Anthony J. Schlarb was born and raised in Southern California.
As the third eldest of eight children, Tony was taught to commemorate his “Heinz 57” heritage. At his parents’ home the dinner table was the place for food, family, friends and traditions. What possibly could this family of Scotch, Irish, English, German, Italian, and Ladino Mexicans link together to celebrate? To be honest, it was all about the food.
From his Grandmothers to his Mother, Tony was led down a path to the kitchen. After a 4-year stint in the Navy stationed in Gaeta Italy, for which he thanks you all very much, Tony opened a catering company and store front in Palm Springs California called “La Cuisine Brown Bag”. His company specialized in parties for up to 100 and was the toast of the town before relocating to Laguna Beach. From there he began working with Richard Freedman (creator of Pottery Barn West) and a retail store called By Design. Next, Tony heard the call of yeast and ovens. He worked with Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery in the early 1990’s before moving to Sacramento California to open “Panini”, a wholesale bread bakery and in-home cooking school. His travels have taken him to the food centers of the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Italy and finally to Western North Carolina. Tony is now busy here in Hendersonville. For three years Rabbit and Company hosted his very popular cooking classes on the first Thursday of every month. He also hosts cooking classes in his home for groups of 12 and under. He travels three times a year to his home in Italy to decompress and learn.
Tony’s company, bbb Cooks, is looking forward to a very long and happy life here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.