Chefs

Chef Andre Rush is a master ice carver, sommelier, pastry chef, chocolatier, and sugar sculptor, among other specialties. He has had the exciting opportunity to bring his expertise and skill to the White House over the course of several administrations as the executive chef for special dinners, gatherings, banquets and anything directly involving the first family and their invited guests. Chef Rus...

Melissa Ben-Ishay is an entrepreneur, lifestyle personality, Founder, President, and Chief Product Officer of Baked by Melissa, the New York City-based brand famous for its signature, bite-size cupcakes, and treats. Passionate about baking since childhood and with the idea that people should be able to taste more flavors without a post-dessert guilt trip, she decided to do what she loved and launc...

Chef Marc Forgione is the chef/owner of Restaurant Marc Forgione and Peasant and is the co-owner/partner of Khe-Yo. Chef Marc Forgione began his career at the age of 16, joining his father, Larry Forgione (a culinary legend who revolutionized American-style cooking in the '70s and '80s), in the kitchen at An American Place. In 2010, Chef Forgione won season 3 of Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef”...

Chef Nina Compton is the Chef/Owner of award-winning Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro (BABs) in New Orleans where she combines her love for French and Italian cuisine with the flavors of the Caribbean where she was born and raised. Nina is the winner of the James Beard Award for “Best Chef South” in 2018 and one of Food & Wine magazine’s "Best New Chefs 2017." Since opening in June 2015,...

In 2007, Sawyer moved to Cleveland and earned the Rising Star Chef award from both Restaurant Hospitality and GAYOT while working at Bar Cento, named Northern Ohio Live’s Best New Restaurant. With a blossoming career and growing recognition, Sawyer decided to pursue his lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant, quickly putting Cleveland on the culinary map with his flagship restaurant The Gree...

A James Beard Award Winning Pastry Chef, Johnny has been at the pastry helm of some of the best kitchens in the world and now adds author, TV host, and speed enthusiast to his byline. In May 2002, Chef/Owner Jean Georges Vongerichten named Johnny the Executive Pastry Chef at his famed four-star namesake,  During that same year, Restaurant Jean Georges earned its most prestigious award to date, thr...

Chef Adrienne Cheatham grew up in the kitchens and dining rooms of the restaurants her mother managed in Chicago, Illinois. She would help with bussing tables, running food, washing dishes, and whatever was needed, after homework was finished. At her parent’s insistence, she went to college before pursuing her culinary ambitions, attending Florida A&M University (A Proud HBCU) in Tallahassee, Flor...

Chef Ludo Lefebvre is one of the most influential chefs in Los Angeles dining, pioneering and revolutionizing the culinary industry. After training in France for 12 years with the great masters, Ludo came to Los Angeles and was soon awarded the prestigious Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award at two different restaurants, L’Orangerie in 1999 and 2000 and Bastide in 2006. From 2007 to 2012, he became...

Chris is a chef, restaurateur, and television personality best known as a Judge on Food Network’s long-running hit series, Chopped as well as Chopped Jr. Chris introduced the world to his unique brand of communal dining in 2005 with his debut restaurant, The Stanton Social and in 2010, he welcomed hotspot Beauty & Essex to the Lower East Side of New York City. Most recently, Chris unveiled Vandal...

Gail Simmons is a culinary expert, author, and television personality best known for Bravo's long-running hit show "Top Chef" where she has been a permanent judge since its inception in 2006 and as a host on its spin-off shows, Top Chef Duels and two seasons of Top Chef: Just Desserts. Gail can also be seen hosting FYI Network's new series, The Feed as well as Dr. OZ’s syndicated spinoff The Dish....

Scott Conant is a chef, restauranteur, and television personality best known as a regular judge on Food Network's hit series 'Chopped' and most recently named the Host of the 2020 Chopped Spinoff 'Chopped Sweets'.  He also served as host of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle on Food Network and hosted the hit FN competition series, "Best Baker in America" on Food Network. Scott has published three cookbook...

Fueled by passion, grit, and a knack for artful innovation, David Burke is one of the best-known and most respected chefs in modern American cuisine. Acknowledged as a leading pioneer in American cooking, Burke, a proud New Jerseyan who was born in Brooklyn, is recognized internationally for his revolutionary techniques, exceptional skills, successful restaurant empire, and many TV appearances. In...

Chef Michelle Bernstein, a Miami native, is one of the most influential and iconic chefs in South Florida. Her culinary inspiration is drawn from the discipline of her ballet background, her cultural roots and upbringing, her travels around the world, and her family recipes. Michelle is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: South, 2008. Her incredible talent and personality have taken her outs...

Michael Chernow is a Serial Entrepreneur, Restaurateur, Podcast Host, and expert in the world of wellness, fitness, and nutrition. Most recently, Michael founded and launched Kreatures of Habit, an in-your-face lifestyle and wellness brand, reimagining how you establish healthy habits in your life. After years in the restaurant business in NYC, he realized that his calling was to be of service in...

Adriana Urbina is a Latin American Chef, TV host, recipe developer & women’s advocate with more than 12 years of experience in the restaurant industry, who believes that cooking is a form of self-expression that brings people together and elevates the human spirit. She graduated from Alain Ducasse Culinary School in Paris and the Institute of integrative Nutrition in NYC. Urbina perfected her culi...

Chef Bryan Caswell is a true Southerner who was born in Lafayette, LA, and spent most of his youth hunting, boating, and fishing along the Gulf Coast. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Bryan went on to work for Jean Georges Vongerichten in New York, Hong Kong, Barcelona, and the Bahamas. He pairs a passion for exceptionally fresh fish with bold flavors and local produce. Hou...

Tiffani Faison Is The Chef/Owner Of Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama, Fool’s Errand, And Orfano In Boston, MA Chef Tiffani has made a name for herself nationwide for her dynamic personality, culinary prowess, and fierce work ethic. Under Big Heart Hospitality, her Boston-based restaurant group, she creates restaurants that are warm, inspired, and instantly lovable. Tiffani began her career working under s...

Allen Campbell is widely known as the “chef of peak performance” Through his culinary acumen, various publications, speaking engagements, consulting, and highly publicized work with athletes, actors, and entertainers, most notably his former clients Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, he has revolutionized traditional culinary artistry by maximizing health benefits and sustainable practices. Allen’s cu...

Charity Morgan is a popular vegan chef who wants people to enjoy foods that are plant-based. Charity cooks for NFL players, and A-list personnel, and her culinary skills have helped her get featured on ESPN, USA Today, NFL Network and more. Additionally, Morgan has gained a huge following and has amassed nearly 150,000 followers on Instagram. Not only for the most famous people in the world, Chari...

Growing up I didn’t always expect to make a career in the food industry but there was always one thing certain. I had a serious attachment to my food. My nickname growing up was “kol-kol” given to me by my grandpa, which means, “eat-eat” in Arabic. I would eat anything and everything in my path. I naturally gravitated towards the kitchen but it wasn’t the food that brought me there alone, I really...

Chef Yisus is a three-time Emmy award winner, cuisine, restauranteur, author, Chef & Host panelist of the extremely popular morning show Despierta America on Univision, and the most recent winner of “Mira Quién Baila Univision All Stars” (the Spanish Dancing with The Stars). He's very well known in the Spanish language side. In another life, Chef Yisus was a former professional baseball player!

An avid outdoorsman and classically-trained chef with an unmatched zest for life, chef Eduardo Garcia is a testament to the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity.   Eduardo found his passion for cooking at an early age, cutting his teeth in the industry at just 15 years old; hustling over hot pans, flipping burgers, and throwing pizzas. After working in the fast-paced kitchens of Seat...

Chef Lindsay Autry is the co-partner and chef of THE REGIONAL Kitchen & Public House in West Palm Beach. It’s a rare opportunity to enjoy the culinary creations of a chef as talented as James Beard nominated Chef Lindsay Autry. Her exceptional skills in the kitchen have earned her the reputation of one of America’s top chefs and provided her the opportunity to work alongside some of the best in th...

Akhtar Nawab is chef and owner of Alta Calidad in New York, advisor at Prather’s on the Alley in D.C., and Otra Vez in New Orleans. With nearly 25 years of experience in the kitchen, the Kentucky-born chef of Indian heritage has embraced Mexican cuisine, connecting the layered, complex cooking and ingredients of Mexico with the Indian food he grew up eating. Nawab’s ‘less-is-more’ style of cooking...

Ali Maffucci is a New York Times bestselling author, blogger, and founder of Inspiralized and runs the brand. In June of 2013, Ali quit her corporate job to pursue Inspiralized, starting first with her blog, Inspiralized.com, the first and only resource dedicated to the Inspiralizer ®, a kitchen tool that turns vegetables into noodles. Since then, Maffucci has been referred to as a “digitally savv...

Curtis Stone is an Australian chef, restauranteur, author, and television personality best known for both Food Network's All-Star Academy and Beach Eats as well as Bravo's Top Chef Masters and its spin-off, Top Chef Duels. He also was the host of Universal Kids' new show Top Chef Jr. He currently has a show on PBS- Field Trip with Curtis Stone, FOX - Crime Scene Kitchen, and NETFLIX Iron Chef.Curt...

Courtney Rich is a well-known chef, baker, and cake artist who is hugely popular on Instagram. The rise of her instagram following coupled with her popular blog landed her gigs on The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Oprah Magazine, and Home and Family TV. Her recipes and techniques can be seen on TV and on her Instagram feed (@cakebycourtney), and you can learn cake baking skills from one...

Recognized as one of New Jersey’s most talented and respected chefs, executive chef Ryan DePersio brings a wealth of epicurean knowledge and award-winning experience to the kitchens of Fascino, NICO Kitchen + Bar, Battello, and The Kitchen Step. Overseeing all culinary aspects of his establishments, DePersio delivers on a promise to provide guests with progressive yet thoughtful dishes featuring m...

Sophie Jaffe is a Los Angeles-based health and wellness expert, who is certified as a raw food chef and yoga teacher. Sophie founded her company and wellness brand, Philosophie, with the goal of making it easier, more inspiring, and more delicious to attain optimal health and radiant wellness. Through her holistic approach to wellbeing, Sophie has learned that total wellbeing begins with total nou...

Christian Petroni is a TV Personality, Host, and restauranteur. Most recently, he was the Executive Chef and Owner of Fortina Restaurants. Fortina opened in Armonk NY in 2013 to wild success, and led to openings in Brooklyn, Yonkers, Rye Brook, NY, and Stamford. Born and raised in an Italian household in the Bronx, he graduated from the New York Restaurant School for Culinary Arts and spent his su...