Cathleen Ryan, 71, of Trinity Florida passed away unexpectedly on Friday, December 16^th, 2022. Cathleen was the beloved daughter of Theresa Crosson-Werner and the late Charles Crosson. She is survived by her step-father Edward Werner, sisters Lisa (Crosson) Duffey, Kim (Crosson) Kreger, Terri (Crosson) Ciccimaro, step-brother Ted Werner and many nieces and nephews. She is now reunited with her father and brothers, Stephen and Jerry, who pre-deceased her.

Cathleen was born in Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia but had resided in Florida for the past 15 years. Baking had always been a passion of Cathleen’s but it was in Florida that she found her joy and purpose as director, chef, and teacher at Jacobson Culinary Arts Academy at Tarpon Springs High School for the past 13 years. Here she conveyed her passion and love of baking with her students that reflected her education and training. She was trained at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Notter International School of Confectionery Arts, and Universite de Reims Champagne-Ardenne studies in Gastronomy and Arts of the Table. She honed her craft in such notable kitchens as Le Bec Fin and the Inn at Little Washington. She authored and published Brandywine Book of Food in 2009 which won The Cordon D’Or Gold Ribbon Award for Illustrated Culinary Book in 2010.  Chef Ryan was a member of various organizations such as the Women Chef and Restaurateurs (WCR), International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and Slow Food Tampa Bay of which she was a founding member.

When Chef Ryan was not inspiring her students in the kitchen she enjoyed spending time with her family, friends, and dog Nola.  She was a generous woman who will be deeply missed by all that loved and knew her.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at a future date to the Cathleen Ryan Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will be established in Cathleen’s name to support graduating high school students who aspire to become chefs themselves.