Chef Karen Akunowicz is a celebrity chef, restaurateur and the 2018 James Beard Foundation Award winner for “Best Chef: Northeast.” In 2020 her debut restaurant Fox & the Knife was a James Beard Award finalist for “Best New Restaurant” in America.

Chef Karen is the chef/owner of Fox & the Knife enoteca and restaurant in South Boston, Bar Volpe Ristorante and Fox Pasta Company. She has been touted as “Boston’s Queen of Pasta.” Fox & the Knife was called an “Instant Classic” by Food & Wine magazine and named one of their “Best New Restaurants in America”. In 2024 Chef Karen opened her third restaurant, Fox & Flight by Karen Akunowicz in Boston Logan International Airport.

Chef Akunowicz is a well-known television personality as a fan favorite on Bravo TV’s Emmy-nominated show Top Chef (seasons Season 13 as well as “All-Stars”). She was a rising star on the Food Network’s Tournament of Champions in seasons 3-5 and has appeared as a judge on Top Chef, Top Chef Canada, Worst Cooks in America, Guy’s Grocery Games and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation. She is a recurring judge on Beat Bobby Flay.

Karen was named one of the “21 Badass Women Changing the Food World” by Marie Claire magazine and is the author of  Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds which was published in September 2023 by W.W. Norton.

Chef Karen Akunowicz has not only left an indelible mark on the culinary world with her innovative and flavorful approach to cooking, but she is now sharing her culinary expertise with home cooks everywhere. Her new cookbook, Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds, has become a sensation, receiving widespread acclaim and recognition. Notably, the book was recently honored with the prestigious “2023 Cookbook of the Year” award by The Readable Feast. Additionally, Crave has already secured its place among the top 20 cookbooks on Amazon for 2023, solidifying its status as a must-have for food enthusiasts and home chefs alike.

Chef Angelo Auriana was born in Bergamo, Italy, where at age 17 he graduated with honors from the prestigious San Pellegrino Hotel School. He began his formal training in his beloved hometown working with Pierangelo Cornaro; one of the most influential “maestros” of Auriana’s professional career. Shortly after, Auriana traveled to various regions and wine country of Italy, learning from highly regarded chefs, as well as the tradition and authenticity of his homeland cuisine.

After a Florida vacation, Auriana made his way to California in 1985, where he helped with the opening of Piero Selvaggio’s contemporary Italian restaurant, “Primi un Ristorante,” shortly after becoming the executive chef of “Valentino Ristorante” during his tenure of more than 18 years in Valentino’s kitchen. Auriana has worked on developing his distinctive style he calls “cucina dei sapori.” This style reflects an intense passion for choosing the best possible ingredients, while maintaining each dish to unveil its’ individual flavors. At Valentino, Auriana has come to love pairing his innovative food with wines from all over the world, creating a multiple course “experience.”

In 2003, Auriana departed Valentino to open his first solo restaurant with partner Niki Rivieccio in El dorado Hills prestigious complex La Borgata. The restaurant Masque Ristorante was awarded Esquire Magazine’s Best New Restaurant of the Year in 2004, and became the new standard in the restaurant industry of the area.

Throughout his career, Chef Auriana has been deeply involved with various charities and events, including the inaugural year of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. His commitment to giving back remains a cornerstone of his professional journey.

Auriana partnered with Matteo Ferdinandi to launch Factory Place Hospitality Group, first opening the trattoria-style The Factory Kitchen in 2013. Following the success of The Factory Kitchen, they opened BRERA Ristorante in 2016. Both award-winning restaurants reflect the acclaimed chef’s pride in Italian cuisine and heartfelt desire to introduce diners to authentic dishes from Italy. At the end of 2018, they expanded their concepts to Las Vegas, opening Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano and BRERA Osteria in the Italian-themed Venetian Resort.

Today Chef Auriana divides his time between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, continually developing menus, and sharing his love for cooking through classes, tasting menus, wine collector food and wine pairings, etc. Auriana also holds an honorary diploma from the mayor of Beragamo, Italy for sharing the town’s culture and traditions with the United States via his Italian Heritage Cuisine.

Despite his professional achievements, Auriana remains humble, driven by an immense love for his son, Nicholas, and a genuine passion for bringing people together through food.

Elliot Bell is the chef and owner of Charlie’s, a family-run, community-focused, neighborhood restaurant with generational goals, named after his son. Originally from New Zealand, Bell’s culinary influences and inspiration span some of the world’s greatest dining destinations—France, Japan, Napa Valley and New York. His restaurant career began with dishwashing and cooking positions in the small Iowa town where he grew up and eventually led him to study hospitality management at the University of New Hampshire and the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. Most recently, he served as the executive sous chef at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, where he spent the past decade of his career. Prior to that, he worked in Boston, Seattle and New York at several notable restaurants, including Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern. As a member of the St. Helena Fire Department, where Bell has served as a volunteer firefighter for several years, few things are as important to him as community. He and his young family have lived in St. Helena for more than 10 years and currently reside in their home around the corner from the firehouse and restaurant.

Dave Beran graduated with a B.A. in business from Lake Forest College, but it was a summer job at Latitude Restaurant in Bay Harbor, Michigan where he discovered his passion for cooking. After completing his formal education, Dave worked in Chicago at mk and was promoted to tournant in a short time before leaving to work at Tru.

Dave joined the Alinea kitchen in early 2006 and moved quickly through the ranks as a result of his creativity and attention to detail. He was promoted to chef de cuisine in July 2008 and then in 2011, he was tapped to open Next as executive chef.

During his time at Next, Dave researched, developed and executed fifteen distinctive menus exploring cuisine from around the world—Thailand to Paris to Sicily to Kyoto—as well as vegan offerings. Fourteen of those menus received the highest 4-Star rating from the Chicago Tribune.

In spring of 2016, Dave bid Chicago a fond farewell to relocate west to Los Angeles where he spent a year researching, developing and testing for his first solo concept.

In September 2017, Dave opened his first restaurant, Dialogue, in Santa Monica. The intimate, 18-seat open kitchen restaurant tells a story through a tasting menu. Inspired by the abundance of Southern California ingredients, the menu changes entirely with the seasons, allowing guests to enjoy a completely new experience every three months.

Dave has been nominated three times for James Beard Awards including both “Rising Star” and “Best Chef: Great Lakes,” ultimately winning “Best Chef: Great Lakes” in 2014. Additionally, Next Restaurant won a James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant” in America under his leadership. In 2014, Dave was named “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine. In 2018, Dialogue was named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by GQ magazine, and in 2019, Dialogue received One Michelin Star and Five Stars from Forbes Travel Guide, the only U.S. restaurant to be added to the Five Star list in 2019. Dialogue closed during the pandemic.

In September 2019, Dave opened his second restaurant, pasjoli, an elevated French bistro in Santa Monica. The menu, rooted in classic French cuisine and inspired by Parisian markets, reflects the vast array of produce available in Southern California. In 2020, pasjoli was named one of GQ magazine’s “Best New Restaurants in America” as well as one of Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants.” The restaurant was also a James Beard Award finalist in 2020 for “Best New Restaurant.”

Seline, Dave’s newest restaurant featuring an ever-changing 18-course tasting menu, opened in December of 2024 right down the street from pasjoli in Santa Monica.

Though his spare time is sparse, Dave makes time to write and train for marathons and triathlons.

Stephen Coe is a nationally recognized and award-winning chef, best known for his victory against celebrity chef Bobby Flay in Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network, with a rematch coming soon! He is also the owner of The Early Bird Café in Kingston, MA. Whether in the kitchen or one of his many food trucks, Chef Coe is known for his culinary creativity and ability to compete at any stage against any competition.

Chef Coe’s other notable accomplishments include his 4x Chopped champion, 2x Chopped grand champion, 7x world food champion, 5 Olympic medals 2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze, two award winning food trucks, voted ”Best Chef South of Boston” 2022, voted ”Best Person Chef Boston South” 2023, “Best Food Truck New England” 2022, “Best Food Truck Cape Cod” 2022 and 2x “Best Brunch in the Burbs.” All of this has been accomplished within the past 8 years.

Coe is a graduate of the prestigious culinary arts program at Johnson & Wales University and completed a certificate in French food and language at Institute François des Alpes in Annecy, France.

Chef Coe is the host of his show Dangerous Eats, which takes him across the world to catch ingredients and prepare unique and amazing dishes. Stephen also recently starred as himself alongside Martin Kove and Erin Cahill in the feature film A Taste of Love and has a new cookbook, Lobsta Love, being released in the fall.

For more information, you can visit www.chefstephencoe.com.

Charitable contributions:

• 3x appearance at the Naples Winter Wine Festival
• Current chef of The Hannon Foundation (5 years)
• Current chef / executive board member of Feed the First Responders since 2020, hitting towns from the south coast and south shore of New England
• Chef involvement with Culinary Fight Club and Fight2Feed
• The Light Foundation
• Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
• Numerous other food banks and soup kitchens
• Children’s Cancer Research Fund
• The Salvation Army of Plymouth
• The Rotary Club of Plymouth

Cassidee Dabney
Executive Chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm®

Gardening, canning and cooking were an ever-constant happening for Cassidee Dabney growing up. As the daughter of a wildlife biologist in the Forest Service, Cassidee moved from national forest to national forest. Spending her summers in the family garden, Cassidee anchored her palate with the fresh flavors of seasonal ingredients harvested at their most expressive moments. Her passion for food led Cassidee to a career in the culinary field. A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, Cassidee’s diverse background includes stops in Germany, Boston, Atlanta, Hawaii, Arkansas and Wyoming, most of which was spent working for the Four Seasons. Cassidee came to Blackberry Farm in 2010 as a sous chef before working her way up to executive sous chef. In 2015, Cassidee was named the executive chef of The Barn at Blackberry Farm®. Cassidee’s team prepares beautifully served multicourse menus of the Farm’s signature Foothills Cuisine®, inspired by seasonal, farm-fresh products and produce grown in a garden a short walk away from The Barn. The Barn has been recognized as one of the top restaurants in the South and hosts the 2014 James Beard Award for “Outstanding Wine Program” and the 2015 James Beard Award for “Outstanding Service.”

During her time at the helm of The Barn, Cassidee has earned exciting accolades in the industry, including being recognized as a nominee for the James Beard Award’s “Best Chef: Southeast” in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Other media milestones include cooking on the TODAY show, being featured on the cover of Art Culinaire and appearing in Food & Wine.

Joey Edwards
PM Executive Chef of Blackberry Mountain

Joey Edwards tuned into his love of cooking at an early age, enjoying the opportunity to channel his creativity into making something delicious. Coming from a large family, Joey started as the top taste tester and quickly graduated to family cook, realizing that cooking was a way he could contribute and make people happy. While attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, Florida, and working at a local barbecue restaurant, Joey took his culinary commitment one step further and spent his days off working for free in the kitchen of the best restaurant in his area. His determination landed him a paying job in their kitchen, and that is where he fell in love with the pace and energy of the culinary industry and solidified that it was the path for him.

Joey joined The Barn at Blackberry Farm® team in 2013 as a cook. He got married in 2015 and left Blackberry Farm to embark on a backpacking adventure through Africa and Europe. He was working on a farm in Portugal when The Barn Executive Chef Cassidee Dabney asked him to return to Blackberry Farm as her sous chef in January 2016. Joey embraced the chance to return to the kitchen environment where he feels the perfect blend of art, nature, organization and adrenaline. In 2020, Joey was promoted and made the transition to Blackberry Mountain as the PM executive chef of Three Sisters. Joey’s love of cooking and foraging blends seamlessly into his personal life where he enjoys cooking with foraged ingredients, typically over an open fire, and preferably with a good bottle of wine.

As he works the room at Fearing’s in his custom-tooled Lucchese cowboy boots, James Beard Award winner and culinary icon Chef Dean Fearing seems more like everyone’s best friend than the owner of one of Texas’s most critically acclaimed restaurants.

Growing up, Dean learned his way around the kitchen from his grandmothers, who knew southern cooking like farmers know weather. In the early ‘80s, he began perfecting traditional regional dishes, barbecue and Mexican street food recipes using locally sourced ingredients (he was “buying local” long before it was cool), developing what the world now recognizes as southwestern cuisine.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, which later recognized him as a “Pioneer of American Cuisine,” Fearing spent more than two decades as executive chef of The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek before opening his namesake establishment, Fearing’s, in The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas in 2007. “Mr. Fearing was a real catch for the Ritz,” Frank Bruni wrote the next year in The New York Times. Since then, Dean has published a successful cookbook, The Texas Food Bible, and he and his recipes have been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Forbes, Fox News, Bon Appétit, Garden & Gun, Robb Report, Conde Nast Traveler, The Food Network, Texas Monthly, Guitar Aficionado and elsewhere. His many accolades include the “Silver Spoon Award” for sterling performance from Food Arts.

If you’ve met him, it won’t surprise you that the charismatic Dean Fearing is also a television personality. For 22 years, he starred in a regional show called Dean’s Cuisine, and he starred in Entertaining With Dean Fearing on TVFN. Dean has appeared on countless news and talk show programs, including Good Morning America, the Today Show, The View and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.

Named “Restaurant of the Year” and “Table of the Year” by Esquire, and ranked “#1 in Hotel Dining in the U.S.” by the Zagat Survey, Fearing’s sources steaks from Texas ranches; buffalo from the range of Lawton, Oklahoma; fish and crab from the Gulf; and produce from nearby farms. Exquisite but deceptively simple, Dean’s recipes – from the legendary tortilla soup to the rib eye cooked over live mesquite to the achiote-glazed antelope Dean sources from his friend’s ranch–“crackle” to quote a review in the Dallas Morning News. That same reviewer wrote, “You’d have to be in an awfully churlish mood not to feel a little thrill when you set foot in Fearing’s.”

And as if being the best chef in the southwest isn’t rock-and-roll enough, Dean is also an aficionado of early Fender Telecaster electric guitars, a guitar collector and the guitarist in The Barbwires, an all-chef alternative country group. As musician and chef, he has entertained Willie Nelson, Sammy Hagar, AC/DC, Steve Winwood and ZZ Top. He has also cooked for many dignitaries, movie stars and even presidents, but if you want those stories, you’ll have to ask him for them yourself.

Joe Flamm is the culinary director of Day Off Group, overseeing Chicago restaurant stalwarts Rose Mary and BLVD Steakhouse. Born and raised on Chicago’s Southside, Joe is a veteran of some of the city’s most prominent and Michelin-starred kitchens and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef season 15.

Joe credits his Grandma Mary for beginning his culinary career—she taught him how to truly cook pastas, ravioli and pizzas, all made by hand. He received his culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu and then went on to work alongside some of Chicago’s most renowned chefs, including Stephanie Izard at Girl and the Goat, Art Smith at Table Fifty-Two and Bill Kim at bellyQ. In 2014, Joe joined James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano to become Chef de Cuisine at Michelin-starred Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia, eventually becoming executive chef in 2015. While at Spiaggia, Joe competed on Top Chef season 15 in Colorado, going on to win his season.

After helming the Spiaggia kitchen for 6 years, Joe opened his debut restaurant, Rose Mary, with Day Off Group in Chicago’s Fulton Market District in April 2021. Named for Joe’s grandmothers, Mary and Mary Rose, the restaurant is inspired by his Italian heritage and the bold, bright flavors of Croatian cuisine.

In 2022, Joe became culinary director of Day Off Group, taking over the food program at the group’s first restaurant, BLVD Steakhouse, while continuing to oversee all aspects of the Rose Mary kitchen. In December 2024, Joe and Day Off Group debuted il Carciofo, a Roman Italian concept inspired by the restaurants and markets in one of their favorite cities, Rome. The group looks forward to opening a fourth concept in Chicago’s Fulton Market District in summer 2025.

Joe has partnered in a multitude of capacities with numerous companies and brands such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Verizon, Harry & David, Ferrari Trento, San Pellegrino, Bulgari, Cayman Jack, Miller High Life, The National Football League (NFL), Wells Fargo, NBCUniversal, The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Toast Inc., Asana, Paylocity, ADP and more. He has also made countless broadcast appearances, including Top Chef, Top Chef Jr., Top Chef Amateurs, Beat Bobby Flay, Top Chef: Dish with Kish, Grudge Match, Rachael Ray, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the Today Show, CBS’s The Dish and more.

“Believe in your infinite potential; your limitations are those you set upon yourself.”

As executive chef of Auro at Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley, Chef Rogelio Garcia blends impressive culinary prowess with a deep respect for Napa Valley’s legendary terroir, produce and ingredients.

Born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles and Napa, Garcia’s culinary philosophy is rooted in strong relationships with local farmers, ranchers and purveyors. His cooking seamlessly integrates classical French techniques with Japanese and Mexican influences, celebrating the vibrancy of locally sourced ingredients. At just 31, he earned his first Michelin Star—an achievement that places him among an elite group of Mexican chefs worldwide—and has now secured this prestigious honor at two establishments, most recently at Auro (2023, 2024).

At Auro, Garcia’s culinary artistry perfectly complements the restaurant’s stunning vineyard setting in Calistoga. Under his leadership, Auro has quickly risen to critical acclaim, earning prestigious accolades, including Wine Spectator’s 2023 “Best of Award of Excellence” and a Michelin Star just eight months after opening—making it Calistoga’s only Michelin-starred restaurant. The restaurant retained its star in 2024 and continues to be recognized for its exceptional 450-label wine program, curated by Sommelier Derek Stevenson.

“For me, cooking is storytelling,” Chef Garcia shares. “This menu begins in the fields and farms of Northern California. It reflects my joy of ingredient sourcing; the anticipation of a new season; the essence of the sea and the soil; and my friendships with our ranchers, farmers and fishermen.”

2024 James Beard Foundation finalist for “Best Chef: California,” Garcia gained national recognition on Bravo’s Top Chef season 15. His debut cookbook, Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California’s Wine Country, was published in September 2024, further cementing his reputation as an innovator of modern Mexican cuisine.

Opened in fall 2022, Auro offers an intimate dining experience where floor-to-ceiling windows showcase both the culinary team at work and a semi-private alfresco terrace with sweeping vineyard views. Garcia’s hyper-seasonal seven-course tasting menu, featuring his signature oro (golden touch), is thoughtfully paired with wines that reflect Napa’s rich viticultural landscape.

“At Auro, we honor the ingredients and the labor that brought them to us,” reflects Chef Garcia. “The tasting menu is a tribute to my evolution as a chef, influenced by the brilliant chefs I have had the privilege to work with. It is my hope that through gathering with friends and family around a meal, we can find common ground on the plate.”

Garcia’s interest in cooking was sparked at 15, when he took an after-school job as a dishwasher in Yountville. Rising through the ranks, he honed his skills at some of wine country’s most acclaimed restaurants, including the Two Michelin-starred Cyrus in Healdsburg under Chef Douglas Keane and the Three Michelin-starred The French Laundry as chef de partie. He later led the kitchen at Angèle along Napa’s riverfront before refining his expertise in San Francisco at The Commissary under Traci Des Jardins, eventually earning Michelin Stars at Spruce in both 2018 and 2019.

Returning to wine country, Garcia embraces his heritage and deep connection to the land. At Auro, he continues to push the boundaries of fine dining, crafting an experience that lingers in memory long after the last bite.

Chef Beau MacMillan has cooked in some of America’s most distinguished kitchens. A two-time James Beard Foundation award nominee for “Best Chef: Southwest,” he is one of Arizona’s most notable and well-respected chefs.

Helming The Americano, a high-end Italian-inspired steakhouse in Scottsdale, he serves as the director of culinary in collaboration with Creation Hospitality. Rediscovering his fine-dining roots, he also leads the culinary program at Tell Your Friends, an underground craft cocktail and live music lounge located underneath The Americano, a collaboration between Creation Hospitality and Clive Collective.

He operates the popular Cala at Scottsdale’s Senna House, which he and partners Clive Collective opened in 2022, featuring modern coastal cuisine inspired by the Mediterranean. Before that, he was the executive chef at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain and its signature restaurant, Elements, for over 20 years.

With a prestigious career spanning more than 35 years, his culinary journey began at the age of 16 with a position at Crane Brook Restaurant and Tea Room in Carver, Massachusetts before joining the brigade at La Vieille Maison in Boca Raton, Florida, rising to the position of sous chef. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he held sous chef positions at the prestigious Hotel Bel-Air and later Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica before opening Elements, earning national recognition and acclaim.

A Food Network regular, he first competed on Iron Chef America in 2006 against Iron Chef Bobby Flay in “Battle American Kobe Beef.” Chef MacMillan’s cuisine reigned supreme, letting him claim victory over Flay. He’s since made regular appearances on Food Network shows, including 13 seasons of Guy’s Grocery Games, The Next Iron Chef, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, along with hosting Worst Cooks in America.

Chef MacMillan hails from Plymouth, Massachusetts and is an alumnus of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

A pioneering American chef and a mentor to many in the last decades, Oakes is often credited for her generosity, consistency and vision. Having worked all aspects of a restaurant, from her early career at the Carnelian Room and Alexis’ Tangier on through to the highly praised Boulevard and Prospect, Oakes has developed a well-rounded hospitality philosophy. She is a student of other cultures and cuisines and a tireless champion of artisans. Throughout her career, her restaurants have received numerous local, national and international accolades, nominations and awards; among them, the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Chef: California” in 2001 and “Outstanding Restaurant in the United States” in 2012, as well as the Filiale des États-Unis in France. Chef Oakes co-wrote Boulevard: The Cookbook with Pam Mazzola in 2005 which was nominated for awards from both the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In 2010, Chef Oakes opened Prospect Restaurant with Pam Mazzola and Kathy King in San Francisco’s flourishing South of Market/Embarcadero neighborhood. Located at the base of the Infinity Towers, it is a warm and modern urban environment, with high service standards and exceptional cuisine. Chef Oakes’ energy and sense of community are reflected in the time and talent she has devoted to cooking for charitable organizations. In addition to serving on the board of directors for Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, she has been Gala Chef Chair for the organization’s annual fundraiser for 12 years. She enjoys continuous involvement with numerous other philanthropies, including Share Our Strength, The San Francisco Food Bank, The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Auction Napa Valley, Alex’s Lemonade and Maitri Compassionate Care.

Michelin-starred Chef Doug Psaltis has worked in many of the world’s most esteemed kitchens alongside the industry’s celebrated chefs and is the hit-maker behind many of Chicago’s most lauded restaurants. He believes that remarkable dining experiences come from the serving the purest ingredients delivered in a supremely thoughtful, welcoming and hospitable manner.

Psaltis is the co-founder of Eat Well Hospitality and chef proprietor of a trio of award-winning Chicago restaurants including Michelin Guide recognized Andros Taverna, a contemporary Greek restaurant serving contemporary Mediterranean food cooked from the soul; highly-acclaimed Basque-inspired Asador Bastian, named one of The New York Times “25 Best Restaurants” 2024, ranked the #14 “Best Steakhouse in the World” 2024 and voted the “Best New Restaurant in America” 2023 by Esquire; and traditional Italian neighborhood trattoria, Mano a Mano.

The skills Psaltis honed at a young age, cooking alongside his grandmother at his grandparent’s Queens New York diner, first led to a position at Long Island’s top eatery, Panama Hattie’s. This opened the door to a stint with Wayne Nish, the chef and owner of March restaurant in Manhattan. In 1999, Psaltis worked with David Bouley to launch Bouley Bakery, followed by three years working under Alain Ducasse at Essex House, which earned four stars from The New York Times in 2000. Ducasse rewarded Psaltis’s talents with the opportunity to study at Three-starred Michelin restaurant Le Louis XV in Monaco and later appointed him chef de cuisine for Ducasse’s New York restaurant, Mix. Psaltis was the first American to be given the position in any Ducasse kitchen.

Psaltis headed West to help run Thomas Keller’s acclaimed The French Laundry in Napa Valley—considered one of the best restaurants in the world. There he met his now wife and business partner pastry chef Hsing Chen. He returned to New York to open Geoffrey Zakarian’s Country as executive chef. Country received a three-star review from The New York Times and earned a Michelin Star each year of Chef Psaltis’s three-year tenure. Psaltis memorialized his experience, along with an inside look at the restaurant industry, in the book he wrote with his brother, The Seasoning of a Chef: My Journey from Diner to Ducasse and Beyond.

Psaltis opened Andros Taverna in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in 2021. Inspired by the cosmopolitan taverns of Greece, Andros Taverna is a story of his culinary heritage, purity of flavors and warm hospitality. The restaurant’s menu is rooted in tradition while highlighting quality products with updated classic mezzes, crisp salads, responsible meats and wild seafood cooked over glowing embers of charcoal. Opened in 2023 in a refurbished 1883 River North townhouse, steakhouse Asador Bastian merges asador-style cooking (cooked on a spit over an open fire) with the classic Chicago steakhouse experience. The latest in Psaltis’s Eat Well Hospitality portfolio, Mano a Mano was launched in 2024 and offers regional Italian comfort food inspired by the couple’s travels to Italy.

Andrew Quinn is the co-owner and executive chef of The Noortwyck, a neighborhood restaurant in the heart of the West Village. Chef Andy offers a timeless and approachable menu of constantly changing, seasonal dishes in an intimate neighborhood-friendly setting. Standout dishes from Chef Andy include unique takes on notable dishes, such as the white asparagus cacio e pepe and the char siu duck milk bun along with perfected classics like roast chicken and beef wellington. With the goal of providing the best quality for each customer and supporting the surrounding community, he sources from local New York purveyors and makes everything from the pasta to the breads to dry aging in-house. Under Chef Andy’s direction in the kitchen, The Noortwyck has earned support from both critics and locals, including two stars from The New York Times who perfectly describe The Noortwyck as “the middle ground between grandeur and informality.” Prior to opening The Noortwyck in 2022, Chef Andy served in multiple Michelin-starred restaurants including the famed Eleven Madison Park and Hibiscus in his native UK.

Chef Michael Reed is the executive chef and owner of Poppy + Rose in DTLA and Poppy & Seed in Anaheim, best known for his innovative approach to California cuisine and his passion for creating seasonal, locally sourced menus. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, Reed previously worked at David Myer’s Michelin-starred Sona and the now-closed Xiomara before starting his own catering company and restaurants. Since then, his culinary work at Poppy & Seed and Poppy + Rose has culminated in numerous accolades, including the former being named a James Beard Award semi-finalist and receiving Michelin recognition, and with the latter considered one of the best brunch spots in Los Angeles for over a decade.

His brunch spot, Poppy + Rose, is beloved for its nostalgic, elevated comfort food, while Poppy & Seed brings a refined, farm-to-table dining experience with a focus on sustainability and community. Alongside managing two acclaimed restaurants, Reed is passionately curating his cookbook, named after his catering company and first venture, Root of All Food. Reed has also made multiple television appearances, showcasing his culinary talents on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, Alex vs America and Chopped, further establishing him as a dynamic presence in the culinary world. Known for his attention to detail and commitment to quality, Chef Michael continues to push boundaries in the restaurant scene while staying rooted in the ethos of supporting local farmers and small businesses.

An iconoclastic celebrity of the food world, Tesar came up as a chef in New York City at 13 Barrow St, 44 & X Hell’s Kitchen, Vine and the Supper Club. He then went on to open three acclaimed restaurants two in Dallas (Knife, Knife Italian) and one in Orlando (Knife & Spoon) that have been named among the best in the country by Bon Appétit, Eater, GAYOT and Esquire. In 2022, Knife & Spoon at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grand Lakes was awarded a Michelin Star for Tesar’s exemplary work, and it continues to retain the star today. He was famously entangled in a feud with Dallas food critic Leslie Brenner. Tesar remains a fixture of Dallas’s restaurant scene and a true “chef’s chef.” He has garnered praise from Food & Wine and The New York Times, has appeared on the Today Show and The Early Show, is a five-time James Beard “Best Chef: Southwest” semifinalist and a two-time contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef.

Philip Tessier, an acclaimed chef, author and mentor, serves as chef partner at PRESS Restaurant in St. Helena, California. Best known for its modern, refined American cuisine, PRESS has earned a Michelin Star and the distinction of being a “The World’s 50 Best Discovery” restaurant. Along with Owner Samantha Rudd and Managing Partner Justin Williams, Tessier recently launched Under-Study, a new culinary marketplace with a modern patisserie, counter-service café and butcher shop next door to PRESS.

Tessier has risen through the ranks of some of the world’s most revered restaurants, including Le Bernardin, Per Se and The French Laundry. He is also the first American chef to place on the podium at the internationally renowned Bocuse d’Or Competition in Lyon, France. Following his success, he coached Team USA to their first ever gold medal in 2017. He recounted this victory in his book Chasing Bocuse: America’s Journey to the Culinary World Stage, published in October that same year.

Tessier is quick to recognize the efforts of his hardworking team and emphasizes his ongoing commitment to his industry: “There’s nothing more gratifying than to encourage someone to grow from a starting point and transition into a better person, both personally and professionally, and to succeed in their own way. Mentorship lives way beyond just one’s own success. We want PRESS to become the restaurant where young cooks come to learn how to become great chefs.”

The farms and vines of Sonoma County run deep in Dustin Valette’s DNA. A Healdsburg native, he grew up picking grapes in his uncle’s vineyard and absorbing the heritage of his great-grandfather Honoré Valette, an artisan baker. These childhood experiences ignited his passion for cooking and led him to the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated in 2000.

Over the next few years, Chef Valette served his apprenticeship at some of San Francisco’s most famed restaurants: Charles Nob Hill, Fifth Floor, La Folie, Fleur De Lis, Gary Danko, and Aqua, where he worked under Chef Laurent Manrique. He learned at Thomas Keller’s Michelin-starred Bouchon in Napa and expanded his knowledge with a cook’s tour of Europe. Inevitably, he came back to Healdsburg and spent six years as executive chef at Dry Creek Kitchen, where he developed relationships with purveyors and winemakers that he still nurtures today.

In 2015, he and his brother Aaron Garzini realized a childhood dream by opening Valette in downtown Healdsburg, in a building that once housed his great-grandfather’s French-style bakery. Valette quickly became a local favorite, reflecting Chef Valette’s inventive and flavorful California cuisine as well as his carefully sourced ingredients. The dream expanded in 2018 with the creation of The Matheson, a multi-level dining experience on the site of Honoré Valette’s Snowflake Bakery. At both restaurants, Chef Valette’s menu is an ode to micro-seasonal ingredients and locally grown and foraged produce. For him, sourcing is more than a transaction—it is part of his connection to the community.

His childhood experiences in the vineyards eventually sparked a desire to try his hand at winemaking. After learning the process, he launched his own label, Valette Wine, made in collaboration with three notable winemakers, Bob Cabral (Pinot Noir and Rosé of Pinot Noir), Jesse Katz (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Tom Rochioli (Chardonnay). After a few memorable vintages, the wines have developed their own cult following.

Community is at the heart of everything Chef Valette does, and from the beginning he was able to develop a philanthropic business model, in which giving is part of profiting. He strongly believes that philosophy has been essential to his success. Over the years, he has been tireless in his support of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. Over the years, he has been tireless in his support of the Naples Children Foundation through his participation in the Naples Winter Wine Festival. The 2026 Festival will be his ninth appearance.

“Cooking is my passion, and I cannot wait to share it with you,” says 2026 Chef de Cuisine Valette. “Owning and operating restaurants allows me to share with our community what I love, highlighting our amazing farmers, ranchers and artisans that make Sonoma County such a special place to call home.”