Chef Brancely earned an AOS in the Baking & Pastry Arts from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and a BS in Food Service Entrepreneurship from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Prior to JWU, she had the pleasure of working with many great chefs during her twenty-plus years in the restaurant-hospitality industry. Her experience includes positions in both the front and back-of-the-house at various hotels, restaurants and resorts spanning from Alaska and California, to New York, Massachusetts and Maine.

Some of the highlights of her career include a stagiaire at Lespinasse at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, New York; opening pastry chef for the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California, and eight years as executive pastry chef at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts—where she managed both bread and dessert production for this French-Asian inspired bistro created by Chef Ming Tsai, host of Simply Ming on PBS, and formerly East Meets West with Ming Tsai on the Food Network.

Brancely's strengths lie in menu development, design and execution of bread and pastry programs for independent restaurants, bistros and resorts. Teaching in the Baking and Pastry Program at JWU over the last fourteen years has allowed her to convey to aspiring pastry chefs and bakers the value of honing both bread and pastry skills, and how those skills can benefit them in their career as a pastry chef.

While teaching full-time, Chef Brancely is also pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy to deepen her understanding of food and culture, and the role of food in society. She is excited to share her experiences with students as they discover their own journey, forging their career path by becoming engaged in the world of food.