having discovered a passion for the service industry in college, and pulling on knowledge gained
from growing up at his mother’s side in the kitchen, Nick quickly made a culinary home for
himself working in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Time spent as a front of the house staff
member gave Nick a distinct love for the hospitality aspect of his career; caring for others,
through anticipating their needs, something he strives to replicate at all of his events.

Shucking oysters at a raw bar allowed Nick to uniquely combine his firsthand hospitality
experience with his back of the house knowledge and skills; and infected him with an insatiable
desire to share in his love for connecting people to the food they eat, those who grow it and those
who prepare it, feeling as though it adds a deeper emotional layer to the dining experience.
Outside of The White Apron, Nick can be found riverside with a fishing pole, carefully curating
a playlist, developing new recipes, or returning to his mother’s kitchen to help her with dinner.

Devon Loader

Pastry Chef

Chef Devon is a New England native who has had a creative and artistic nature from an early age. Who knew that a gifted Betty Crocker recipe book would turn into a lifelong passion for the pastry arts? That passion led her to study Baking and Pastry/Foodservice Management at Johnson and Wales University in Providence,RI, including a 3 month stint at École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie in France. She continued on to work under Chef Robert Gonzalez at Boston’s Bistro du Midi, as well as Brookline staple Clear Flour Bread to name a few. Devon is excited to bring her experience, passion and creativity to each and every White Apron event. Alongside an incredible team, she’s excited to create many sweet moments for your special event.

Jay Curcio

Founder/Owner

Chef Jay Curcio has been actively involved in the culinary world for most of his adult life, having had the pleasure of sharing food knowledge and impeccable catering services with the Seacoast area for over 20 years now.

Jay graduated at the top of his class from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. He has worked for many fine dining restaurants in Chicago and Boston, and also had the opportunity to lead cook with James Beard Award winning chef Frank McClelland at L’Espalier.

He continued on as executive chef at several restaurants, gaining invaluable experience and improving his leadership qualities. The variety of experiences Jay gained during his early career in the food industry all led him to open The White Apron in 2004. Jay, along with his wife and business partner, Liz, currently own and operate The White Apron.

With his many work experiences and his varied background, Jay has a strong foundation in food and beverage preparation, wine pairing, and proper table service. He loves the fact that The White Apron allows him to oversee a team of incredible talents who help bring together the wonderful experiences we give our clients.

One Franklin Street
Historic Downtown Exeter, NH

Portfolio

One Franklin Street
Exeter, NH 03833

events@milaexeter.com

(603) 617-3555

One Franklin Street Historic Downtown Exeter, NH

One Franklin Street Exeter, NH 03833

events@milaexeter.com

(603) 617-3555

One Franklin Street
Historic Downtown Exeter, NH

One Franklin Street
Exeter, NH 03833