José Andrés
A native of Spain, José Andrés is the chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup, responsible for Washington, D.C.’s, award-winning dining concepts Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Café Atlantico and the critically acclaimed minibar by josé andrés, as well as Los Angeles’s four-star destination, The Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. In 2009, he launched José Andrés Catering with Ridgewells and was recently awarded the contract to manage the café at Arena Stage in Washington.
He is the author of several cookbooks including Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America and is the host and executive producer of the PBS culinary series Made in Spain.
In the fall of 2010, José lectured at Harvard as part of the course "Science and Cooking". His latest projects, a redesigned Jaleo and an all new Chinese-Mexican concept, China Poblano, opened at The Cosmopolitan at Las Vegas in December of 2010.
Mario Batali
With fifteen restaurants, eight cookbooks and a host of television shows, including the ever-popular Iron Chef America, Mario Batali is arguably one of the most recognized and respected chefs working in America today.
Mario and his business partner Joe Bastianich own fifteen restaurants across the country including their flagship New York City restaurant, Babbo, as well as two restaurants in Los Angeles and three in Las Vegas. In the summer of 2010 they opened Eataly, a 50,000 square foot marketplace in New York City. This past winter, the duo opened Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza in the Marina Bay Sands Resort Casino in Singapore.
Mario is also the author of eight cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes (2005) and The New York Times Best Seller Mario Batali Italian Grill (2007). His latest bestseller is Molto Gusto, based on the classic and celebrated dishes of Otto Enoteca Pizzeria (2010).
Mario started the Mario Batali Foundation in May of 2008, with the mission of feeding, protecting, educating and empowering children.
Mario splits his time between New York City’s Greenwich Village and northern Michigan with his wife and their two sons.
John Besh
John Besh is the executive chef and co-owner of the Besh Restaurant Group based in New Orleans. His collection of restaurants includes August, La Provence, Lüke, Besh Steak, Domenica and The American Sector. He has been honored with a number of awards: In 1999 he was named a FOOD & WINE Best New Chef and the James Beard foundation named him Best Chef in the Southeast in 2006. The Iconoclasts series featured him in 2007 as a creative visionary whose passion helped transform a culture.
Besh will host two national TV shows on TLC and PBS in 2010. He was the runner-up on the Food Network’s hit series Next Iron Chef and appeared on BRAVO’s Top Chef Masters to help raise money for and support the Make It Right Foundation. His first solo-authored cookbook, My New Orleans, was released in fall 2009.
Richard Betts
Richard Betts was born in New York and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. While traveling in Italy, he fell in love with the country’s dining tradition of which wine is an inseparable part. He served as the wine director at The Little Nell in Aspen from 2000 to 2008. In the spring of 2003, Richard passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Masters Exam on the first attempt, the ninth person ever to do so. He co-founded his own wine label Betts & Scholl in 2003 and sold it to Castle Brands in the fall of 2009. Richard now serves as the director of fine wine for Castle Brands. Additionally, Richard co-founded Scarpetta Wines, “Cc” Wines and Sombra Mezcal, the most fun agave party to ever take over the world.
Sissy Biggers
Sissy Biggers is a nationally recognized lifestyle and food expert full of inspiring advice on a variety of topics ranging from home entertaining and cooking to dining out on a budget. A versatile and distinctive media personality, Sissy has hosted and appeared on numerous television shows in addition to contributing her savvy tips and expert advice to radio, print, satellite media tours and Internet media. Sissy, a much sought-after national spokesperson and live event host, calls her role as host of the FOOD & WINE Classic Quickfire “the single most fun hour of my year!”
Robert Bohr
After a decade of working for several of New York’s greatest restaurant wine programs, Robert Bohr has become one of the finest sommeliers in America.
Robert began his career at a small New Jersey restaurant in 1988. A decade later, after graduating from NYU and an informal wine education at Gramercy Tavern, he assumed his first sommelier position at Babbo, the three-star flagship restaurant of Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.
In 2001, Robert became a sommelier at Daniel, where he continued his education on the great domaines of France, while perfecting his fine-dining service skills. Robert then became a wine buyer at Zachys, where he oversaw the regions of Burgundy and Champagne. In 2004, he partnered to open CRU, where he serves as the wine director and general manager. CRU’s wine program features 4,000 selections and 160,000 total bottles of the world’s finest and rarest wines.
Recently, Robert formed Grand Cru Wine Consulting, which builds and manages restaurant and private wine collections.
Belinda Chang
Recognized by FOOD & WINE for her outstanding wine lists, nominated for a James Beard Foundation Outstanding Wine Service Award and a national TV veteran, Belinda Chang joined Danny Meyer’s restaurant, The Modern, as Wine Director in November 2007. Previously she ruled the wine cellars of Chicago’s top restaurants &##040;Charlie Trotter’s, Rick Tramonto’s Osteria Via Stato&##041;, and San Francisco’s Fifth Floor restaurant. Chang has authored the wine notes for three cookbooks &##040;Charlie Trotter’s Meat and Game, and Rick Tramonto’s Fantastico! and Osteria Cookbook&##041; and written for several national publications. She has also appeared on wine segments on CBS and NBC in addition to hosting the Chicago episode of The Fine Living Network’s We Live Here show.
Michael Chiarello
During his 20-year tenure as the executive chef at a handful of high-profile restaurants, including Tra Vigne in Napa Valley and Ajax Tavern in Aspen, Michael earned accolades and awards for his seasonal cooking. Michael has also won multiple Emmy Awards as host of Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello on the Food Network. He is the founder of the NapaStyle line of handcrafted home goods and artisanal foods, Chiarello Family Vineyards and Consorzio Flavored Oils. He is also the author of five best-selling cookbooks.
Michael incorporates his personal passion for seasonal and sustainable living into his businesses from the purveyors he supports, to the products he designs, to the earth-friendly farming he employs.
Tom Colicchio
Born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom Colicchio made his New York cooking debut at prominent restaurants, including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, Rakel and Mondrian. He opened Gramercy Tavern with Danny Meyer in 1994, following that critical and popular success in 2001 with the equally well-received Craft. In the ensuing nine years, Tom has opened Crafts in Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta; Craftsteaks in New York, Las Vegas and at Foxwoods Resort; Craftbars in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, and ’wichcraft sandwich shops in New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
Tom is also the author of three cookbooks, Think Like a Chef (2000), Craft of Cooking (2003) and ’wichcraft (2009). Since 2006, he has been applying his years of experience to cable television as the head judge on BRAVO’s hit reality cooking series Top Chef.
He currently lives in New York City’s West Village with his wife, Lori Silverbush, and two sons.
Kristin Donnelly
Kristin Donnelly is an associate food editor at FOOD & WINE, but is known on staff as a certified wine lover. Kristin began her wine career in 2002 at Best Cellars (founded by well-loved FOOD & WINE Classic speaker Josh Wesson) in Washington, D.C. She moved to New York City in 2004 to attend the Institute of Culinary Education, and while in school, she worked the sales floor at Chamber Street Wines and Crush Wine & Spirits. Kristin fell in love with food and wine after living in Paris for two semesters while in college. She adores French wine, but when FOOD & WINE sent her to Australia in 2009, she jumped at the chance to learn more about the wines and exciting producers working there. To keep her two hedonistic passions in check, she edits the FOOD & WINE Well-Being column, the magazine’s nod to healthy food and lifestyle.
Susan Feniger
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Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay has proven himself to be a force in the culinary world. He is the owner of popular and critically acclaimed New York restaurants Mesa Grill and Bar Americain. In the past few years, this native New Yorker has ventured outside of his hometown to open Mesa Grill Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, Bobby Flay Steak at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Mesa Grill Bahamas at the Cove Atlantis and Bobby’s Burger Palace in Smithtown, New York, Monmouth, New Jersey and Paramus, New Jersey.
Bobby appears daily on a series of Food Network shows, including Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Iron Chef America, Grill It!, and Boy Meets Grill. He is the author of nine cookbooks. His most recent cookbook, Burgers, Fries & Shakes, was released in April 2009.
Anthony Giglio
Anthony Giglio has a reputation that borders on unique for a wine expert: He’s funny and entertaining, and he never indulges in snobbery or intimidation. He is a journalist, sommelier, educator and author who has written several books, including FOOD & WINE’s Wine Guide 2009 and 2010 (he’s currently tasting his way through 2011), the annual guide to 1,100 wines from around the globe. He also wrote Cocktails in New York and several editions of the enormously popular Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide.
Throughout his career, Giglio has attracted countless fans and admirers nationally, all of whom appreciate his sense of humor as much as they do his insight and his perspective, which is that wine is best regarded as a pleasure, not a problem. Giglio is an award-winning contributor to numerous publications, including FOOD & WINE, Travel + Leisure, New York Magazine, Esquire, Details, Robb Report, Worth and Parade.
Paul Grieco
Paul Grieco is the sommelier and co-owner of Hearth, Terroir and Terroir TriBeCa in Manhattan. The Canada native joined the New York City restaurant scene in 1991, working at celebrated restaurants such as Bouley, Gotham Bar and Grill and Gabriel’s. In 1994, he opened JUdson Grill. Paul then joined three-star Gramercy Tavern, where he worked as Assistant General Manager. During his tenure, Gramercy Tavern won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Service and Outstanding Wine Service. In 2003, Paul and fellow Gramercy Tavern alum Marco Canora opened Hearth Restaurant in the East Village, which earned a glowing two-star New York Times review and praise for Paul’s creative wine list. In 2008 they opened Terroir, a wine bar just steps away from Hearth, and Terroir TriBeCa in 2010. At both locations, Paul has earned loyal fans and critical acclaim for his quirky wine list and contagious enthusiasm for “grape juice.”
Ray Isle
Ray Isle is Executive Wine Editor of FOOD & WINE, the modern, stylish, trend-spotting, talent-seeking epicurean brand. In addition to overseeing F&W’s wine department, Isle writes the monthly column, Tasting Room, for the magazine, directs the title’s spirits coverage, and is the author of foodandwine.com’s wine blog, Tasting Room. Isle was promoted from wine editor in 2010, and has also served as deputy wine editor and senior editor.
Prior to joining FOOD & WINE in 2005, Isle was managing editor of Wine & Spirits Magazine. His articles about wine, food and spirits have appeared in a wide range of publications including Wine & Spirits, The Washington Post, Martha Stewart Living and Gastronomica, and he has been nominated for a James Beard Award. Isle has also worked in sales and marketing for a wine importer and taught fiction writing at Stanford University.
Isle regularly conducts wine tasting seminars at epicurean events and appears as a wine and spirits expert on national television, including NBC’s Today and CBS’s The Early Show. In addition, he regular reports his tasting adventures on twitter.com/islewine.
Kate Krader
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Tim Love
The unofficial mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, Tim Love has become a nationally recognized culinary personality known as much for his freewheeling personality as his signature urban western cuisine. As the chef and owner of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and two Love Shacks in Fort Worth, he’s as comfortable cooking for the Dallas Cowboys as he is for his own kids, and his inspired and innovative dishes have earned critical and popular acclaim.
In 2007, Love opened a classic burger joint called The Love Shack in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards district. The Love Shack was another instant hit, and was singled out as having the “most perfect burger on the planet” by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Love opened a second Love Shack in July 2009 and has plans for a third location in early 2011.
Through his restaurants and work in the community, Love has become the de facto culinary ambassador for the state of Texas, always doing his fans and family proud. His charm and southern hospitality are always on display, and guests love watching Love cook, whether it’s at his restaurants, with Paula Deen, on Top Chef Masters, or on Iron Chef America.
David Lynch
After more than 16 years of working and living in New York City, David Lynch decamped for the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009, joining the Michelin-starred Quince Restaurant as its beverage director. David is also the author of IACP award-winning Vino Italiano and Vino Italian Buying Guide, the Italian wine lover’s reference of choice.
Previously, David was senior editor at Wine & Spirits, where he won a James Beard Award for his writing. After traveling throughout Italy, he launched his career as sommelier at New York’s famed Babbo Ristorante. There he acted as the restaurant’s wine director and general manager. During his tenure, David grew Babbo’s wine program into one of the nation’s best, winning a James Beard Award for outstanding wine service
David remains active as a writer, publishing articles on wine and food in publications such as FOOD & WINE and GQ. David and his wife, Josie, have a 3-year-old son, Ellis. They live in San Anselmo, California.
Jim Meehan
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Danny Meyer
Danny Meyer is the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which includes Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, Shake Shack, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, as well as Hudson Yards. Danny, his restaurants and chefs have earned an unprecedented 19 James Beard Awards. All five of Danny’s fine dining restaurants have earned three stars from the New York Times and for the past decade Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern have vied for &##35;1 and &##35;2 among Zagat Survey’s Most Popular Restaurants in New York. In addition, Eleven Madison Park was recently designated Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux, joining the ranks of one of the world’s most exclusive associations of hotels and gourmet restaurants.
Michel Nischan
As the son of displaced farmers, Michel Nischan, CEO, Founder and President, grew up with a great appreciation for local agriculture and those who work the land. He translated these childhood values into a career as a James Beard Award-winning chef, author and restaurateur, becoming a catalyst for change in the sustainable food movement. An Ashoka Fellow, Michel serves on the Board of Trustees for the James Beard Foundation and The Center for Health and the Global Environment (Harvard Medical School).
Marnie Old
Sommelier and author Marnie Old is one of the country’s leading wine personalities and a breath of fresh air in the wine world. An engaging and energetic speaker, she is sought out for her intuitive ‘plain english’ explanations of complex wine topics. Marnie hosts Philly.com’s weekly wine and spirits webisode series Uncorked, writes a humorous wine column for the Philadelphia Daily News and teaches at New York’s luxurious Astor Center. Her latest book, Wine Secrets, is a collection of practical wine advice shared by 40 of the world’s top wine experts. Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan’s esteemed French Culinary Institute, Marnie served as the founding education chairperson for the American Sommelier Association. Marnie also co-authored He Said Beer, She Said Wine, a colorful and entertaining debate on food pairing with Discovery Channel beer guru Sam Calagione, host of Brew Masters and founder of Dogfish Head Brewery.
Mark Oldman
Passionate about helping wine enthusiasts jostle the jaded and slay the snooty, Mark Oldman is one of the country’s leading wine personalities. His signature style was summed up as “winespeak without the geek” and “the ideal mix of wine connoisseur, showman, and everyday dude.”
Mark’s new book, Oldman’s Brave New World of Wine, was called “the perfect book for someone who’s just caught the butg, or would like to” by the Wall Street Journal. The New Yorker deemed his first book, the award-winning Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine, “the perfect primer—concise, evenhanded, fun and practical.”
Mark is a renowned speaker and a lead judge in the PBS television series The Winemakers.
Claudine Pépin
Many of you have watched Claudine Pépin in partnership with her father, world-renowned chef Jacques Pépin, preparing delicious meals and sharing cooking techniques on Jacques Pépin's Kitchen: Cooking with Claudine and Jacques Pépin's Kitchen: Encore with Claudine. All three of their public television shows have received the notable James Beard Award. In addition, Claudine has had numerous television appearances, including Cooking Live with Sara Moulton, Good Morning America and Molto Mario.
With an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Philosophy, and graduate work in International Relations from Boston University, Claudine spent a great deal of time in the wine industry. She spent two years as the brand ambassador for Moöt & Chandon and Dom Pérignon Champagne while teaching wine pairing for both the French Culinary Institute and the Sommelier Society in New York.
In 2002, Claudine was named Woman of the Year by the Académie Culinaire de France— Filiale des Etats Unis. She continues to do television and events with her Father, Jacques, and is a guest instructor for Food University.
Jacques Pépin
One of America’s best-known chefs, cookbook authors and cooking teachers, Jacques Pépin has published 26 books and hosted 11 acclaimed public television cooking series, the most recent of which is a companion to his latest book, Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way. A new book and complementary PBS series, both tentatively entitled Essential Pépin, are scheduled for release in the fall of 2011. The book will encompass hundreds of recipes from Mr. Pépin's long career, some of which he will demonstrate on the accompanying series.
Paul Roberts
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Andrea Robinson
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Kevin Sbraga
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Leslie Sbrocco
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Gail Simmons
Gail Simmons joined FOOD & WINE in 2004 and directs special projects for the magazine, acting as liaison between the marketing and editorial teams on magazine events and chef-related initiatives. During her tenure, she has been responsible for the annual FOOD & WINE Classic. Before joining FOOD & WINE, Gail was the special events manager for chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire.
Gail is a trained culinary expert, food writer and dynamic television personality. Since the show’s inception, she has lent her expertise as permanent judge on BRAVO’s Emmy- and James Beard Award winning series Top Chef. Now in its eighth successful season, Top Chef is rated the number one food show on cable television. Most recently, Gail was host of Top Chef: Just Desserts, Bravo’s pastry- focused spin-off of the Top Chef franchise. She is also a regular judge on Top Chef Masters. She makes frequent appearances on Today on NBC, LXTV, CBS's The Early Show, ABC's Good Morning America and Fox & Friends.
Gail began her career writing about food in Toronto, and received her formal culinary training at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Gail trained at both Le Cirque 2000 and Vong restaurants and then worked for food critic Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue. She has contributed to several cookbooks, including It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and The New American Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Gail lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy.
Michael Symon
Chef/owner of critically acclaimed restaurants Lola and Lolita, chef/partner of Roast in Detroit Michigan and chef/owner of Bar Symon and B-Spot, Michael has earned much attention through the years for his thoughtful cooking style.
As a celebrity chef with several programs on The Food Network and The Cooking Channel, winner of The James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Great Lakes Region/2009 and proud author of the cookbook Michael Symon’s Live to Cook, Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen, Michael is renowned in the culinary world and adored in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai is the James Beard Award-winning chef/owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA. An Emmy Award-winner, Ming hosts and executive produces the Emmy-nominated Simply Ming, now in its eighth season. Ming is the author of four cookbooks: Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai, Simply Ming, Ming’s Master Recipes and Simply Ming One-Pot Meal, which was released in the Fall of 2010. Ming is a national spokesperson for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), and is proud to have worked with Massachusetts Legislature to help write Bill S. 2701, signed into law in January 2009. Ming’s Blue Ginger® Multi-Grain Brown Rice Chips are a hugely popular item in club stores across the nation. Ming is a proud member of Common Threads, the Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Round Table, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Cam Neely Foundation and Squashbusters. For more information on Ming visit www.ming.com.
Laura Werlin
Laura Werlin is one of the country's foremost authorities on cheese and the award-winning author of four books on the subject. An expert in cheese and wine pairing and American artisan cheese, Werlin received the James Beard Award for her book The All American Cheese and Wine Book, which was the first in America to focus entirely on cheese and wine pairing. Werlin also wrote the ground-breaking The New American Cheese, the popular Great Grilled Cheese and the James Beard Award nominated Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials.
In addition to television and radio appearances, Werlin has been featured in instructive cheese-related videos on the website chow.com. She also writes for national magazines, including FOOD & WINE.
Werlin frequently conducts cheese and wine pairing, cheese education and cooking classes across the country. She is a regular instructor at The Cheese School of San Francisco. Her website is laurawerlin.com.
Joshua Wesson
Once a hugely respected sommelier who reveled in the extravagance of princely pours, Joshua Wesson now sips from the cups of carpenters as lord of wine, beer and spirits at Best Cellars at A&P, a chain of value-oriented wine stores. Wine Enthusiast recently honored Josh and Best Cellars with the Wine Star Award as Retailer of the Year.
A leading authority on wine and food pairings, Josh has written extensively on the subject. He won the title of Best Sommelier in French Wines & Spirits in the United States and was nominated for the Who's Who in American Cooking. FOOD & WINE named him Retail Wine Innovator of the Year in 1997. Josh also received the prestigious Ambassador's Award from the European Wine Council.
Josh has been a frequent guest on CBS’s The Early Show and CNN. He is also a regular commentator on NPR/Public Radio International’s The Splendid Table. His latest book, Williams-Sonoma Food & Wine, is available everywhere lushly photographed food porn is sold.
