Jan Kresnyak
Demonstrator
Biography
Jan joined the department in 2015 in the role of Practical Demonstrator on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She completed her undergraduate degree in Food, Nutrition and Consumer Studies at Leeds University. Starting her career on a graduate training scheme with a major supermarket, Jan then moved to Brother Industries UK as a Development Home Economist and one year later progressed her career joining Sharp Manufacturing UK as a Senior Home Economist. At Sharp she supported the engineering department with microwave oven design, software programming and designed and authored microwave cookery books and instruction manuals, as well as running the development test kitchen. Jan assisted with the development of the world’s first Neural Network Microwave Oven, working with Sharp Laboratories Europe research teams in partnership with the University of Oxford. Following a career break, Jan worked as a Marriage Registrar for several years before embarking upon her teaching career. During her teaching qualification studies, she designed and delivered a ‘Cooking for University’ skills course for students in a local sixth form college to help them prepare for University and provide basic cooking skills for life, meal planning, shopping ideas, nutrition, budgeting, storage, reheating, health and safety. Jan worked in a local secondary school teaching Food Technology before moving to a Further Education college where she was a Course Lecturer for Professional Chef Level 1–3. At the FE College, Jan taught a ‘Basic Cooking Skills with Support’ course for a local secondary school for students with specific learning needs, as well as an ‘Adult Learning Community Healthy Eating’ cookery class, providing insights into cooking methods and recipes that delivers on taste and flavour, with the benefits of a healthier option. At the University of Chester, Jan teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate courses. She takes the practical sessions that include Portion Sizes, Basic Skills and Calculations, Sensory Evaluation, Cereals & Grains, Plant based Eating, Fish, Poultry & Meat, Weaning, Infant & Early years nutrition and diets to support the elderly. She supports the level 6 students with the annual Nutrition Fair assessment and also sessions specific to specialised diets including Renal, Gluten Free and texture modified food. Jan runs the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Level 2 Food Hygiene course and supports students with Nutritics, a cloud based nutritional analysis software program available to all students during their study time at Chester. Jan has a keen interest in supporting students with additional learning needs in a practical environment. Jan has recently started teaching across departments; recently working with the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences with food practical classes on their post graduate MSc Sports Performance Science course.