# processed_career_life_2_para_df_f

name: Einat Admony
first_name: Einat
last_name: Admony
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Admony was one of the first chefs to introduce Israeli cuisine to Americans. Admony has opened 13 restaurants in her career. New York eateries include Taim Falafel, Kish-Kash, and Balaboosta. The Taim franchise, with six locations across the U.S., was made possible by an investment from Chipotle, the Mexican fast-food chain. She appeared on the Food Network’s reality television show Chopped three times and won twice. Admony returned as a judge on the show. Host Ted Allen lists Admony as one of the four most memorable women to compete on the show. In 2019, Admony took comedy lessons and began performing at the Comedy Cellar in New York.

personal_sec:
She is married to Stefan Nafziger, who is also her business partner. They have two children. The family lives in Brooklyn.

info:
Admony was one of the first chefs to introduce Israeli cuisine to Americans. Admony has opened 13 restaurants in her career. New York eateries include Taim Falafel, Kish-Kash, and Balaboosta. The Taim franchise, with six locations across the U.S., was made possible by an investment from Chipotle, the Mexican fast-food chain. She appeared on the Food Network’s reality television show Chopped three times and won twice. Admony returned as a judge on the show. Host Ted Allen lists Admony as one of the four most memorable women to compete on the show. In 2019, Admony took comedy lessons and began performing at the Comedy Cellar in New York.She is married to Stefan Nafziger, who is also her business partner. They have two children. The family lives in Brooklyn.


name: Ashleigh Shanti
first_name: Ashleigh
last_name: Shanti
gender: F
personal_sec: Shanti loves rap music and writes rap songs in her free time.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Early in her career, Shanti worked as a cook and culinary event producer in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After culinary school, she worked for Cindy Wolf at Charleston and Cinghiale in Charleston, South Carolina. She bartended briefly and worked in catering in El Paso, Texas. For over two years, Shanti worked as Vivian Howard's culinary assistant. Shanti supported Howard's work in A Chef's Life. Shanti appeared alongside Howard in the episode "Dumpling Dilemma" of Howard's television show Somewhere South. Upon leaving her position with Howard, Shanti began traveling the U.S., struggling to figure out where and what she wanted to do or where she wanted to live. During her travels, she was inspired by her visit to The Grey and a conference in Denmark, where she saw Jeannette Ehlers talk about reclaiming African history. She worked at minibar, the José Andrés restaurant in Washington, D.C. During a camping trip to Shenandoah National Park, Shanti saw a display at the visitors center about African Americans in Appalachia. Her grandmother and great-grandmother lived in the Appalachian Mountain. The culmination of the display and her maternal heritage inspired Shanti to begin pursuing Black Appalachian cuisine. In October 2018, Shanti met John Fleer, owner-chef of Rhubarb. Fleer and Shanti had similar culinary interests: celebrating African and African American culinary traditions. Fleer hired Shanti serve as chef de cuisine and to help create the menu at Benne on Eagle, the restaurant at The Foundry Hotel in Asheville. The restaurant opened in 2018. In 2019, Shanti was named one of "16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America" by The New York Times. That same year, she was also named one of Eater's "Young Guns" of the year and Benne on Eagle was named one of Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants. Shanti was named a semi-finalist for the 2020 James Beard Award for "Rising Star Chef of the Year."

info:
Early in her career, Shanti worked as a cook and culinary event producer in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After culinary school, she worked for Cindy Wolf at Charleston and Cinghiale in Charleston, South Carolina. She bartended briefly and worked in catering in El Paso, Texas. For over two years, Shanti worked as Vivian Howard's culinary assistant. Shanti supported Howard's work in A Chef's Life. Shanti appeared alongside Howard in the episode "Dumpling Dilemma" of Howard's television show Somewhere South. Upon leaving her position with Howard, Shanti began traveling the U.S., struggling to figure out where and what she wanted to do or where she wanted to live. During her travels, she was inspired by her visit to The Grey and a conference in Denmark, where she saw Jeannette Ehlers talk about reclaiming African history. She worked at minibar, the José Andrés restaurant in Washington, D.C. During a camping trip to Shenandoah National Park, Shanti saw a display at the visitors center about African Americans in Appalachia. Her grandmother and great-grandmother lived in the Appalachian Mountain. The culmination of the display and her maternal heritage inspired Shanti to begin pursuing Black Appalachian cuisine. In October 2018, Shanti met John Fleer, owner-chef of Rhubarb. Fleer and Shanti had similar culinary interests: celebrating African and African American culinary traditions. Fleer hired Shanti serve as chef de cuisine and to help create the menu at Benne on Eagle, the restaurant at The Foundry Hotel in Asheville. The restaurant opened in 2018. In 2019, Shanti was named one of "16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America" by The New York Times. That same year, she was also named one of Eater's "Young Guns" of the year and Benne on Eagle was named one of Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants. Shanti was named a semi-finalist for the 2020 James Beard Award for "Rising Star Chef of the Year."Shanti loves rap music and writes rap songs in her free time.


name: Eliza Jane Ashley
first_name: Eliza
last_name: Ashley
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Liza went to work at the governor's mansion in Little Rock in 1954, and became head cook in 1956 after Alta Faubus, Governor Orval Faubus' wife, insisted on having a woman in that position. Eliza Ashley (as she was after 1960) remained in that position until her retirement in December 1990, except for 1967-71, when Governor Winthrop Rockefeller gave the job to his personal chef. Ashley's work was recognized as early as 1974, when December 20th was declared "Eliza Jane Ashley Day" by Governor Dale Bumpers. She was given the key to the city of Lonoke, Arkansas in 1986; North Little Rock, Arkansas celebrated "Liza Ashley Day" on August 25, 1994, and she was proclaimed the "Countess of Pulaski" in 1997. Ashley visited the Clintons in the White House several times during the Clinton administration. Ashley was profiled in Ebony Magazine in the July 1989 issue. In 1985 Ashley and mansion administrator Carolyn Huber published a cookbook entitled Thirty Years at the Mansion, which led to Ashley appearing on Good Morning America and being interviewed on CNN. The book has been reprinted several times.

personal_sec:
Ashley was born Eliza Jane Burnett, the daughter of William and Eliza Jane Burnett, on the Oldham Plantation in Lonoke County, Arkansas. She learned to cook from her grandmother, the Oldham's cook. She married Calvin Dodson in 1933 on the Oldham Plantation. In 1942 she left the plantation and worked at a variety of housekeeping and cooking jobs. In 1951 her only child, Louis Calvin Dodson, was born in Little Rock. Her first marriage ended in divorce and she married Fred Ashley in 1960. She was for many years a member of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock. Sometime after her ninetieth birthday Ashley moved to California.

info:
Ashley was born Eliza Jane Burnett, the daughter of William and Eliza Jane Burnett, on the Oldham Plantation in Lonoke County, Arkansas. She learned to cook from her grandmother, the Oldham's cook. She married Calvin Dodson in 1933 on the Oldham Plantation. In 1942 she left the plantation and worked at a variety of housekeeping and cooking jobs. In 1951 her only child, Louis Calvin Dodson, was born in Little Rock. Her first marriage ended in divorce and she married Fred Ashley in 1960. She was for many years a member of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock. Sometime after her ninetieth birthday Ashley moved to California.Liza went to work at the governor's mansion in Little Rock in 1954, and became head cook in 1956 after Alta Faubus, Governor Orval Faubus' wife, insisted on having a woman in that position. Eliza Ashley (as she was after 1960) remained in that position until her retirement in December 1990, except for 1967-71, when Governor Winthrop Rockefeller gave the job to his personal chef. Ashley's work was recognized as early as 1974, when December 20th was declared "Eliza Jane Ashley Day" by Governor Dale Bumpers. She was given the key to the city of Lonoke, Arkansas in 1986; North Little Rock, Arkansas celebrated "Liza Ashley Day" on August 25, 1994, and she was proclaimed the "Countess of Pulaski" in 1997. Ashley visited the Clintons in the White House several times during the Clinton administration. Ashley was profiled in Ebony Magazine in the July 1989 issue. In 1985 Ashley and mansion administrator Carolyn Huber published a cookbook entitled Thirty Years at the Mansion, which led to Ashley appearing on Good Morning America and being interviewed on CNN. The book has been reprinted several times.


name: Lidia Bastianich
first_name: Lidia
last_name: Bastianich
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In 1971, the Bastianiches opened their first restaurant, the tiny Buonavia, meaning "good road", in the Forest Hills section of Queens, with Bastianich as its hostess. They created their restaurant's menu by copying recipes from the most popular and successful Italian restaurants of the day, and they hired the best Italian-American chef that they could find. After a brief break to deliver her second child Tanya, in 1972 Bastianich began training as the assistant chef at Buonavia, gradually learning enough to cook popular Italian dishes on her own, after which the couple began adding traditional Istrian dishes to their menu. The success of Buonavia led to the opening of the second restaurant in Queens, Villa Secondo. It was here that Bastianich gained the attention of local food critics and started to give live cooking demonstrations, a prelude to her future career as a television cooking show hostess. In 1981, Bastianich's father died, and the family sold their two Queens restaurants and purchased a small Manhattan brownstone containing a pre-existing restaurant on the East Side of Manhattan near the 59th Street Bridge to Queens. They converted it into what would eventually become their flagship restaurant, Felidia (a contraction of "Felice" and "Lidia"). After liquidating nearly every asset they had to cover $750,000 worth of renovations, Felidia finally opened to near-universal acclaim from their loyal following of food critics, including The New York Times, which gave Felidia three stars. One of Felidia's chefs was not Italian. He was Puerto-Rico-born David Torres, known at the restaurant as Davide'. He died of throat cancer in 1996. Although Lidia and Felice sent their two children to college without expectations that either would go into the restaurant business, Joseph, who had frequently done odd jobs for his parents at Felidia, gave up his newly launched career as a Wall Street bond trader and in 1993 convinced his parents to partner with him to open Becco (Italian for "peck, nibble, savor") in the Theater District in Manhattan. Like Felidia, Becco was an immediate success and led to the opening of additional restaurants outside New York City, including Lidia's Kansas City in 1998, and Lidia's Pittsburgh in 2001. In 1993, Julia Child invited Bastianich to tape an episode of her Public Television series Julia Child: Cooking With Master Chefs, which featured acclaimed chefs from around the U.S., preparing dishes in their own home kitchens. The guest appearance gave Bastianich confidence and determination to expand the Bastianich family's own commercial interests. By the late 1990s, Bastianich's restaurants had evolved into a truly family-owned and operated enterprise. Bastianich's mother, Erminia Motika, maintained the large garden behind the family home, from which Bastianich chose ingredients to use in recipe development. Joe was the chief sommelier of the restaurant group, in addition to branching out into his own restaurant line. Bastianich's daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali used her Ph.D in Italian art history as the foundation for a travel agency partnership with her mother called Esperienze Italiane, through which Tanya and friend Shelly Burgess Nicotra (Executive Producer of Bastianich's television series and head of PR at Lidia's Italy) offered tours throughout Italy. Tanya's husband, attorney Corrado Manuali, became the restaurant group's chief legal counsel. In 2010, Bastianich and her son partnered with Oscar Farinetti to open Eataly, a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) food emporium in Manhattan that is devoted to the food and culinary traditions of Italy. Bastianich offers culinary and gastronomy classes to the public at Eataly's school, La Scuola. Eataly's motto is "We sell what we cook, and we cook what we sell". Eataly is now in Chicago and São Paulo, Brazil. They opened a second store in New York at the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 2016 and another one in Boston the same year. Recent openings include Eataly in Los Angeles in 2017, in Las Vegas in 2018, and in Toronto in 2019. The fall of 2010 also marked the debut of Lidia's Kitchen, an exclusive line of commercial cookware, and serving ware for QVC. Along with her daughter Tanya, and son-in-law Corrado Manuali, Bastianich launched Nonna Foods as a platform to distribute an array of both existing and new LIDIA'S food products. Nonna Foods has 9 cuts of pasta and 9 varieties of sauces (including two USDA Certified Organic sauces) available nationwide. Together with her son Joseph, Bastianich produces award-winning wines at Bastianich Vineyard in Friuli Venezia Giulia and La Mozza Vineyard in Maremma, Italy. In 1998, Public Television offered Bastianich her own television series which became Lidia's Italian Table. It established her as a fixture in the network's line-up of cooking shows. Since then she has hosted additional public television series, including Lidia's Family Table, Lidia's Italy, Lidia's Italy in America, and Lidia's Kitchen. She also hosted a series of hour-long Public Television specials called Lidia Celebrates America, which premiered in 2011 with Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables & Traditions. In the series, Bastianich celebrates the diversity of cultures across the United States and explores the American immigrant experience. The following special, Lidia Celebrates America: Weddings – Something Borrowed, Something New, aired in 2012; Lidia Celebrates America: Freedom & Independence in 2013; Lidia Celebrates America: Life's Milestones in 2013; Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables and Traditions in 2015; Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday for Heroes in 2016; Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes in 2017, and Lidia Celebrates America: A Heartland Holiday Feast in 2018, and Lidia Celebrates America: The Return of the Artisans in 2019. Bastianich ends each episode of her show with an invitation to join her and her family for a meal, Tutti a tavola a mangiare! (Italian for "Everyone to the table to eat"). For the 2010 holiday season, her new television production company, Tavola Productions, created an animated holiday children's special for Public Television "Lidia's Christmas Kitchen: Nonna Tell Me a Story" to go along with the book by the same title that was written by Bastianich. In 2013, Bastianich returned to Public Television with Lidia's Kitchen, a 26-part series produced by Tavola Productions. The sixth season ran from October 2018 through March 2019. The seventh season premiered in October 2019. Among Bastianich's television show appearances, she participated as a celebrity judge on MasterChef USA, an adaptation of the BBC MasterChef (UK TV series) in 2000. Her son, Joseph Bastianich, would later go on to star as a celebrity judge on the Gordon Ramsay version of MasterChef. Bastianich has also appeared on the Italian television show Junior MasterChef Italia in 2014 and 2015 for Season 1 and Season 2. In 2016 and 2017, she was a judge for the Italian television show, La Prova del Cuoco. In 2020, alongside son Joe Bastianich and Antonino Cannavacciuolo, she was a judge on the cooking competition show on Sky, Family Food Fight. Bastianich has authored several cookbooks to accompany her television series:

personal_sec:
At her sweet sixteen birthday party, she was introduced to her future husband, Felice "Felix" Bastianich, a fellow Istrian immigrant and restaurant worker from Labin (Albona), on the eastern coast of Istria, Croatia. The couple married in 1966 and Lidia gave birth to their son, Joseph, in 1968. Their second child, Tanya, was born in 1972. After many disagreements about the direction their entrepreneurial and personal lives had taken — most notably the pace of the expansion and character of their business — Lidia and Felice divorced in 1998. Bastianich continued expanding her business while Felice transferred his shares in the business to their two children. He died on December 12, 2010. Bastianich lives in Douglaston, Queens, with her mother, Erminia Motika. Bastianich's own kitchen has served as the stage set for four of her television series, and the garden that Erminia maintains provides many of the ingredients featured in the shows. Erminia, who answers to "grandma," frequently serves as a sous-chef in various episodes of the television series. Joe Bastianich occasionally appears in his mother's series to offer wine expertise. He, his wife Deanna, and their three children live in New York City. Tanya Bastianich Manuali, with her husband Corrado Manuali and their two children, lives just a few blocks away from her mother. Tanya is integrally involved in the production of Lidia's public television series as an owner and Executive Producer of Tavola Productions and is active daily in the family restaurant business. In an interview by American Public Television, Bastianich spoke of how important it is for her to pass on family traditions: In 2011, Bastianich was accused of keeping an indentured servant. The subsequent lawsuit was tossed out in 2012 by a lower court that held that the plaintiff was not a slave because she received health insurance, room and board and other perks in lieu of getting paid. The claimant later recanted the principal accusations of the lawsuit.

info:
In 1971, the Bastianiches opened their first restaurant, the tiny Buonavia, meaning "good road", in the Forest Hills section of Queens, with Bastianich as its hostess. They created their restaurant's menu by copying recipes from the most popular and successful Italian restaurants of the day, and they hired the best Italian-American chef that they could find. After a brief break to deliver her second child Tanya, in 1972 Bastianich began training as the assistant chef at Buonavia, gradually learning enough to cook popular Italian dishes on her own, after which the couple began adding traditional Istrian dishes to their menu. The success of Buonavia led to the opening of the second restaurant in Queens, Villa Secondo. It was here that Bastianich gained the attention of local food critics and started to give live cooking demonstrations, a prelude to her future career as a television cooking show hostess. In 1981, Bastianich's father died, and the family sold their two Queens restaurants and purchased a small Manhattan brownstone containing a pre-existing restaurant on the East Side of Manhattan near the 59th Street Bridge to Queens. They converted it into what would eventually become their flagship restaurant, Felidia (a contraction of "Felice" and "Lidia"). After liquidating nearly every asset they had to cover $750,000 worth of renovations, Felidia finally opened to near-universal acclaim from their loyal following of food critics, including The New York Times, which gave Felidia three stars. One of Felidia's chefs was not Italian. He was Puerto-Rico-born David Torres, known at the restaurant as Davide'. He died of throat cancer in 1996. Although Lidia and Felice sent their two children to college without expectations that either would go into the restaurant business, Joseph, who had frequently done odd jobs for his parents at Felidia, gave up his newly launched career as a Wall Street bond trader and in 1993 convinced his parents to partner with him to open Becco (Italian for "peck, nibble, savor") in the Theater District in Manhattan. Like Felidia, Becco was an immediate success and led to the opening of additional restaurants outside New York City, including Lidia's Kansas City in 1998, and Lidia's Pittsburgh in 2001. In 1993, Julia Child invited Bastianich to tape an episode of her Public Television series Julia Child: Cooking With Master Chefs, which featured acclaimed chefs from around the U.S., preparing dishes in their own home kitchens. The guest appearance gave Bastianich confidence and determination to expand the Bastianich family's own commercial interests. By the late 1990s, Bastianich's restaurants had evolved into a truly family-owned and operated enterprise. Bastianich's mother, Erminia Motika, maintained the large garden behind the family home, from which Bastianich chose ingredients to use in recipe development. Joe was the chief sommelier of the restaurant group, in addition to branching out into his own restaurant line. Bastianich's daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali used her Ph.D in Italian art history as the foundation for a travel agency partnership with her mother called Esperienze Italiane, through which Tanya and friend Shelly Burgess Nicotra (Executive Producer of Bastianich's television series and head of PR at Lidia's Italy) offered tours throughout Italy. Tanya's husband, attorney Corrado Manuali, became the restaurant group's chief legal counsel. In 2010, Bastianich and her son partnered with Oscar Farinetti to open Eataly, a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) food emporium in Manhattan that is devoted to the food and culinary traditions of Italy. Bastianich offers culinary and gastronomy classes to the public at Eataly's school, La Scuola. Eataly's motto is "We sell what we cook, and we cook what we sell". Eataly is now in Chicago and São Paulo, Brazil. They opened a second store in New York at the World Trade Center in Manhattan in 2016 and another one in Boston the same year. Recent openings include Eataly in Los Angeles in 2017, in Las Vegas in 2018, and in Toronto in 2019. The fall of 2010 also marked the debut of Lidia's Kitchen, an exclusive line of commercial cookware, and serving ware for QVC. Along with her daughter Tanya, and son-in-law Corrado Manuali, Bastianich launched Nonna Foods as a platform to distribute an array of both existing and new LIDIA'S food products. Nonna Foods has 9 cuts of pasta and 9 varieties of sauces (including two USDA Certified Organic sauces) available nationwide. Together with her son Joseph, Bastianich produces award-winning wines at Bastianich Vineyard in Friuli Venezia Giulia and La Mozza Vineyard in Maremma, Italy. In 1998, Public Television offered Bastianich her own television series which became Lidia's Italian Table. It established her as a fixture in the network's line-up of cooking shows. Since then she has hosted additional public television series, including Lidia's Family Table, Lidia's Italy, Lidia's Italy in America, and Lidia's Kitchen. She also hosted a series of hour-long Public Television specials called Lidia Celebrates America, which premiered in 2011 with Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables & Traditions. In the series, Bastianich celebrates the diversity of cultures across the United States and explores the American immigrant experience. The following special, Lidia Celebrates America: Weddings – Something Borrowed, Something New, aired in 2012; Lidia Celebrates America: Freedom & Independence in 2013; Lidia Celebrates America: Life's Milestones in 2013; Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday Tables and Traditions in 2015; Lidia Celebrates America: Holiday for Heroes in 2016; Lidia Celebrates America: Homegrown Heroes in 2017, and Lidia Celebrates America: A Heartland Holiday Feast in 2018, and Lidia Celebrates America: The Return of the Artisans in 2019. Bastianich ends each episode of her show with an invitation to join her and her family for a meal, Tutti a tavola a mangiare! (Italian for "Everyone to the table to eat"). For the 2010 holiday season, her new television production company, Tavola Productions, created an animated holiday children's special for Public Television "Lidia's Christmas Kitchen: Nonna Tell Me a Story" to go along with the book by the same title that was written by Bastianich. In 2013, Bastianich returned to Public Television with Lidia's Kitchen, a 26-part series produced by Tavola Productions. The sixth season ran from October 2018 through March 2019. The seventh season premiered in October 2019. Among Bastianich's television show appearances, she participated as a celebrity judge on MasterChef USA, an adaptation of the BBC MasterChef (UK TV series) in 2000. Her son, Joseph Bastianich, would later go on to star as a celebrity judge on the Gordon Ramsay version of MasterChef. Bastianich has also appeared on the Italian television show Junior MasterChef Italia in 2014 and 2015 for Season 1 and Season 2. In 2016 and 2017, she was a judge for the Italian television show, La Prova del Cuoco. In 2020, alongside son Joe Bastianich and Antonino Cannavacciuolo, she was a judge on the cooking competition show on Sky, Family Food Fight. Bastianich has authored several cookbooks to accompany her television series:At her sweet sixteen birthday party, she was introduced to her future husband, Felice "Felix" Bastianich, a fellow Istrian immigrant and restaurant worker from Labin (Albona), on the eastern coast of Istria, Croatia. The couple married in 1966 and Lidia gave birth to their son, Joseph, in 1968. Their second child, Tanya, was born in 1972. After many disagreements about the direction their entrepreneurial and personal lives had taken — most notably the pace of the expansion and character of their business — Lidia and Felice divorced in 1998. Bastianich continued expanding her business while Felice transferred his shares in the business to their two children. He died on December 12, 2010. Bastianich lives in Douglaston, Queens, with her mother, Erminia Motika. Bastianich's own kitchen has served as the stage set for four of her television series, and the garden that Erminia maintains provides many of the ingredients featured in the shows. Erminia, who answers to "grandma," frequently serves as a sous-chef in various episodes of the television series. Joe Bastianich occasionally appears in his mother's series to offer wine expertise. He, his wife Deanna, and their three children live in New York City. Tanya Bastianich Manuali, with her husband Corrado Manuali and their two children, lives just a few blocks away from her mother. Tanya is integrally involved in the production of Lidia's public television series as an owner and Executive Producer of Tavola Productions and is active daily in the family restaurant business. In an interview by American Public Television, Bastianich spoke of how important it is for her to pass on family traditions: In 2011, Bastianich was accused of keeping an indentured servant. The subsequent lawsuit was tossed out in 2012 by a lower court that held that the plaintiff was not a slave because she received health insurance, room and board and other perks in lieu of getting paid. The claimant later recanted the principal accusations of the lawsuit.


name: Anne Burrell
first_name: Anne
last_name: Burrell
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After the ICIF experience, Burrell remained in Italy, working in various restaurants for nine months. She worked at La Bottega del '30, a small restaurant in Tuscany with one seating each night. Burrell returned to the U.S. as a sous chef at Felidia, owned by celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. The connection with Bastianich would help her career. She became the chef at Savoy, a small prix fixe dining room. After Savoy, Burrell began teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education. Lidia Bastianich's son and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich, and Chef Mario Batali named Burrell the chef for Italian Wine Merchants, their New York wine store.  The Batali connection would further propel her career. She later became the executive chef of Centro Vinoteca, an Italian restaurant in New York City's West Village area which opened in 2007. She left the restaurant in September 2008 due to her busy schedule and many commitments.  The departure also meant that she would not start at Gusto Ristorante, as both of the restaurants are part of Mangia Hospitality Group. Burrell planned to open her first restaurant in 2010 in New York City. Burrell opened her restaurant, Phil & Anne's Good Time Lounge, in Brooklyn in spring 2017, though as of April 2018, the restaurant has closed. In 2005, Iron Chef Mario Batali asked Burrell to serve as one of his sous chefs, along with chef and restaurateur Mark Ladner, for a pilot taping of Food Network's Iron Chef America series. She continued to serve as his sous chef during his tenure with the show. Burrell's Food Network series Secrets of a Restaurant Chef debuted June 29, 2008. In 2009, she appeared on another Food Network show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, in which chefs recount their favorite dishes. In 2010, Burrell and Chef Beau MacMillan hosted a Food Network reality series named Worst Cooks in America. Burrell and her co-host lead contestants through a "culinary boot camp" on their journey to become better cooks. The first season premiered on January 3, 2010. Chef Burrell won the challenge when her recruit, Rachel Coleman, edged out MacMillan's recruit, Jenny Cross. The second season premiered on January 2, 2011, with Chef MacMillan being replaced by Chef Robert Irvine. To raise the stakes, Irvine and Burrell made a side bet, in which Burrell risked losing her signature hair and Irvine risked going platinum. Chef Burell won both the competition and the side-bet, when her recruit, Joshie Berger, edged out Irvine's recruit, Georg Coleman. Also in 2011, Burrell became the fourth runner up in the culinary competition, The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network, being eliminated in week six of the competition. The third season of Worst Cooks in America premiered on February 12, 2012. Chef Bobby Flay was the new co-host/chef for season three. Chef Burrell again won the competition, when her recruit Kelli Powers edged out Flay's recruit, Vinnie Caligiuri. Season four started on February 17, 2013. Season four concluded with Flay's team finally defeating Burrell's team, when his recruit, Alina Bolshakova, edged out Burrell's recruit, Rasheeda Brown. In 2009, Burrell also appeared with fellow Food Network personality Guy Fieri on the Guy Fieri Roadshow. Burrell, along with fellow Food Network personalities Sunny Anderson and Claire Robinson, appeared in the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Food Network float. Burrell hosted an 11-day Food Network cruise throughout the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic aboard the brand new Celebrity Silhouette in late 2011. From June 2012 through October 2013, Burrell hosted Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell on the Food Network. The show ran for three seasons and 36 episodes.

personal_sec:
Burrell released a statement to the New York Post in 2012 confirming that she had been in a relationship with her girlfriend, chef Koren Grieveson, for two years after cookbook author Ted Allen seemingly outed her on a radio show. Burrell disputed the notion she had been outed, saying she had not kept her sexuality a secret. On December 31, 2012, Anne publicly tweeted that she was engaged to Koren Grieveson, but as of 2018, she was dating Stuart Claxton. On April 21, 2020, Anne announced that she and Claxton were engaged.

info:
After the ICIF experience, Burrell remained in Italy, working in various restaurants for nine months. She worked at La Bottega del '30, a small restaurant in Tuscany with one seating each night. Burrell returned to the U.S. as a sous chef at Felidia, owned by celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. The connection with Bastianich would help her career. She became the chef at Savoy, a small prix fixe dining room. After Savoy, Burrell began teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education. Lidia Bastianich's son and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich, and Chef Mario Batali named Burrell the chef for Italian Wine Merchants, their New York wine store.  The Batali connection would further propel her career. She later became the executive chef of Centro Vinoteca, an Italian restaurant in New York City's West Village area which opened in 2007. She left the restaurant in September 2008 due to her busy schedule and many commitments.  The departure also meant that she would not start at Gusto Ristorante, as both of the restaurants are part of Mangia Hospitality Group. Burrell planned to open her first restaurant in 2010 in New York City. Burrell opened her restaurant, Phil & Anne's Good Time Lounge, in Brooklyn in spring 2017, though as of April 2018, the restaurant has closed. In 2005, Iron Chef Mario Batali asked Burrell to serve as one of his sous chefs, along with chef and restaurateur Mark Ladner, for a pilot taping of Food Network's Iron Chef America series. She continued to serve as his sous chef during his tenure with the show. Burrell's Food Network series Secrets of a Restaurant Chef debuted June 29, 2008. In 2009, she appeared on another Food Network show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, in which chefs recount their favorite dishes. In 2010, Burrell and Chef Beau MacMillan hosted a Food Network reality series named Worst Cooks in America. Burrell and her co-host lead contestants through a "culinary boot camp" on their journey to become better cooks. The first season premiered on January 3, 2010. Chef Burrell won the challenge when her recruit, Rachel Coleman, edged out MacMillan's recruit, Jenny Cross. The second season premiered on January 2, 2011, with Chef MacMillan being replaced by Chef Robert Irvine. To raise the stakes, Irvine and Burrell made a side bet, in which Burrell risked losing her signature hair and Irvine risked going platinum. Chef Burell won both the competition and the side-bet, when her recruit, Joshie Berger, edged out Irvine's recruit, Georg Coleman. Also in 2011, Burrell became the fourth runner up in the culinary competition, The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network, being eliminated in week six of the competition. The third season of Worst Cooks in America premiered on February 12, 2012. Chef Bobby Flay was the new co-host/chef for season three. Chef Burrell again won the competition, when her recruit Kelli Powers edged out Flay's recruit, Vinnie Caligiuri. Season four started on February 17, 2013. Season four concluded with Flay's team finally defeating Burrell's team, when his recruit, Alina Bolshakova, edged out Burrell's recruit, Rasheeda Brown. In 2009, Burrell also appeared with fellow Food Network personality Guy Fieri on the Guy Fieri Roadshow. Burrell, along with fellow Food Network personalities Sunny Anderson and Claire Robinson, appeared in the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Food Network float. Burrell hosted an 11-day Food Network cruise throughout the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic aboard the brand new Celebrity Silhouette in late 2011. From June 2012 through October 2013, Burrell hosted Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell on the Food Network. The show ran for three seasons and 36 episodes.Burrell released a statement to the New York Post in 2012 confirming that she had been in a relationship with her girlfriend, chef Koren Grieveson, for two years after cookbook author Ted Allen seemingly outed her on a radio show. Burrell disputed the notion she had been outed, saying she had not kept her sexuality a secret. On December 31, 2012, Anne publicly tweeted that she was engaged to Koren Grieveson, but as of 2018, she was dating Stuart Claxton. On April 21, 2020, Anne announced that she and Claxton were engaged.


name: Joanne Chang
first_name: Joanne
last_name: Chang
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After graduation, Chang worked as a consultant at the Monitor Group. While working at the company, she created a business plan for a company called Joanne's Kitchen and prepared cakes and cookies for her co-workers. Instead of her initial plan to apply to business school, she applied to work as a chef, despite having limited culinary experience. Chang began her professional cooking career as a garde-manger cook at Boston's Biba restaurant (she was initially hired to run the bar-food program but was soon promoted by Lydia Shire to making appetizers and salads), followed by stints as the pastry cook at Bentonwood Bakery in Newton, and in 1995, the Pastry Chef at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge.  In 1997, she began working at the cake department of Payard Patisserie in New York City, following a schedule of working from "4 a.m. to midnight, six days a week." Chang returned to Boston to work at Mistral and opened the first outpost of Flour in 2000. In 2007, Chang appeared on Food Network's "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and became "nationally known" for beating him. In 2015, she created a frozen yogurt flavor for Pinkberry. She teaches cooking courses.

personal_sec:
Chang is married to Boston restaurateur Christopher Myers.  Together, they opened Myers + Chang in 2007, which was "inspired in Taiwanese and South Asian street food, in the South End,” and co-own the restaurant. She ran every Boston Marathon between 1991 and 2006. Chang is a supporter of the No Kid Hungry organization, which seeks to eradicate childhood hunger, and the Family Reach organization.

info:
After graduation, Chang worked as a consultant at the Monitor Group. While working at the company, she created a business plan for a company called Joanne's Kitchen and prepared cakes and cookies for her co-workers. Instead of her initial plan to apply to business school, she applied to work as a chef, despite having limited culinary experience. Chang began her professional cooking career as a garde-manger cook at Boston's Biba restaurant (she was initially hired to run the bar-food program but was soon promoted by Lydia Shire to making appetizers and salads), followed by stints as the pastry cook at Bentonwood Bakery in Newton, and in 1995, the Pastry Chef at Rialto restaurant in Cambridge.  In 1997, she began working at the cake department of Payard Patisserie in New York City, following a schedule of working from "4 a.m. to midnight, six days a week." Chang returned to Boston to work at Mistral and opened the first outpost of Flour in 2000. In 2007, Chang appeared on Food Network's "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and became "nationally known" for beating him. In 2015, she created a frozen yogurt flavor for Pinkberry. She teaches cooking courses.Chang is married to Boston restaurateur Christopher Myers.  Together, they opened Myers + Chang in 2007, which was "inspired in Taiwanese and South Asian street food, in the South End,” and co-own the restaurant. She ran every Boston Marathon between 1991 and 2006. Chang is a supporter of the No Kid Hungry organization, which seeks to eradicate childhood hunger, and the Family Reach organization.


name: Stephanie Cmar
first_name: Stephanie
last_name: Cmar
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Cmar has worked at several restaurants including B&G Oysters, Stir, and at Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant, No.9 Park, as a sous-chef. In 2015, Cmar became the executive chef at Fairsted Kitchen in Boston. Cmar originally competed in the qualifying rounds on the first episode of season 10 of Top Chef, but was not chosen to move on into the competition proper. She was invited back to compete in Top Chef: New Orleans and placed seventh after a controversial elimination in which the worst-performing chef of the challenge could not be eliminated that round due to him having won immunity earlier in the episode. Cmar was invited to return again for season 17, Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. and was often described as the underdog of that season. Cmar made it to the finals in All-Stars L.A., but ultimately lost to Melissa King. In 2020, Cmar launched a mini online cooking show on her Instagram called, "My Shitty Little Kitchen", produced by Brian Pu Ruiz.

personal_sec:
In 2018, Cmar's brother Colton passed away from a drug overdose. Cmar spoke openly about her brother's death in Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. and said the first course of her finale meal was inspired by him. Cmar lives in Easthampton with her husband David.

info:
Cmar has worked at several restaurants including B&G Oysters, Stir, and at Barbara Lynch’s flagship restaurant, No.9 Park, as a sous-chef. In 2015, Cmar became the executive chef at Fairsted Kitchen in Boston. Cmar originally competed in the qualifying rounds on the first episode of season 10 of Top Chef, but was not chosen to move on into the competition proper. She was invited back to compete in Top Chef: New Orleans and placed seventh after a controversial elimination in which the worst-performing chef of the challenge could not be eliminated that round due to him having won immunity earlier in the episode. Cmar was invited to return again for season 17, Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. and was often described as the underdog of that season. Cmar made it to the finals in All-Stars L.A., but ultimately lost to Melissa King. In 2020, Cmar launched a mini online cooking show on her Instagram called, "My Shitty Little Kitchen", produced by Brian Pu Ruiz.In 2018, Cmar's brother Colton passed away from a drug overdose. Cmar spoke openly about her brother's death in Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. and said the first course of her finale meal was inspired by him. Cmar lives in Easthampton with her husband David.


name: Nina Compton
first_name: Nina
last_name: Compton
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Nina graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. She began her professional journey at Daniel in New York City, working and continuing her culinary education alongside world renowned chef/restaurateur Daniel Boulud and his team. After moving to Miami, she continued to work with the best, joining the crews of Norman Van Aken at the original/iconic Norman’s then Philippe Ruiz at Palme d’Or at the historic Biltmore Hotel. Eventually Nina moved to Casa Casuarina, a private club and boutique hotel in Miami Beach where she rose from Sous Chef to Executive Chef of the small yet highly acclaimed property. With the excitement of the 2008 reopening of the refurbished Fontainebleau Miami Beach, combined with the chance to work with Scott Conant at Scarpetta, Nina leapt at the chance to join the pre-opening team as Sous Chef and went on to be appointed Chef de Cuisine, where she earned raves and accolades. Compton competed on Season 11 of Top Chef. She was the Top Chef, Season 11 runner up and was voted fan favorite by viewers. In June 2015, Compton opened her own restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, Compère Lapin. Compère Lapin serves Caribbean-style cuisine and is located in the New Orleans Central Business District. In March 2018, Compton opened Bywater American Bistro in New Orleans with Husband/Partner Larry Miller and Chef/Partner Levi Rains.

personal_sec:
Compton is married to Larry Miller. She is the daughter of Sir John George Melvin Compton, who served as Prime Minister of Saint Lucia on three occasions.

info:
Nina graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. She began her professional journey at Daniel in New York City, working and continuing her culinary education alongside world renowned chef/restaurateur Daniel Boulud and his team. After moving to Miami, she continued to work with the best, joining the crews of Norman Van Aken at the original/iconic Norman’s then Philippe Ruiz at Palme d’Or at the historic Biltmore Hotel. Eventually Nina moved to Casa Casuarina, a private club and boutique hotel in Miami Beach where she rose from Sous Chef to Executive Chef of the small yet highly acclaimed property. With the excitement of the 2008 reopening of the refurbished Fontainebleau Miami Beach, combined with the chance to work with Scott Conant at Scarpetta, Nina leapt at the chance to join the pre-opening team as Sous Chef and went on to be appointed Chef de Cuisine, where she earned raves and accolades. Compton competed on Season 11 of Top Chef. She was the Top Chef, Season 11 runner up and was voted fan favorite by viewers. In June 2015, Compton opened her own restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, Compère Lapin. Compère Lapin serves Caribbean-style cuisine and is located in the New Orleans Central Business District. In March 2018, Compton opened Bywater American Bistro in New Orleans with Husband/Partner Larry Miller and Chef/Partner Levi Rains.Compton is married to Larry Miller. She is the daughter of Sir John George Melvin Compton, who served as Prime Minister of Saint Lucia on three occasions.


name: Cat Cora
first_name: Cat
last_name: Cora
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Her partnerships with various corporations include: Macy's, when in 2008 they opened Cat Cora's Que (CCQ), a restaurant in Costa Mesa, California; Disney, when in 2010 they launched a series of webisodes called Muppets Kitchen; a number of airports across the country including George Bush International Airport in Houston and Salt Lake City International Airport, where in 2011 and 2012, Cat Cora's Kitchen and Cat Cora's Gourmet markets were opened. She has also appeared on Simplify Your Life, was a co-host of the Food Network show Kitchen Accomplished, and in 2011 she launched her own line of cookware in conjunction with Starfrit, Canada's leading purveyor of food preparation products. In January 2005 Cora co-founded Chefs For Humanity, which describes itself as "a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals guided by a mission to quickly be able to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency and humanitarian aid, nutritional education, and hunger-related initiatives throughout the world." She has participated in charity wine auctions held by Auction Napa Valley. Cora also made television history in 2005 as the first female Iron Chef, joining Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Masaharu Morimoto on the first season of Food Network's "Iron Chef America", spending 10 seasons on the show. In 2006 she was hired as a paid spokesperson for InSinkErator Evolution series garbage disposals. She is Executive Chef for Bon Appétit magazine and a UNICEF spokesperson. In March 2006, Cora was the Grand Marshal for Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. In the September 2006 issue of FHM, Cora was featured in the cooking section, where she demonstrated various recipes using items purchased from a convenience store. Cat Cora also belongs to Macy's Culinary Councils, along with Tyler Florence, Rick Bayless, and others. She has worked as an entertainer for The Olivia Companies, a travel company catering to the lesbian market. In 2008, she had a voice role for the video game Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine. The eponymous Cat Cora, a new bar and lounge style restaurant, opened at Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in April 2011. Later in 2011, a Cat Cora's Kitchen was opened in Terminal E of the Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Cora also operated Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney's Boardwalk Resort at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Kouzzina closed on September 30, 2014. On July 12, 2015 Cora was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs® (AAC®) Hall of Fame by The American Culinary Federation, becoming the first female chef ever to receive this recognition. Cora opened The Ocean Restaurant at the S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa off Singapore in February 2013. The 63 seat restaurant is inside the world's largest oceanarium and has stunning views of deep-sea wildlife from every table. Cora is currently the co-host of Around the World in 80 Plates, an American reality competition show that premiered on May 9, 2012 on the Bravo cable TV network. Cora co-hosted the 2017 FOX reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules.

personal_sec:
Cora married her longtime partner Jennifer in June 2013, and the couple has four sons together via in vitro fertilization. In 2017, Cora began dating producer Nicole Ehrlich. They married on April 21, 2018, in Santa Barbara, California.

info:
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi, she enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Her partnerships with various corporations include: Macy's, when in 2008 they opened Cat Cora's Que (CCQ), a restaurant in Costa Mesa, California; Disney, when in 2010 they launched a series of webisodes called Muppets Kitchen; a number of airports across the country including George Bush International Airport in Houston and Salt Lake City International Airport, where in 2011 and 2012, Cat Cora's Kitchen and Cat Cora's Gourmet markets were opened. She has also appeared on Simplify Your Life, was a co-host of the Food Network show Kitchen Accomplished, and in 2011 she launched her own line of cookware in conjunction with Starfrit, Canada's leading purveyor of food preparation products. In January 2005 Cora co-founded Chefs For Humanity, which describes itself as "a grassroots coalition of chefs and culinary professionals guided by a mission to quickly be able to raise funds and provide resources for important emergency and humanitarian aid, nutritional education, and hunger-related initiatives throughout the world." She has participated in charity wine auctions held by Auction Napa Valley. Cora also made television history in 2005 as the first female Iron Chef, joining Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Masaharu Morimoto on the first season of Food Network's "Iron Chef America", spending 10 seasons on the show. In 2006 she was hired as a paid spokesperson for InSinkErator Evolution series garbage disposals. She is Executive Chef for Bon Appétit magazine and a UNICEF spokesperson. In March 2006, Cora was the Grand Marshal for Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Parade in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. In the September 2006 issue of FHM, Cora was featured in the cooking section, where she demonstrated various recipes using items purchased from a convenience store. Cat Cora also belongs to Macy's Culinary Councils, along with Tyler Florence, Rick Bayless, and others. She has worked as an entertainer for The Olivia Companies, a travel company catering to the lesbian market. In 2008, she had a voice role for the video game Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine. The eponymous Cat Cora, a new bar and lounge style restaurant, opened at Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in April 2011. Later in 2011, a Cat Cora's Kitchen was opened in Terminal E of the Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Cora also operated Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney's Boardwalk Resort at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Kouzzina closed on September 30, 2014. On July 12, 2015 Cora was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs® (AAC®) Hall of Fame by The American Culinary Federation, becoming the first female chef ever to receive this recognition. Cora opened The Ocean Restaurant at the S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa off Singapore in February 2013. The 63 seat restaurant is inside the world's largest oceanarium and has stunning views of deep-sea wildlife from every table. Cora is currently the co-host of Around the World in 80 Plates, an American reality competition show that premiered on May 9, 2012 on the Bravo cable TV network. Cora co-hosted the 2017 FOX reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules.Cora married her longtime partner Jennifer in June 2013, and the couple has four sons together via in vitro fertilization. In 2017, Cora began dating producer Nicole Ehrlich. They married on April 21, 2018, in Santa Barbara, California.


name: Melissa d'Arabian
first_name: Melissa
last_name: d'Arabian
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After winning Food Network Star, d'Arabian launched her show, Ten Dollar Dinners in 2010. The show focused on affordable meals that cost ten dollars or less to make. The show ran for three seasons. In 2012, she published her first cookbook, Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week, which became a New York Times best seller. Also in 2012, d'Arabian began hosting a show on the Cooking Channel, Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping, which featured low-calorie recipes and weight loss tips. She has appeared on several other Food Network series, such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Chopped, Food Network Challenge, and The Best Thing I Ever Made. Her recipes and budgeting tips have also been featured on the Today Show, CNN, People, Food Network Magazine and iVillage.com.

personal_sec:
While working in merchandise finance in Euro Disney, d'Arabian met her husband, Philippe. They live near San Diego, California with their four daughters. d'Arabian identifies as a Christian and attends the First United Methodist Church of San Diego. On April 12, 1989, d'Arabian lost her mother to suicide. d'Arabian described the loss of her mother as taking a toll on her financially, logistically, and emotionally. Following the death of her mother, d'Arabian states that she entered into a "decade-long tail spin". She attributes this period of time to the isolation she felt due to the stigma of suicide. This experience led d'Arabian to become involved in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Specifically, d'Arabian advocates for reductions of stigma against suicide, mental health, and substance abuse as well as encouraging people to reach out when they feel suicidal. Since 2009, d'Arabian has worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Initially, the AFSP approached her after she dedicated a recipe to her mother on an episode of The Next Food Network Star. They published one of her recipes at a National Survivors of Suicide Day event. d'Arabian has participated in the San Diego Out of the Darkness Community Walk, been a part of the AFSP panel at the Congressional Spouses for Suicide Prevention and Education congressional briefing, and donated cookbook proceeds to the organization. In May 2013, d'Arabian was awarded the Survivor of Suicide Loss Award by the AFSP. She has also competed on Guy's Grocery Games, Chopped, and Cutthroat Kitchen for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. d'Arabian has volunteered with a number of other charitable organization including teaching family cooking courses for Coronado Substance Abuse Free Environment and live-tweeting her mammogram for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

info:
After winning Food Network Star, d'Arabian launched her show, Ten Dollar Dinners in 2010. The show focused on affordable meals that cost ten dollars or less to make. The show ran for three seasons. In 2012, she published her first cookbook, Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week, which became a New York Times best seller. Also in 2012, d'Arabian began hosting a show on the Cooking Channel, Drop 5 Lbs. with Good Housekeeping, which featured low-calorie recipes and weight loss tips. She has appeared on several other Food Network series, such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Chopped, Food Network Challenge, and The Best Thing I Ever Made. Her recipes and budgeting tips have also been featured on the Today Show, CNN, People, Food Network Magazine and iVillage.com.While working in merchandise finance in Euro Disney, d'Arabian met her husband, Philippe. They live near San Diego, California with their four daughters. d'Arabian identifies as a Christian and attends the First United Methodist Church of San Diego. On April 12, 1989, d'Arabian lost her mother to suicide. d'Arabian described the loss of her mother as taking a toll on her financially, logistically, and emotionally. Following the death of her mother, d'Arabian states that she entered into a "decade-long tail spin". She attributes this period of time to the isolation she felt due to the stigma of suicide. This experience led d'Arabian to become involved in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Specifically, d'Arabian advocates for reductions of stigma against suicide, mental health, and substance abuse as well as encouraging people to reach out when they feel suicidal. Since 2009, d'Arabian has worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Initially, the AFSP approached her after she dedicated a recipe to her mother on an episode of The Next Food Network Star. They published one of her recipes at a National Survivors of Suicide Day event. d'Arabian has participated in the San Diego Out of the Darkness Community Walk, been a part of the AFSP panel at the Congressional Spouses for Suicide Prevention and Education congressional briefing, and donated cookbook proceeds to the organization. In May 2013, d'Arabian was awarded the Survivor of Suicide Loss Award by the AFSP. She has also competed on Guy's Grocery Games, Chopped, and Cutthroat Kitchen for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. d'Arabian has volunteered with a number of other charitable organization including teaching family cooking courses for Coronado Substance Abuse Free Environment and live-tweeting her mammogram for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.


name: Jill Davie
first_name: Jill
last_name: Davie
gender: F
personal_sec: Davie is married to chef Clark Staub.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In 1996, she became the chef de cuisine at Hans Rockenwagner's restaurant. She worked for Rockenwagner for three years. After leaving Rockenwagner, she was a visiting chef at Charlie Trotter's, Blackbird and Tru. In 2000, Davie started working at Josie, the eponymous restaurant of Josie Le Balch in Santa Monica. She became chef de cuisine at Josie in 2003. That same year, she appeared on the Food Network's Date Plate. Davie appeared on the channel's Party Starters the following year. In 2006, she opened the Mar Vista in Los Angeles with D. Brandon Walker. She was featured on Shopping With Chefs in 2007. Davie appeared in Time Machine Chefs on ABC in 2012.

info:
In 1996, she became the chef de cuisine at Hans Rockenwagner's restaurant. She worked for Rockenwagner for three years. After leaving Rockenwagner, she was a visiting chef at Charlie Trotter's, Blackbird and Tru. In 2000, Davie started working at Josie, the eponymous restaurant of Josie Le Balch in Santa Monica. She became chef de cuisine at Josie in 2003. That same year, she appeared on the Food Network's Date Plate. Davie appeared on the channel's Party Starters the following year. In 2006, she opened the Mar Vista in Los Angeles with D. Brandon Walker. She was featured on Shopping With Chefs in 2007. Davie appeared in Time Machine Chefs on ABC in 2012.Davie is married to chef Clark Staub.


name: Tamra Davis
first_name: Tamra
last_name: Davis
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Davis first shot a film using a super 8 mm camera during her time at Los Angeles City College. As soon as she got out of school, Davis sent out a package of videos that she had done and was hired to do a video for the band Hüsker Dü. Davis states that music videos "played a huge role in developing my sensibility as a director. There's much less sexism in the video world and they're open to women. But more important, with video you're always being pushed to experiment and come up with something new."  During her career, Davis ended up directing over 155 music videos. While working at MTV, Davis was encouraged to engage in her empathy towards multicultural and feminist issues. Christina Lane stated in her book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break that as a person who was knowledgeable towards feminist politics, Tamra Davis wanted to empower young women to feel good about their sexuality. Lane also mentioned that Davis used her platform to voice feminist ideas and empower girls. A writer at the Los Angeles Times reported, "Over the past seven years, Tamra Davis has made a name for herself directing cutting-edge videos for some of the thorniest acts in popular music. As director of choice for performers such as N.W.A, Sonic Youth, and Black Flag." Davis participated in The Polygram Video's program called No Alternative: A benefit for AIDS, education and relief which had a section in their program where multiple independent film directors created a series of short films. In this program, Tamra Davis directed a short film called No Alternative Girls which discussed gender inequality. Tamra Davis also directed Guncrazy (1992), a film which starred actor Drew Barrymore. This film was a remake of the 50s film Gun Crazy. Many books and articles have stated that her film had similar elements to Bonnie and Clyde.  Christina Lane stated in her book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break acknowledged the mixed reviews for Davis' film. Lane wrote that some thought the film was too violent and others said the violence was necessary for the story she was telling. When asked about the violence of the film Davis said she did it because she wanted a strong emotional reaction from the audience. In the book, Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break, Davis expressed that she was not cautious when it came to her audiences’ emotions. Davis stated, "I wanted to say something about how our society abuses people and yet gives them violent possibilities to turn that abuse back onto society." Before the production of the film, Davis researched reactions teenagers had to sexual abuse. Davis said that she also looked at how a teenage girl's everyday life changed after the abuse. Davis is also known for directing films such as Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, CB4, Billy Madison, and Half Baked and television shows such as My Name Is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris. She also directed the film Crossroads, starring Britney Spears. For the film CB4, Rupert Wainwright was originally asked to direct the film. Davis was their second choice after Wainwright turned the project down.  According to Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, the comedy made fun of the seriousness and sexism of rap music videos while also taking a look at how Hollywood has misused African-American culture in the industry. Foster also examined that Davis was not part of the writing of this film. However, it was noted that she did add her own knowledge of music videos, rap, and politics into the film. The book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break discussed difficulties Davis had with the production of the film. These difficulties included a limited time to film, the filming conditions due to the heat was difficult, and the script was changed often. The book also mentioned that Tamra Davis speaks highly of her time working on CB4. Foster wrote in her book, Women Film Directors: An International Bio-Critical Dictionary, that this film proved Davis’ skills as a comedy director. According to an article in The New York Times, Tamra Davis had trouble finding a good location for the Western for the film she was originally supposed to direct, Bad Girls (1994). Many sources state that the studio disagreed with the feminist approach Davis was taking for the film Bad Girls (1994). According to multiple sources, many producers were in disagreement with what Davis wanted within the film. The book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break discussed the budget given was not enough to provide Davis with the equipment she needed. In the end, Davis was replaced with director Jonathan Kaplan. With the new director, the script was rewritten and the earlier footage was abandoned. Currently, Davis has a cooking show showcasing vegetarian fare called Tamra Davis Cooking Show accessible on her website www.tamradaviscookingshow.com. She also wrote a cookbook titled Make Me Something Good to Eat.

personal_sec:
Davis has been married to Mike D of the Beastie Boys since 1993, but they are legally separated. They have two children, Skyler and Davis.

info:
Davis first shot a film using a super 8 mm camera during her time at Los Angeles City College. As soon as she got out of school, Davis sent out a package of videos that she had done and was hired to do a video for the band Hüsker Dü. Davis states that music videos "played a huge role in developing my sensibility as a director. There's much less sexism in the video world and they're open to women. But more important, with video you're always being pushed to experiment and come up with something new."  During her career, Davis ended up directing over 155 music videos. While working at MTV, Davis was encouraged to engage in her empathy towards multicultural and feminist issues. Christina Lane stated in her book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break that as a person who was knowledgeable towards feminist politics, Tamra Davis wanted to empower young women to feel good about their sexuality. Lane also mentioned that Davis used her platform to voice feminist ideas and empower girls. A writer at the Los Angeles Times reported, "Over the past seven years, Tamra Davis has made a name for herself directing cutting-edge videos for some of the thorniest acts in popular music. As director of choice for performers such as N.W.A, Sonic Youth, and Black Flag." Davis participated in The Polygram Video's program called No Alternative: A benefit for AIDS, education and relief which had a section in their program where multiple independent film directors created a series of short films. In this program, Tamra Davis directed a short film called No Alternative Girls which discussed gender inequality. Tamra Davis also directed Guncrazy (1992), a film which starred actor Drew Barrymore. This film was a remake of the 50s film Gun Crazy. Many books and articles have stated that her film had similar elements to Bonnie and Clyde.  Christina Lane stated in her book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break acknowledged the mixed reviews for Davis' film. Lane wrote that some thought the film was too violent and others said the violence was necessary for the story she was telling. When asked about the violence of the film Davis said she did it because she wanted a strong emotional reaction from the audience. In the book, Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break, Davis expressed that she was not cautious when it came to her audiences’ emotions. Davis stated, "I wanted to say something about how our society abuses people and yet gives them violent possibilities to turn that abuse back onto society." Before the production of the film, Davis researched reactions teenagers had to sexual abuse. Davis said that she also looked at how a teenage girl's everyday life changed after the abuse. Davis is also known for directing films such as Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, CB4, Billy Madison, and Half Baked and television shows such as My Name Is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris. She also directed the film Crossroads, starring Britney Spears. For the film CB4, Rupert Wainwright was originally asked to direct the film. Davis was their second choice after Wainwright turned the project down.  According to Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, the comedy made fun of the seriousness and sexism of rap music videos while also taking a look at how Hollywood has misused African-American culture in the industry. Foster also examined that Davis was not part of the writing of this film. However, it was noted that she did add her own knowledge of music videos, rap, and politics into the film. The book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break discussed difficulties Davis had with the production of the film. These difficulties included a limited time to film, the filming conditions due to the heat was difficult, and the script was changed often. The book also mentioned that Tamra Davis speaks highly of her time working on CB4. Foster wrote in her book, Women Film Directors: An International Bio-Critical Dictionary, that this film proved Davis’ skills as a comedy director. According to an article in The New York Times, Tamra Davis had trouble finding a good location for the Western for the film she was originally supposed to direct, Bad Girls (1994). Many sources state that the studio disagreed with the feminist approach Davis was taking for the film Bad Girls (1994). According to multiple sources, many producers were in disagreement with what Davis wanted within the film. The book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break discussed the budget given was not enough to provide Davis with the equipment she needed. In the end, Davis was replaced with director Jonathan Kaplan. With the new director, the script was rewritten and the earlier footage was abandoned. Currently, Davis has a cooking show showcasing vegetarian fare called Tamra Davis Cooking Show accessible on her website www.tamradaviscookingshow.com. She also wrote a cookbook titled Make Me Something Good to Eat.Davis has been married to Mike D of the Beastie Boys since 1993, but they are legally separated. They have two children, Skyler and Davis.


name: Dayanny De La Cruz
first_name: Dayanny
last_name: Cruz
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
She earned a master's degree in Culinary Arts from Grand Rapids Community College and holds a bachelor's degree in hospitality management from the Universidad Central del Este. Her first culinary position was as the executive chef for the DoubleTree Hotel in Skokie, Illinois. Much of her work was at sporting events and in hotel management, including the Harley-Davidson Museum, the US Open, and the Kentucky Derby. In 2012, she moved to Miami and worked as an executive sous chef for the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena. In November 2017, De La Cruz was hired as the Executive Chef at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida by Centerplate, the company in charge of food services at the stadium. She is the first Latina to hold that position. De La Cruz remained in that role, being the executive chef for Super Bowl LIV at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. She is the first female chef to host a Super Bowl, and on game day led about 2,500 culinary employees with a team of 250 chefs. Her team fed the players and staff of both competing teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition to managing the staff and logistics, she determined what food items would be offered at the many suites, concession stands, restaurants, clubs, and other food vendors in the stadium. The menu centered around local cuisine, primarily from south Florida suppliers. It also incorporated cuisine inspired by the two teams playing, such as short ribs and lobster tails.

personal_sec:
De La Cruz was born in the Nagua, Dominican Republic. She credits her interest in culinary arts to her grandmother, who cooked with her as a child. In 2011, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and underwent three months of chemotherapy. A surgery successfully removed what remained of the cancer in 2012. She is married, and has three children.

info:
She earned a master's degree in Culinary Arts from Grand Rapids Community College and holds a bachelor's degree in hospitality management from the Universidad Central del Este. Her first culinary position was as the executive chef for the DoubleTree Hotel in Skokie, Illinois. Much of her work was at sporting events and in hotel management, including the Harley-Davidson Museum, the US Open, and the Kentucky Derby. In 2012, she moved to Miami and worked as an executive sous chef for the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena. In November 2017, De La Cruz was hired as the Executive Chef at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida by Centerplate, the company in charge of food services at the stadium. She is the first Latina to hold that position. De La Cruz remained in that role, being the executive chef for Super Bowl LIV at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. She is the first female chef to host a Super Bowl, and on game day led about 2,500 culinary employees with a team of 250 chefs. Her team fed the players and staff of both competing teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition to managing the staff and logistics, she determined what food items would be offered at the many suites, concession stands, restaurants, clubs, and other food vendors in the stadium. The menu centered around local cuisine, primarily from south Florida suppliers. It also incorporated cuisine inspired by the two teams playing, such as short ribs and lobster tails.De La Cruz was born in the Nagua, Dominican Republic. She credits her interest in culinary arts to her grandmother, who cooked with her as a child. In 2011, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and underwent three months of chemotherapy. A surgery successfully removed what remained of the cancer in 2012. She is married, and has three children.


name: Giada De Laurentiis
first_name: Giada
last_name: Laurentiis
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
De Laurentiis studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, with aspirations of becoming a pastry chef. After returning to the United States, she became a professional chef working in several Los Angeles restaurants, notably the Wolfgang Puck-owned Spago. She later worked as a food stylist and was contacted by the Food Network after styling a piece in Food & Wine magazine in 2002. Her Food Network daytime cooking show, Everyday Italian, premiered April 5, 2003. On Chefography, a Food Network biography program, she said she never wanted to be in her "family business" of show business, and that she felt uncomfortable in front of the camera when she first began hosting Everyday Italian. When the program first aired, the Food Network received mail accusing the network of hiring a model or actress pretending to cook instead of a real chef. De Laurentiis began hosting Behind the Bash in October 2005. The program examines the catering process behind big event extravaganzas such as the Grammy Awards. In January 2007, a third De Laurentiis-hosted show, Giada's Weekend Getaways, debuted on Food Network. On this show, De Laurentiis travels to a featured locale (including Seattle, South Beach, San Francisco, Napa, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming) and visits her favorite local culinary destinations. On a November 2006 episode of Iron Chef America, De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay competed against, and were defeated by, Rachael Ray and Mario Batali. In 2007, De Laurentiis appeared as a presenter at the inaugural Food Network Awards. In June 2007, she hosted a two-part Food Network special entitled Giada in Paradise, featuring the two locales of Santorini, Greece and Capri, Italy. De Laurentiis also made several appearances as a guest judge on the third season of The Next Food Network Star, which aired in 2007. That year she was dubbed a "petite powerhouse" by Town & Country magazine, standing "just under five-foot two". In 2008, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host. In 2008, De Laurentiis and the Barilla Group, launched an Italian gourmet line under the Academia Barilla name—Barilla's first-ever gourmet celebrity product line. That same year, Giada at Home premiered, showing De Laurentiis in a kitchen preparing meals and parties for family and friends. The show is shot on a set that is very similar to her own home. She joined fellow chef Bobby Flay as a judge in season 7 of Food Network Star and took on a new role in season 8 as a team leader of five cooks competing against Bobby Flay's and Alton Brown's respective teams. In 2009, De Laurentiis became the voice of "Paulette", a character on the animated children's show Handy Manny. In early 2010, De Laurentiis came out with a line of kitchen supplies, exclusively for Target. That same year, CafeMom ranked her as #6 in their yearly "Sexiest Moms Alive" list. In June 2010, De Laurentiis became a regularly appearing mentor to the finalists on the popular Food Network competition show The Next Food Network Star. In July 2014, De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant, called GIADA, inside The Cromwell in Las Vegas, Nevada. The restaurant offers seating in the dining room, lounge, or outdoor patio with views of the Bellagio fountains and Caesars Palace. The GIADA menu includes Italian cuisine with Californian influences, including "lemon spaghetti, chicken cacciatore, marsala herb chicken meatballs, rosemary focaccia and lemon flatbread and vegetable Bolognese rigatoni". Family-style, vegan, and gluten-free options are also available, as well as an antipasto station. Restaurant guests can watch chefs prepare food from the open kitchen. In 2014, De Laurentiis voiced the character of Gelata in the US version of the Tinker Bell special Pixie Hollow Bake Off. In 2018, De Laurentiis voiced herself in the movie Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost. On June 26, 2020, De Laurentiis' Food Network series Giada Entertains won a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Culinary Series. On July 26, 2020, De Laurentiis won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Culinary Host.  De Laurentiis has a range of products made exclusively for Target. Her products consist of stainless steel pots and pans, a wide range of utensils, cooking tools, and some food items including sauces and pastas. De Laurentiis has two restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip. She opened her first restaurant in May 2014. The restaurant, simply called "Giada", is located in the Cromwell. She opened a second restaurant in early 2018. "Pronto by Giada", taking up residency in Caesars Palace, is a fast casual dining restaurant. In July 2017, she announced she would also be opening a restaurant in the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. It is called GDL Italian by Giada, and opened in May 2018.

personal_sec:
On May 25, 2003, De Laurentiis married Todd Thompson, a fashion designer. The couple's only child, Jade Marie De Laurentiis-Thompson, was born on March 29, 2008. Jade was named after her mother - "Giada" is Italian for "Jade." While acknowledging how special the experience of having a child has been, she has stated that she does not plan to have more children. De Laurentiis remains focused on her career, saying, "I have so many babies: the show, Todd, and Jade." On December 29, 2014, De Laurentiis announced on her website that she and Todd had separated the previous July, and had decided to end their marriage. The divorce was finalized on September 3, 2015. Since November 2015 she has been romantically involved with TV producer Shane Farley.

info:
De Laurentiis studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, with aspirations of becoming a pastry chef. After returning to the United States, she became a professional chef working in several Los Angeles restaurants, notably the Wolfgang Puck-owned Spago. She later worked as a food stylist and was contacted by the Food Network after styling a piece in Food & Wine magazine in 2002. Her Food Network daytime cooking show, Everyday Italian, premiered April 5, 2003. On Chefography, a Food Network biography program, she said she never wanted to be in her "family business" of show business, and that she felt uncomfortable in front of the camera when she first began hosting Everyday Italian. When the program first aired, the Food Network received mail accusing the network of hiring a model or actress pretending to cook instead of a real chef. De Laurentiis began hosting Behind the Bash in October 2005. The program examines the catering process behind big event extravaganzas such as the Grammy Awards. In January 2007, a third De Laurentiis-hosted show, Giada's Weekend Getaways, debuted on Food Network. On this show, De Laurentiis travels to a featured locale (including Seattle, South Beach, San Francisco, Napa, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming) and visits her favorite local culinary destinations. On a November 2006 episode of Iron Chef America, De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay competed against, and were defeated by, Rachael Ray and Mario Batali. In 2007, De Laurentiis appeared as a presenter at the inaugural Food Network Awards. In June 2007, she hosted a two-part Food Network special entitled Giada in Paradise, featuring the two locales of Santorini, Greece and Capri, Italy. De Laurentiis also made several appearances as a guest judge on the third season of The Next Food Network Star, which aired in 2007. That year she was dubbed a "petite powerhouse" by Town & Country magazine, standing "just under five-foot two". In 2008, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle Host. In 2008, De Laurentiis and the Barilla Group, launched an Italian gourmet line under the Academia Barilla name—Barilla's first-ever gourmet celebrity product line. That same year, Giada at Home premiered, showing De Laurentiis in a kitchen preparing meals and parties for family and friends. The show is shot on a set that is very similar to her own home. She joined fellow chef Bobby Flay as a judge in season 7 of Food Network Star and took on a new role in season 8 as a team leader of five cooks competing against Bobby Flay's and Alton Brown's respective teams. In 2009, De Laurentiis became the voice of "Paulette", a character on the animated children's show Handy Manny. In early 2010, De Laurentiis came out with a line of kitchen supplies, exclusively for Target. That same year, CafeMom ranked her as #6 in their yearly "Sexiest Moms Alive" list. In June 2010, De Laurentiis became a regularly appearing mentor to the finalists on the popular Food Network competition show The Next Food Network Star. In July 2014, De Laurentiis opened her first restaurant, called GIADA, inside The Cromwell in Las Vegas, Nevada. The restaurant offers seating in the dining room, lounge, or outdoor patio with views of the Bellagio fountains and Caesars Palace. The GIADA menu includes Italian cuisine with Californian influences, including "lemon spaghetti, chicken cacciatore, marsala herb chicken meatballs, rosemary focaccia and lemon flatbread and vegetable Bolognese rigatoni". Family-style, vegan, and gluten-free options are also available, as well as an antipasto station. Restaurant guests can watch chefs prepare food from the open kitchen. In 2014, De Laurentiis voiced the character of Gelata in the US version of the Tinker Bell special Pixie Hollow Bake Off. In 2018, De Laurentiis voiced herself in the movie Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost. On June 26, 2020, De Laurentiis' Food Network series Giada Entertains won a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Culinary Series. On July 26, 2020, De Laurentiis won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Culinary Host.  De Laurentiis has a range of products made exclusively for Target. Her products consist of stainless steel pots and pans, a wide range of utensils, cooking tools, and some food items including sauces and pastas. De Laurentiis has two restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip. She opened her first restaurant in May 2014. The restaurant, simply called "Giada", is located in the Cromwell. She opened a second restaurant in early 2018. "Pronto by Giada", taking up residency in Caesars Palace, is a fast casual dining restaurant. In July 2017, she announced she would also be opening a restaurant in the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. It is called GDL Italian by Giada, and opened in May 2018.On May 25, 2003, De Laurentiis married Todd Thompson, a fashion designer. The couple's only child, Jade Marie De Laurentiis-Thompson, was born on March 29, 2008. Jade was named after her mother - "Giada" is Italian for "Jade." While acknowledging how special the experience of having a child has been, she has stated that she does not plan to have more children. De Laurentiis remains focused on her career, saying, "I have so many babies: the show, Todd, and Jade." On December 29, 2014, De Laurentiis announced on her website that she and Todd had separated the previous July, and had decided to end their marriage. The divorce was finalized on September 3, 2015. Since November 2015 she has been romantically involved with TV producer Shane Farley.


name: Martie Duncan
first_name: Martie
last_name: Duncan
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Duncan has made several appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She has had no formal culinary training, nor has she ever worked in a restaurant. Duncan is the president of her own party-planning company, M Content Media LLC. In 2012, Duncan became a contestant on the eighth season of the Food Network series Food Network Star, being mentored by Alton Brown. She eventually became one of the final four contestants, and she filmed a pilot for a potential series called Martie with the Party. She eventually lost the competition to Justin Warner; however, on May 31, 2014 (2014-05-31), it was announced that she (as well as Chad Rosenthal from season nine) would be a contestant on the Food Network Star spin-off webseries Star Salvation, which gives eliminated contestants a chance to re-enter the Food Network Star competition. Duncan was eliminated from Star Salvation in the second episode of the season.

personal_sec:
Duncan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Her mother, Martha Bossart, died in 2004 at age 73. Duncan initially did not reveal her age, simply billing herself on Food Network Star as "slightly over 40"; however, she gave her age as 50 on the July 15, 2012 episode.

info:
Duncan has made several appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She has had no formal culinary training, nor has she ever worked in a restaurant. Duncan is the president of her own party-planning company, M Content Media LLC. In 2012, Duncan became a contestant on the eighth season of the Food Network series Food Network Star, being mentored by Alton Brown. She eventually became one of the final four contestants, and she filmed a pilot for a potential series called Martie with the Party. She eventually lost the competition to Justin Warner; however, on May 31, 2014 (2014-05-31), it was announced that she (as well as Chad Rosenthal from season nine) would be a contestant on the Food Network Star spin-off webseries Star Salvation, which gives eliminated contestants a chance to re-enter the Food Network Star competition. Duncan was eliminated from Star Salvation in the second episode of the season.Duncan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Her mother, Martha Bossart, died in 2004 at age 73. Duncan initially did not reveal her age, simply billing herself on Food Network Star as "slightly over 40"; however, she gave her age as 50 on the July 15, 2012 episode.


name: Sohla El-Waylly
first_name: Sohla
last_name: El-Waylly
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After graduating, El-Waylly worked at restaurants in New York City such as Atera, which has two Michelin stars, and Del Posto, owned by Joe Bastianich. In March 2016, El-Waylly and her husband opened a diner called Hail Mary in Brooklyn, which attracted favorable reviews. However, it closed after 11 months, which El-Waylly attributes in part to opening Hail Mary without other investors, and in part to the expectations of white customers. In a 2017 interview with GQ, El-Waylly explained that customers often entered Hail Mary expecting "foreign or exotic ingredients" because of the owners' cultural backgrounds; she stated "There would have been more leeway allowed in the food shrouded by illusion of ‘authenticity’...There are white chefs that can pull from different cultures without explanation, but us making white food always needs a thesis behind it." El-Waylly worked at Serious Eats as a culinary editor through most of 2018 and joined Bon Appétit magazine in August 2019. At Bon Appétit, she works as an assistant food editor and appeared regularly on the magazine's popular YouTube channel. In June 2020, a photo of Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport in brownface resurfaced online and sparked widespread criticism. During an emergency company-wide Zoom meeting, El-Waylly called for Rapoport to step down. She then publicly accused the magazine of discriminating towards employees of color, claiming they were subject to lesser pay than their non-minority counterparts. Rapoport resigned the same day. In August 2020, El-Waylly announced on her Instagram that she would no longer appear in videos on the magazine's YouTube channel due to continued lack of progress by Condé Nast Entertainment in resolving the issues that had arisen, though she would continue to contribute recipes and articles to the magazine and website. On September 23, 2020, a new series titled Stump Sohla was announced, which would be hosted on the Babish Culinary Universe YouTube channel. The show premiered the next day.

personal_sec:
El-Waylly lives in New York City with her husband, fellow chef Hisham "Ham" El-Waylly. They met while they were both attending the Culinary Institute of America.

info:
After graduating, El-Waylly worked at restaurants in New York City such as Atera, which has two Michelin stars, and Del Posto, owned by Joe Bastianich. In March 2016, El-Waylly and her husband opened a diner called Hail Mary in Brooklyn, which attracted favorable reviews. However, it closed after 11 months, which El-Waylly attributes in part to opening Hail Mary without other investors, and in part to the expectations of white customers. In a 2017 interview with GQ, El-Waylly explained that customers often entered Hail Mary expecting "foreign or exotic ingredients" because of the owners' cultural backgrounds; she stated "There would have been more leeway allowed in the food shrouded by illusion of ‘authenticity’...There are white chefs that can pull from different cultures without explanation, but us making white food always needs a thesis behind it." El-Waylly worked at Serious Eats as a culinary editor through most of 2018 and joined Bon Appétit magazine in August 2019. At Bon Appétit, she works as an assistant food editor and appeared regularly on the magazine's popular YouTube channel. In June 2020, a photo of Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport in brownface resurfaced online and sparked widespread criticism. During an emergency company-wide Zoom meeting, El-Waylly called for Rapoport to step down. She then publicly accused the magazine of discriminating towards employees of color, claiming they were subject to lesser pay than their non-minority counterparts. Rapoport resigned the same day. In August 2020, El-Waylly announced on her Instagram that she would no longer appear in videos on the magazine's YouTube channel due to continued lack of progress by Condé Nast Entertainment in resolving the issues that had arisen, though she would continue to contribute recipes and articles to the magazine and website. On September 23, 2020, a new series titled Stump Sohla was announced, which would be hosted on the Babish Culinary Universe YouTube channel. The show premiered the next day.El-Waylly lives in New York City with her husband, fellow chef Hisham "Ham" El-Waylly. They met while they were both attending the Culinary Institute of America.


name: Mary Ann Esposito
first_name: Mary
last_name: Esposito
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Esposito started teaching cooking through the University of New Hampshire's Division of Continuing Education. In the mid-1980s, she submitted a proposal for a cooking show to New Hampshire Public Television. The show was delayed production because of the small size of the television station; however, upon moving to a larger station, a pilot was taped. The pilot was a test to not only gauge viewer reception, but, to also see how Esposito would be on camera. On the hottest day of the year in the region, the television crew came to Esposito's home in Durham, New Hampshire, and the pilot was taped. Upon airing, the pilot received great reception and the longest-running television cooking show was born. Esposito has published over a dozen cooking books about Italian cooking and entertaining. Her 1997 book, What You Knead, about breadmaking, was awarded best in category by the International Cookbook Revue and was named one of Food & Wine magazine's top cookbooks of 1997. She makes over forty public appearances a year nationally and has appeared on the Today Show, Regis and Kathie Lee, QVC, the Food Network, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and other programs. She contributed to The Huffington Post and New Hampshire Home. Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, is a thirty-minute cooking show produced for PBS by Esposito's own Mary Esposito Productions, and taped at New Hampshire Public Television. The show features Esposito's recipes and cooking tips, and visits from guest chefs. She also explores the history of Italian cooking and food. Through the show, Esposito seeks to help her viewers learn about new recipes that are "doable, authentic, and good." When deciding what to feature on the show, Esposito has four standards: she must like to eat the food, the ingredients should be easy to find, the recipe should be something unique and new to the viewer, and should be manageable by the kitchen staff. Every episode has twenty volunteers who work on the show. An entire season of shows, generally about thirty-two episodes, can be taped within two weeks during the summer, with two to three shows being taped a day. All of the food is made from scratch in the studio, with each dish being prepared in numerous batches and at different recipe stages. This allows Esposito to execute an entire recipe in a matter of minutes that might take hours to complete. All of the recipes are planned by Esposito and the kitchen staff. Volunteers gather all the pertinent ingredients from local markets and go to Boston for specialty foods if unavailable locally. Recipes are prepared the day of the show. Ciao Italia is not scripted. The studio set is loosely based on Esposito's home kitchen. The view out the window of the set is painted to appear as the view of the Oyster River, which is seen from her home kitchen. To prepare for shows, Esposito researches and tests recipes outside the studio.

personal_sec:
She was raised in Buffalo, New York. Her mother was a dietician. Her grandmothers, both professional chefs, moved to the United States from Italy in the 1890s. Her paternal grandmother, from Sicily, owned a butcher shop in Fairport, New York, and her maternal grandmother lived in Buffalo, where she owned a boarding house. The latter grandmother was from Naples, and continued the traditions of her Italian household within the boarding house. The boarding house was the only house in the neighborhood that had a bathtub, and on Friday nights she would offer neighbors a bath and dinner for a quarter. While her grandmothers provided traditional Italian food, Esposito desired to eat standard foods like other children: Wonder Bread and iceberg lettuce. Esposito, who never intended to pursue a career in cooking, learned to cook from her family. Her grandmothers made bread every day, with Esposito helping to make upwards of twenty loaves of bread a day, canning vegetables and fruits, and helping to prepare ingredients for meals. Eventually, Esposito attended college, where she would graduate with a teaching degree and become an elementary school teacher. In 1979, her mother sent her a pasta maker, and despite a lack of interest in cooking as an adult, Esposito taught herself how to make pasta dough. The following year, she and her husband Guy visited Italy for the first time, visiting his cousins. While in Italy, Esposito started attending a cooking class. She began learning the history of Italian cooking, region by region, and traveling to the country twice a year for cooking lessons. At the University of New Hampshire she took classes to learn how to speak Italian. By 1985, she had joined the history master's program at the university, writing her thesis about Italian Renaissance cooking.

info:
She was raised in Buffalo, New York. Her mother was a dietician. Her grandmothers, both professional chefs, moved to the United States from Italy in the 1890s. Her paternal grandmother, from Sicily, owned a butcher shop in Fairport, New York, and her maternal grandmother lived in Buffalo, where she owned a boarding house. The latter grandmother was from Naples, and continued the traditions of her Italian household within the boarding house. The boarding house was the only house in the neighborhood that had a bathtub, and on Friday nights she would offer neighbors a bath and dinner for a quarter. While her grandmothers provided traditional Italian food, Esposito desired to eat standard foods like other children: Wonder Bread and iceberg lettuce. Esposito, who never intended to pursue a career in cooking, learned to cook from her family. Her grandmothers made bread every day, with Esposito helping to make upwards of twenty loaves of bread a day, canning vegetables and fruits, and helping to prepare ingredients for meals. Eventually, Esposito attended college, where she would graduate with a teaching degree and become an elementary school teacher. In 1979, her mother sent her a pasta maker, and despite a lack of interest in cooking as an adult, Esposito taught herself how to make pasta dough. The following year, she and her husband Guy visited Italy for the first time, visiting his cousins. While in Italy, Esposito started attending a cooking class. She began learning the history of Italian cooking, region by region, and traveling to the country twice a year for cooking lessons. At the University of New Hampshire she took classes to learn how to speak Italian. By 1985, she had joined the history master's program at the university, writing her thesis about Italian Renaissance cooking.Esposito started teaching cooking through the University of New Hampshire's Division of Continuing Education. In the mid-1980s, she submitted a proposal for a cooking show to New Hampshire Public Television. The show was delayed production because of the small size of the television station; however, upon moving to a larger station, a pilot was taped. The pilot was a test to not only gauge viewer reception, but, to also see how Esposito would be on camera. On the hottest day of the year in the region, the television crew came to Esposito's home in Durham, New Hampshire, and the pilot was taped. Upon airing, the pilot received great reception and the longest-running television cooking show was born. Esposito has published over a dozen cooking books about Italian cooking and entertaining. Her 1997 book, What You Knead, about breadmaking, was awarded best in category by the International Cookbook Revue and was named one of Food & Wine magazine's top cookbooks of 1997. She makes over forty public appearances a year nationally and has appeared on the Today Show, Regis and Kathie Lee, QVC, the Food Network, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and other programs. She contributed to The Huffington Post and New Hampshire Home. Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito, is a thirty-minute cooking show produced for PBS by Esposito's own Mary Esposito Productions, and taped at New Hampshire Public Television. The show features Esposito's recipes and cooking tips, and visits from guest chefs. She also explores the history of Italian cooking and food. Through the show, Esposito seeks to help her viewers learn about new recipes that are "doable, authentic, and good." When deciding what to feature on the show, Esposito has four standards: she must like to eat the food, the ingredients should be easy to find, the recipe should be something unique and new to the viewer, and should be manageable by the kitchen staff. Every episode has twenty volunteers who work on the show. An entire season of shows, generally about thirty-two episodes, can be taped within two weeks during the summer, with two to three shows being taped a day. All of the food is made from scratch in the studio, with each dish being prepared in numerous batches and at different recipe stages. This allows Esposito to execute an entire recipe in a matter of minutes that might take hours to complete. All of the recipes are planned by Esposito and the kitchen staff. Volunteers gather all the pertinent ingredients from local markets and go to Boston for specialty foods if unavailable locally. Recipes are prepared the day of the show. Ciao Italia is not scripted. The studio set is loosely based on Esposito's home kitchen. The view out the window of the set is painted to appear as the view of the Oyster River, which is seen from her home kitchen. To prepare for shows, Esposito researches and tests recipes outside the studio.


name: Duskie Estes
first_name: Duskie
last_name: Estes
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Estes is the youngest child born to a scientist father and to Carroll L. Estes, a sociology professor. She studied pre-med and law at Brown University prior to becoming a chef. Estes then briefly attended California Culinary Academy before graduating from Brown University.In October 2010, Estes was selected to compete in the third season of the Food Network series The Next Iron Chef; she was eliminated at the end of the fourth episode. She returned to the series during the fifth season, where she was eliminated after the second episode. Estes also infrequently serves as a judge on Guy's Grocery Games.

personal_sec:
Estes was a vegetarian for 22 years before meeting her husband, fellow chef and salumist John Stewart. Together they own and operate the restaurants Zazu Kitchen + Farm, Bovolo, The Black Piglet and Black Pig Meat Co. Estes and Stewart have two daughters, Brydie (born 2001) and Mackenzie (born 2002), who inspired the name for their farm, MacBryde Farm.

info:
Estes is the youngest child born to a scientist father and to Carroll L. Estes, a sociology professor. She studied pre-med and law at Brown University prior to becoming a chef. Estes then briefly attended California Culinary Academy before graduating from Brown University.In October 2010, Estes was selected to compete in the third season of the Food Network series The Next Iron Chef; she was eliminated at the end of the fourth episode. She returned to the series during the fifth season, where she was eliminated after the second episode. Estes also infrequently serves as a judge on Guy's Grocery Games.Estes was a vegetarian for 22 years before meeting her husband, fellow chef and salumist John Stewart. Together they own and operate the restaurants Zazu Kitchen + Farm, Bovolo, The Black Piglet and Black Pig Meat Co. Estes and Stewart have two daughters, Brydie (born 2001) and Mackenzie (born 2002), who inspired the name for their farm, MacBryde Farm.


name: Tiffani Faison
first_name: Tiffani
last_name: Faison
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Faison worked briefly as a bartender at Lucky's Lounge in 2001 and had a brief and unsuccessful stint at the Ritz Carlton Boston Common as the Backlot's Food and Beverage Director later the same year.  She attended the Cambridge Culinary Institute (2002-2003). Just prior to appearing on Top Chef, Faison was employed as chef de partie under Daniel Boulud at his signature, Michelin Star restaurant in the Wynn Las Vegas and also worked at the Tao restaurant at The Venetian in the same city.

personal_sec:
Faison formerly identified as bisexual but now identifies as lesbian. She is married to her business partner Kelly Walsh, who serves as director of operations for Faison's restaurant group, Big Heart Hospitality. Faison was born in Germany, where her Vietnam vet father was stationed. They moved around several times during her childhood and by the time she was in high school, settled in Santa Rosa, California.  She has been described as a competitive cheerleader.  She began volunteering for HIV/AIDS organizations and going into San Francisco.

info:
Faison worked briefly as a bartender at Lucky's Lounge in 2001 and had a brief and unsuccessful stint at the Ritz Carlton Boston Common as the Backlot's Food and Beverage Director later the same year.  She attended the Cambridge Culinary Institute (2002-2003). Just prior to appearing on Top Chef, Faison was employed as chef de partie under Daniel Boulud at his signature, Michelin Star restaurant in the Wynn Las Vegas and also worked at the Tao restaurant at The Venetian in the same city.Faison formerly identified as bisexual but now identifies as lesbian. She is married to her business partner Kelly Walsh, who serves as director of operations for Faison's restaurant group, Big Heart Hospitality. Faison was born in Germany, where her Vietnam vet father was stationed. They moved around several times during her childhood and by the time she was in high school, settled in Santa Rosa, California.  She has been described as a competitive cheerleader.  She began volunteering for HIV/AIDS organizations and going into San Francisco.


name: Susan Feniger
first_name: Susan
last_name: Feniger
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After working together in Chicago and Paris, Feniger and her longtime collaborator, Mary Sue Milliken, settled in Los Angeles where they founded City Cafe in 1981.  They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Blvd. and renamed the establishment City Restaurant.  In 1985, they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the original City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in 1990. The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.  Broadening their culinary horizons Feniger and her partner opened the Latin flavor Ciudad in Los Angeles in 1998. The success of the three restaurants has often led Feniger and Milliken to be recognized for changing Los Angeles's culinary landscape.  Feniger has been influenced by the food and culture of various nations, such as India, France, and Mexico. In April 2009, Feniger opened her first solo project: Street, a multi-ethnic eatery of "street food" in Hollywood. Sample dishes included millet puffs, paani puri, Massaman chicken curry, dumplings, Egyptian-style baked fish and peanut butter cookies for dessert.  Street closed in November 2013. In December 2013, Feniger, with Executive Chef and Partner Kajsa Alger, opened Mud Hen Tavern at the former location of Street.  A neighborhood bar and restaurant, it offered seasonal, gourmet pub and comfort food in a warm and relaxed setting. The bar team in partnership with mixology consultant Tricia Carr (formerly Alley), curated a beverage program that offered a vibrant and accessible selection of international wines, local craft beers and artisanal cocktails to complement Mud Hen Tavern's cuisine.  Mud Hen Tavern closed on October 11, 2016. In collaboration with Milliken and others, Feniger has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (1989), Mesa Mexicana (1994), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking (Casual Cuisines of the World) (1996), Cooking with Too Hot Tamales (1997) and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (1999/2002). Feniger is also a TV personality, starring with Milliken in 396 episodes of the popular Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network in the 1990s. Prior to the shows on the Food Network, in 1993 Feniger and Milliken appeared with Julia Child in her PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs. Feniger has also appeared on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and prepared with Milliken the food that was served in the 2001 movie, Tortilla Soup. Most recently, Feniger appeared on the second season of Top Chef Masters that aired in 2010. She was the last female chef in the competition, eliminated following a challenge to create a dish fit for the gods. Feniger's creation for Aphrodite was Kaya toast served with a soy-glazed egg and coconut jam. She raised $32,500 for The Scleroderma Research Foundation. "It's an honor to be on that show and have Schleroderma  Research Foundation out there in the public eye," she said in an interview with SlashFood. "I've gotten so many email messages and Facebook messages from all over the country. So for me, I'm totally the winner in this." In 2011, ABC bought the rights to develop a sitcom based on the lives of Feniger and Milliken, but it never aired. And in October 2014 she appeared as a contestant in the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of Cutthroat Kitchen. In April 2013 she appeared as herself in the Bones episode "The Maiden in the Mushrooms". In 2013, Feniger was awarded the Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award by the California Restaurant Association.

personal_sec:
Feniger is from Toledo, Ohio, and is the daughter of Ruth Alice and Yale Feniger. She was raised in a Jewish home. Feniger graduated from Pitzer College in 1976. She was a founding board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and has served on the organization's board since 1988. Feniger also serves on the board of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She identifies as lesbian and her partner is Liz Lachman. Her nephew is actor Ben Feldman.

info:
After working together in Chicago and Paris, Feniger and her longtime collaborator, Mary Sue Milliken, settled in Los Angeles where they founded City Cafe in 1981.  They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Blvd. and renamed the establishment City Restaurant.  In 1985, they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the original City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in 1990. The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.  Broadening their culinary horizons Feniger and her partner opened the Latin flavor Ciudad in Los Angeles in 1998. The success of the three restaurants has often led Feniger and Milliken to be recognized for changing Los Angeles's culinary landscape.  Feniger has been influenced by the food and culture of various nations, such as India, France, and Mexico. In April 2009, Feniger opened her first solo project: Street, a multi-ethnic eatery of "street food" in Hollywood. Sample dishes included millet puffs, paani puri, Massaman chicken curry, dumplings, Egyptian-style baked fish and peanut butter cookies for dessert.  Street closed in November 2013. In December 2013, Feniger, with Executive Chef and Partner Kajsa Alger, opened Mud Hen Tavern at the former location of Street.  A neighborhood bar and restaurant, it offered seasonal, gourmet pub and comfort food in a warm and relaxed setting. The bar team in partnership with mixology consultant Tricia Carr (formerly Alley), curated a beverage program that offered a vibrant and accessible selection of international wines, local craft beers and artisanal cocktails to complement Mud Hen Tavern's cuisine.  Mud Hen Tavern closed on October 11, 2016. In collaboration with Milliken and others, Feniger has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (1989), Mesa Mexicana (1994), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking (Casual Cuisines of the World) (1996), Cooking with Too Hot Tamales (1997) and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (1999/2002). Feniger is also a TV personality, starring with Milliken in 396 episodes of the popular Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network in the 1990s. Prior to the shows on the Food Network, in 1993 Feniger and Milliken appeared with Julia Child in her PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs. Feniger has also appeared on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and prepared with Milliken the food that was served in the 2001 movie, Tortilla Soup. Most recently, Feniger appeared on the second season of Top Chef Masters that aired in 2010. She was the last female chef in the competition, eliminated following a challenge to create a dish fit for the gods. Feniger's creation for Aphrodite was Kaya toast served with a soy-glazed egg and coconut jam. She raised $32,500 for The Scleroderma Research Foundation. "It's an honor to be on that show and have Schleroderma  Research Foundation out there in the public eye," she said in an interview with SlashFood. "I've gotten so many email messages and Facebook messages from all over the country. So for me, I'm totally the winner in this." In 2011, ABC bought the rights to develop a sitcom based on the lives of Feniger and Milliken, but it never aired. And in October 2014 she appeared as a contestant in the "Superstar Sabotage" tournament of Cutthroat Kitchen. In April 2013 she appeared as herself in the Bones episode "The Maiden in the Mushrooms". In 2013, Feniger was awarded the Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award by the California Restaurant Association.Feniger is from Toledo, Ohio, and is the daughter of Ruth Alice and Yale Feniger. She was raised in a Jewish home. Feniger graduated from Pitzer College in 1976. She was a founding board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and has served on the organization's board since 1988. Feniger also serves on the board of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She identifies as lesbian and her partner is Liz Lachman. Her nephew is actor Ben Feldman.


name: Anya Fernald
first_name: Anya
last_name: Fernald
gender: F
personal_sec: Fernald resides in Berkeley, California.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
From 1999 to 2001, Fernald developed and implemented business and marketing plans for small-scale cheese makers in Sicily for a European Union-funded rural development initiative, CoRFiLaC. She then moved on to direct the International Presidia program at Slow Food in Bra, Italy, where she devised and instigated an international micro-investment program that managed business planning and marketing for small-scale artisan food producers in countries such as Madagascar, Sweden, Ecuador and Bosnia between 2001 and 2005. Soon after returning to California in 2006, Fernald founded a produce distribution company connecting high quality farmers to large institutional buyers, which was later acquired. In 2008 Fernald began working with Alice Waters as executive director of Slow Food Nation to organize and direct a large event event to raise the profile to raise the profile of high quality organic food,. In 2009, Fernald founded Live Culture Co., a business and marketing consulting firm. In 2009, she also founded the Eat Real Festival Company, which produces an annual, two-day food festival that takes place in Oakland, California, and is attended by over 100,000 people each year. This company was acquired in 2015. The festival focuses on food and drinks produced locally, sustainably and organically. In 2010, Fernald's consulting firm Live Culture Co. began working with client Todd Robinson to develop a concept to market products from a ranch he owned in Northern California. This consulting engagement resulted in the development of Belcampo, which Fernald and Robinson founded in 2012. Fernald and Robinson also collaborated on a project in Belize, which later became Copal Tree Farms and Lodge. In Spring 2016, Fernald released her debut cookbook Home Cooked: Essential Recipes for a New Way to Cook for Ten Speed Press to critical acclaim from publications including the Los Angeles Times, Saveur Best of 2016 issue, and Food52. In November 2012, the first Belcampo Meat Co. storefront opened its doors in Marin County, California, following the opening of Belcampo Butchery, a 20,000 square foot, USDA-approved multi-species slaughter facility designed by animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, and a nearby 27,000-acre (11,000 ha) farm. It has butcher shops and restaurants in Los Angeles, Marin, Santa Monica, San Francisco, San Mateo, Oakland, and New York. Belcampo also sells meat in Erewhon Grocery Stores.  Fernald co-founded the company and serves as its CEO. Anya began working as a judge and sustainable food expert on the Food Network's Iron Chef America Franchise in 2009, which she continued to appear regularly until 2015. Anya has been named Food and Wine 40 Under 40, one of the top 100 female founders in INC Magazine, she has been profiled in The New Yorker, and the New York Times Magazine. She has been featured in commercials for Toyota and Trager Grills. She has also appeared on CBS This Morning.

info:
From 1999 to 2001, Fernald developed and implemented business and marketing plans for small-scale cheese makers in Sicily for a European Union-funded rural development initiative, CoRFiLaC. She then moved on to direct the International Presidia program at Slow Food in Bra, Italy, where she devised and instigated an international micro-investment program that managed business planning and marketing for small-scale artisan food producers in countries such as Madagascar, Sweden, Ecuador and Bosnia between 2001 and 2005. Soon after returning to California in 2006, Fernald founded a produce distribution company connecting high quality farmers to large institutional buyers, which was later acquired. In 2008 Fernald began working with Alice Waters as executive director of Slow Food Nation to organize and direct a large event event to raise the profile to raise the profile of high quality organic food,. In 2009, Fernald founded Live Culture Co., a business and marketing consulting firm. In 2009, she also founded the Eat Real Festival Company, which produces an annual, two-day food festival that takes place in Oakland, California, and is attended by over 100,000 people each year. This company was acquired in 2015. The festival focuses on food and drinks produced locally, sustainably and organically. In 2010, Fernald's consulting firm Live Culture Co. began working with client Todd Robinson to develop a concept to market products from a ranch he owned in Northern California. This consulting engagement resulted in the development of Belcampo, which Fernald and Robinson founded in 2012. Fernald and Robinson also collaborated on a project in Belize, which later became Copal Tree Farms and Lodge. In Spring 2016, Fernald released her debut cookbook Home Cooked: Essential Recipes for a New Way to Cook for Ten Speed Press to critical acclaim from publications including the Los Angeles Times, Saveur Best of 2016 issue, and Food52. In November 2012, the first Belcampo Meat Co. storefront opened its doors in Marin County, California, following the opening of Belcampo Butchery, a 20,000 square foot, USDA-approved multi-species slaughter facility designed by animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, and a nearby 27,000-acre (11,000 ha) farm. It has butcher shops and restaurants in Los Angeles, Marin, Santa Monica, San Francisco, San Mateo, Oakland, and New York. Belcampo also sells meat in Erewhon Grocery Stores.  Fernald co-founded the company and serves as its CEO. Anya began working as a judge and sustainable food expert on the Food Network's Iron Chef America Franchise in 2009, which she continued to appear regularly until 2015. Anya has been named Food and Wine 40 Under 40, one of the top 100 female founders in INC Magazine, she has been profiled in The New Yorker, and the New York Times Magazine. She has been featured in commercials for Toyota and Trager Grills. She has also appeared on CBS This Morning.Fernald resides in Berkeley, California.


name: Lois Ellen Frank
first_name: Lois
last_name: Frank
gender: F
personal_sec: Frank lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
During college Frank worked as a cook at the first Good Earth restaurant. After graduation she worked in the advertising industry, photographing commercial shoots for Evian, Taco Bell and International House of Pancakes. A mentor, Ernst Haas, questioned the meaningfulness of her work and encouraged her to explore her heritage. She had a "moment of reckoning", realizing she was "making food that I wouldn't even eat look beautiful, and then promoting others to eat it". In the 1980s, she started asking questions about Native American cuisine and "was told there was no such thing". She told The New York Times: "But of course they had a cuisine, and it was intricate, diverse and delicious". Around the same time she met Juanita Tiger Kavena, who had written Hopi Cookery (1980), one of the first cookbooks by a Native American cook. In 1991 she proposed a book on Native American cuisine to publishers in New York. "They told me that Native people didn't have a cuisine", she recalled in a 2013 interview, "and that I didn't have the credentials to write any such book". She returned to school to earn her master's degree and a doctorate in cultural anthropology, and recalls that "at the time, they were teaching that American cuisine was made up of immigrant populations. The traditions of Native kitchens were largely overlooked". She talked to and collected recipes from the Hopi, Ute, Pueblo, and other Southwestern tribes, and in 2002 Ten Speed Press published her cookbook Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, in collaboration with Walter Whitewater (Diné). In 2003, the book won a James Beard Foundation Award, the first cookbook on Native American cuisine or by a Native American author so honored. CNN called it "the first Native American cookbook to turn the heads of James Beard Foundation Award judges". In 2017 Frank was featured in Native American Food Movements, a public television documentary about traditional diets. She serves as a Culinary Ambassador Diplomat for the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, travelling with Whitewater to Ukraine (2013), the United Kingdom (2015), and Russia (2016), to teach about Native American foodways.Frank is an adjunct professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her classes have included Traditional Arts and Ecology, Ethnobotany of Foods and Plants of the Southwest, and Indigenous Concepts of Native American Foods. She teaches classes on Native American cuisine at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. She works on issues surrounding Native American diet and diabetes with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and is a Certified Lifestyle Coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program. She consults for the Cultural Conservancy on Native American Foodways. She and business partner Whitewater founded and operate Red Mesa Cuisine, a catering company and educational organization specializing in traditional Native American cuisine.

info:
During college Frank worked as a cook at the first Good Earth restaurant. After graduation she worked in the advertising industry, photographing commercial shoots for Evian, Taco Bell and International House of Pancakes. A mentor, Ernst Haas, questioned the meaningfulness of her work and encouraged her to explore her heritage. She had a "moment of reckoning", realizing she was "making food that I wouldn't even eat look beautiful, and then promoting others to eat it". In the 1980s, she started asking questions about Native American cuisine and "was told there was no such thing". She told The New York Times: "But of course they had a cuisine, and it was intricate, diverse and delicious". Around the same time she met Juanita Tiger Kavena, who had written Hopi Cookery (1980), one of the first cookbooks by a Native American cook. In 1991 she proposed a book on Native American cuisine to publishers in New York. "They told me that Native people didn't have a cuisine", she recalled in a 2013 interview, "and that I didn't have the credentials to write any such book". She returned to school to earn her master's degree and a doctorate in cultural anthropology, and recalls that "at the time, they were teaching that American cuisine was made up of immigrant populations. The traditions of Native kitchens were largely overlooked". She talked to and collected recipes from the Hopi, Ute, Pueblo, and other Southwestern tribes, and in 2002 Ten Speed Press published her cookbook Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, in collaboration with Walter Whitewater (Diné). In 2003, the book won a James Beard Foundation Award, the first cookbook on Native American cuisine or by a Native American author so honored. CNN called it "the first Native American cookbook to turn the heads of James Beard Foundation Award judges". In 2017 Frank was featured in Native American Food Movements, a public television documentary about traditional diets. She serves as a Culinary Ambassador Diplomat for the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, travelling with Whitewater to Ukraine (2013), the United Kingdom (2015), and Russia (2016), to teach about Native American foodways.Frank is an adjunct professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her classes have included Traditional Arts and Ecology, Ethnobotany of Foods and Plants of the Southwest, and Indigenous Concepts of Native American Foods. She teaches classes on Native American cuisine at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. She works on issues surrounding Native American diet and diabetes with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and is a Certified Lifestyle Coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program. She consults for the Cultural Conservancy on Native American Foodways. She and business partner Whitewater founded and operate Red Mesa Cuisine, a catering company and educational organization specializing in traditional Native American cuisine.Frank lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


name: Elina Fuhrman
first_name: Elina
last_name: Fuhrman
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Fuhrman was a writer, producer and correspondent for CNN International and received awards for her coverage of the war in Afghanistan and the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. She has covered world events such the conflict in the Middle East, the trial of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milošević, the wars in Iraq and Chechnya, and interviewed numerous leaders, decision-makers and celebrities. Her work has appeared on CNN, NPR, and in The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, InStyle, Conde Nast Traveler, SELF, Jezebel magazines and more. Fuhrman also produced three documentary films on teenage issues.

personal_sec:
Fuhrman, originally Elina Kozmits, was born in the Soviet Union and emigrated to the United States from Moscow in 1989, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. Her mother, Rita Kozmits, later immigrated as well. Fuhrman is divorced from Nick Fuhrman, a Madison congressional candidate, whom she married in May 1991,  She has two children with Fuhrman, (actress Isabelle Fuhrman born February 25, 1997 and singer Madeline Fuhrman born August 21, 1993). She and her family moved to Atlanta in 1999, when she joined CNN. Fuhrman later moved to Los Angeles, where she currently resides with her family. Fuhrman received her journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and studied English and Linguistics at Moscow State Pedagogical University.

info:
Fuhrman, originally Elina Kozmits, was born in the Soviet Union and emigrated to the United States from Moscow in 1989, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. Her mother, Rita Kozmits, later immigrated as well. Fuhrman is divorced from Nick Fuhrman, a Madison congressional candidate, whom she married in May 1991,  She has two children with Fuhrman, (actress Isabelle Fuhrman born February 25, 1997 and singer Madeline Fuhrman born August 21, 1993). She and her family moved to Atlanta in 1999, when she joined CNN. Fuhrman later moved to Los Angeles, where she currently resides with her family. Fuhrman received her journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and studied English and Linguistics at Moscow State Pedagogical University.Fuhrman was a writer, producer and correspondent for CNN International and received awards for her coverage of the war in Afghanistan and the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. She has covered world events such the conflict in the Middle East, the trial of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milošević, the wars in Iraq and Chechnya, and interviewed numerous leaders, decision-makers and celebrities. Her work has appeared on CNN, NPR, and in The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, InStyle, Conde Nast Traveler, SELF, Jezebel magazines and more. Fuhrman also produced three documentary films on teenage issues.


name: Ina Garten
first_name: Ina
last_name: Garten
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
On December 22, 1968, Jeffrey and Ina were married in Stamford and soon relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She began to dabble in cooking and entertaining in an effort to occupy her time; Jeffrey served a four-year military tour during the Vietnam War. She also acquired her pilot's certificate.  After her husband had completed his military service, the couple journeyed to Paris, France, for a four-month camping vacation; the trip sparked her love for French cuisine. During this trip, she was introduced to open-air markets, produce stands, and fresh cooking ingredients. Upon returning to the U.S., she began to cultivate her culinary abilities by studying the volumes of Julia Child's seminal cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  During this time, weekly dinner parties turned to tradition, and she refined her home entertaining skills when she and her husband moved to Washington, D.C., in 1972. In Washington, Garten worked in the White House while earning an MBA at George Washington University; Jeffrey worked in the State Department, completing his graduate studies. Garten was originally employed as a low-level government aide, and climbed the political ladder to the Office of Management and Budget. Eventually she was assigned the position of budget analyst, which entailed writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Strained by the pressures of her work, Garten again turned to entertaining while also flipping homes for profit in the Dupont Circle and Kalorama neighborhoods. The profits from these sales gave Garten the means to make her next purchase, the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store. Garten left her government job in 1978 after spotting an ad for a 400-square-foot (37 m2) specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in Westhampton Beach, New York."My job in Washington was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn't me at all," she explained four years later. After traveling to view it, she made a hasty decision to purchase the store and moved to New York to assume ownership. The store had been named by its original owner in tribute to the 1954 film starring Ava Gardner. Garten kept the name when she took over; it meshed well with her idea of an "elegant but earthy" lifestyle. Ironically, as of 2006 she had not seen the film. Within a year, Garten had moved Barefoot Contessa across Main Street to a larger property, which it quickly outgrew. In 1985, the store relocated again to the newly vacated premises of gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca in the prosperous Long Island village of East Hampton.  In contrast to Westhampton's seasonal beach atmosphere, East Hampton houses a year-round community, providing a larger, wealthier customer base.  In East Hampton, Garten expanded the store over seven times its original size, from its original 400 square feet (37 m2) to more than 3,000 square feet (280 m2).  In this new, larger space, the store specialized in delicacies such as lobster Cobb salad, caviar, imported cheeses, and locally grown produce. While doing much of the cooking herself, Garten also employed local chefs and bakers as the business grew, including Anna Pump (who later established the Loaves & Fishes bakery and Bridgehampton Inn).  Garten has credited Eli Zabar with the inspiration for her main cooking method, in which "all you have to do is cook to enhance the ingredients." The shop was praised in the press by celebrity clientele such as Steven Spielberg and Lauren Bacall. In 1996, after two decades of operating Barefoot Contessa, Garten again found herself seeking a change; she sold the store to two employees, Amy Forst and Parker Hodges, but retained ownership of the building itself. Unsure of what career step to take after selling the store, she took a six-month sabbatical from the culinary scene and built offices above the shop. There, she studied the stock market and attempted to sketch out plans for potential business ventures. At this time, her website, Barefoot Contessa, became high-profile as she began offering her coffees and a few other items for purchase online. By 2003, Barefoot Contessa had become a landmark gathering place for East Hampton—director Nancy Meyers even chose the store as one of the sets for the Jack Nicholson-Diane Keaton film Something's Gotta Give. The store was permanently closed in 2004 when property lease expired and negotiations failed between Garten (still the owner of the building) and the new owners. Allegedly, Garten tactically refused to meet lease negotiations to regain control of the store after Forst and Hodges lost the business to a competitor, Citarella. Garten did not reopen the shop but retained the property for potential new tenants. In 1999, Garten reemerged with her attention turned to publishing. She carried on the Barefoot Contessa name in her 1999 sleeper bestseller, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. The book far exceeded both Garten's and publisher Clarkson Potter's expectations, containing the recipes that made her store successful. Garten eventually sold over 100,000 copies in the first year, immediately requiring second and third print runs after the initial pressing of 35,000  cookbook were claimed. In 2001, she capitalized on her new-found fame and released Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Parties! also produced praise and high sales; Barefoot Contessa Family Style followed in 2002. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Parties! were nominated for 2000 and 2002 James Beard Awards, in the Entertaining & Special Occasion Cookbooks category. Parties! was a surprise entry—Garten was perceived as too inexperienced to compete with nominees such as French chef Jacques Pépin and international wine expert Brian St. Pierre. Her cookbooks are modeled on coffee table books to avoid an encyclopedic format. With many color photographs, including a full-page picture facing each recipe, some critics argue that this method sacrifices space that could be used for recipes. Nevertheless, her cookbooks have received positive reviews; in 2005, fellow chef Giada De Laurentiis named Garten one of her favorite authors. As of 2008, Garten's cookbooks have sold over six million copies combined. As of October 2018 she had published eleven cookbooks. Her most recent cookbook, titled Cook Like a Pro was released on October 23, 2018. Garten established herself with her cookbooks and appearances on Stewart's show, and then moved into the forefront in 2002 with the debut of her Food Network program. After the success of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Garten was approached by Food Network with an offer to host her own television cooking show.  She rejected this proposal several times, until the London-based production company responsible for Nigella Bites was assigned to the deal. She acquiesced to a 13-show season, and Barefoot Contessa premiered in 2002 to a positive reception. Her show features her husband and their friends and generally only hosts celebrities who are her friends. Barefoot Contessa has approximately one million viewers tuned in per episode, and has posted some of Food Network's highest ratings. When Martha Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 on charges connected with obstruction of justice in a stock trading case, the press singled out Garten as a possible successor. In 2005, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Best Service Show.  In 2009, the show and Garten were once again nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Best Culinary Program and Best Culinary Host, and Garten won her first Emmy in the latter category. That same year, Garten announced that she had signed a three-year contract with Food Network to continue her cooking show, and will release two more cookbooks following Barefoot Contessa at Home. Garten was reportedly awarded the most lucrative contract for a culinary author to date, signing a multimillion-dollar deal for multiple books. She has also been approached several times to develop her own magazine, line of furniture, set of cookware, and chain of boutiques (reminiscent of Stewart's Omnimedia), but has declined these offers, stating she has no interest in further complicating her life. Between 2004 and 2005, Barefoot in Paris sold almost 400,000 copies and rose to number eleven on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2006, Garten launched her own line of packaged cake mixes, marinades, sauces, and preserves, branded as Barefoot Contessa Pantry, with her business partner Frank Newbold  and in conjunction with Stonewall Kitchen. These convenience foods are based on her most popular from-scratch recipes, such as coconut cupcakes, maple oatmeal scones, mango chutney, and lemon curd. Pricing of these items is comparatively expensive (for example, the suggested retail price for a single box of brownie mix is ten dollars) and they are only sold through upscale cookware and gourmet shops such as Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, and Chicago's Fox & Obel Market Cafe. She plans to expand this brand in the near future if the first line of products is very successful. After critical acclaim and high sales of her first three cookbooks, she went on to write  Barefoot in Paris and several columns for O, The Oprah Magazine. She also serves as the entertaining, cooking, and party planning consultant for the magazine. House Beautiful, a shelter magazine, featured a monthly Garten column entitled "Ask the Barefoot Contessa" until 2011. In this column, she gave cooking, entertaining, and lifestyle tips in response to letters from her readers. She launched a small line of note cards and journals to complement her books, and wrote the forewords for Kathleen King's Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook and Rori Trovato's Dishing With Style. One of her recipes, 'lemon roast chicken with croutons', was featured in The Best American Recipes 2005–2006. Another of Garten's dishes was selected for Today's Kitchen Cookbook, a compilation of the most popular recipes featured on the daily news program The Today Show. For Thanksgiving 2010, her recipes were featured by Google on their homepage.  In June 2012, she started a Facebook blog and three weeks later had over 100,000 followers. In 2019, she partnered with author Sheryl Haft and illustrator Jill Weber on a children's book, Goodnight Bubbala, which includes her recipe for potato latkes and was featured on the Today Show.

personal_sec:
Her husband Jeffrey Garten was Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and Juan Trippe Professor in the Practice of International Trade, Finance, and Business at Yale. He was the dean of the Yale School of Management from 1995 to 2005. He can also frequently be seen on her cooking show, assisting his wife with simple tasks or sampling the dishes she has created. They divide their time among Manhattan, East Hampton, and Paris. Garten served as hostess of the 16th Annual Hudson Peconic benefit for Planned Parenthood. Her Food Network show frequently features appearances by her openly gay friends and their partners. Though she has made no explicit statement regarding gay rights or the gay community in general, she did write in one of her books: Registered in New York as a Democrat, Garten has contributed to the presidential campaign funds of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama. Garten also sits on the Design Review Board for East Hampton, a panel that grants building permissions and approves architectural and design elements of the village. The board seeks to protect the historical district and further the overall aesthetics of the area.

info:
On December 22, 1968, Jeffrey and Ina were married in Stamford and soon relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She began to dabble in cooking and entertaining in an effort to occupy her time; Jeffrey served a four-year military tour during the Vietnam War. She also acquired her pilot's certificate.  After her husband had completed his military service, the couple journeyed to Paris, France, for a four-month camping vacation; the trip sparked her love for French cuisine. During this trip, she was introduced to open-air markets, produce stands, and fresh cooking ingredients. Upon returning to the U.S., she began to cultivate her culinary abilities by studying the volumes of Julia Child's seminal cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  During this time, weekly dinner parties turned to tradition, and she refined her home entertaining skills when she and her husband moved to Washington, D.C., in 1972. In Washington, Garten worked in the White House while earning an MBA at George Washington University; Jeffrey worked in the State Department, completing his graduate studies. Garten was originally employed as a low-level government aide, and climbed the political ladder to the Office of Management and Budget. Eventually she was assigned the position of budget analyst, which entailed writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Strained by the pressures of her work, Garten again turned to entertaining while also flipping homes for profit in the Dupont Circle and Kalorama neighborhoods. The profits from these sales gave Garten the means to make her next purchase, the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store. Garten left her government job in 1978 after spotting an ad for a 400-square-foot (37 m2) specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in Westhampton Beach, New York."My job in Washington was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn't me at all," she explained four years later. After traveling to view it, she made a hasty decision to purchase the store and moved to New York to assume ownership. The store had been named by its original owner in tribute to the 1954 film starring Ava Gardner. Garten kept the name when she took over; it meshed well with her idea of an "elegant but earthy" lifestyle. Ironically, as of 2006 she had not seen the film. Within a year, Garten had moved Barefoot Contessa across Main Street to a larger property, which it quickly outgrew. In 1985, the store relocated again to the newly vacated premises of gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca in the prosperous Long Island village of East Hampton.  In contrast to Westhampton's seasonal beach atmosphere, East Hampton houses a year-round community, providing a larger, wealthier customer base.  In East Hampton, Garten expanded the store over seven times its original size, from its original 400 square feet (37 m2) to more than 3,000 square feet (280 m2).  In this new, larger space, the store specialized in delicacies such as lobster Cobb salad, caviar, imported cheeses, and locally grown produce. While doing much of the cooking herself, Garten also employed local chefs and bakers as the business grew, including Anna Pump (who later established the Loaves & Fishes bakery and Bridgehampton Inn).  Garten has credited Eli Zabar with the inspiration for her main cooking method, in which "all you have to do is cook to enhance the ingredients." The shop was praised in the press by celebrity clientele such as Steven Spielberg and Lauren Bacall. In 1996, after two decades of operating Barefoot Contessa, Garten again found herself seeking a change; she sold the store to two employees, Amy Forst and Parker Hodges, but retained ownership of the building itself. Unsure of what career step to take after selling the store, she took a six-month sabbatical from the culinary scene and built offices above the shop. There, she studied the stock market and attempted to sketch out plans for potential business ventures. At this time, her website, Barefoot Contessa, became high-profile as she began offering her coffees and a few other items for purchase online. By 2003, Barefoot Contessa had become a landmark gathering place for East Hampton—director Nancy Meyers even chose the store as one of the sets for the Jack Nicholson-Diane Keaton film Something's Gotta Give. The store was permanently closed in 2004 when property lease expired and negotiations failed between Garten (still the owner of the building) and the new owners. Allegedly, Garten tactically refused to meet lease negotiations to regain control of the store after Forst and Hodges lost the business to a competitor, Citarella. Garten did not reopen the shop but retained the property for potential new tenants. In 1999, Garten reemerged with her attention turned to publishing. She carried on the Barefoot Contessa name in her 1999 sleeper bestseller, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. The book far exceeded both Garten's and publisher Clarkson Potter's expectations, containing the recipes that made her store successful. Garten eventually sold over 100,000 copies in the first year, immediately requiring second and third print runs after the initial pressing of 35,000  cookbook were claimed. In 2001, she capitalized on her new-found fame and released Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Parties! also produced praise and high sales; Barefoot Contessa Family Style followed in 2002. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Parties! were nominated for 2000 and 2002 James Beard Awards, in the Entertaining & Special Occasion Cookbooks category. Parties! was a surprise entry—Garten was perceived as too inexperienced to compete with nominees such as French chef Jacques Pépin and international wine expert Brian St. Pierre. Her cookbooks are modeled on coffee table books to avoid an encyclopedic format. With many color photographs, including a full-page picture facing each recipe, some critics argue that this method sacrifices space that could be used for recipes. Nevertheless, her cookbooks have received positive reviews; in 2005, fellow chef Giada De Laurentiis named Garten one of her favorite authors. As of 2008, Garten's cookbooks have sold over six million copies combined. As of October 2018 she had published eleven cookbooks. Her most recent cookbook, titled Cook Like a Pro was released on October 23, 2018. Garten established herself with her cookbooks and appearances on Stewart's show, and then moved into the forefront in 2002 with the debut of her Food Network program. After the success of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Garten was approached by Food Network with an offer to host her own television cooking show.  She rejected this proposal several times, until the London-based production company responsible for Nigella Bites was assigned to the deal. She acquiesced to a 13-show season, and Barefoot Contessa premiered in 2002 to a positive reception. Her show features her husband and their friends and generally only hosts celebrities who are her friends. Barefoot Contessa has approximately one million viewers tuned in per episode, and has posted some of Food Network's highest ratings. When Martha Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 on charges connected with obstruction of justice in a stock trading case, the press singled out Garten as a possible successor. In 2005, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Best Service Show.  In 2009, the show and Garten were once again nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in the categories of Best Culinary Program and Best Culinary Host, and Garten won her first Emmy in the latter category. That same year, Garten announced that she had signed a three-year contract with Food Network to continue her cooking show, and will release two more cookbooks following Barefoot Contessa at Home. Garten was reportedly awarded the most lucrative contract for a culinary author to date, signing a multimillion-dollar deal for multiple books. She has also been approached several times to develop her own magazine, line of furniture, set of cookware, and chain of boutiques (reminiscent of Stewart's Omnimedia), but has declined these offers, stating she has no interest in further complicating her life. Between 2004 and 2005, Barefoot in Paris sold almost 400,000 copies and rose to number eleven on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2006, Garten launched her own line of packaged cake mixes, marinades, sauces, and preserves, branded as Barefoot Contessa Pantry, with her business partner Frank Newbold  and in conjunction with Stonewall Kitchen. These convenience foods are based on her most popular from-scratch recipes, such as coconut cupcakes, maple oatmeal scones, mango chutney, and lemon curd. Pricing of these items is comparatively expensive (for example, the suggested retail price for a single box of brownie mix is ten dollars) and they are only sold through upscale cookware and gourmet shops such as Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, and Chicago's Fox & Obel Market Cafe. She plans to expand this brand in the near future if the first line of products is very successful. After critical acclaim and high sales of her first three cookbooks, she went on to write  Barefoot in Paris and several columns for O, The Oprah Magazine. She also serves as the entertaining, cooking, and party planning consultant for the magazine. House Beautiful, a shelter magazine, featured a monthly Garten column entitled "Ask the Barefoot Contessa" until 2011. In this column, she gave cooking, entertaining, and lifestyle tips in response to letters from her readers. She launched a small line of note cards and journals to complement her books, and wrote the forewords for Kathleen King's Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook and Rori Trovato's Dishing With Style. One of her recipes, 'lemon roast chicken with croutons', was featured in The Best American Recipes 2005–2006. Another of Garten's dishes was selected for Today's Kitchen Cookbook, a compilation of the most popular recipes featured on the daily news program The Today Show. For Thanksgiving 2010, her recipes were featured by Google on their homepage.  In June 2012, she started a Facebook blog and three weeks later had over 100,000 followers. In 2019, she partnered with author Sheryl Haft and illustrator Jill Weber on a children's book, Goodnight Bubbala, which includes her recipe for potato latkes and was featured on the Today Show.Her husband Jeffrey Garten was Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade and Juan Trippe Professor in the Practice of International Trade, Finance, and Business at Yale. He was the dean of the Yale School of Management from 1995 to 2005. He can also frequently be seen on her cooking show, assisting his wife with simple tasks or sampling the dishes she has created. They divide their time among Manhattan, East Hampton, and Paris. Garten served as hostess of the 16th Annual Hudson Peconic benefit for Planned Parenthood. Her Food Network show frequently features appearances by her openly gay friends and their partners. Though she has made no explicit statement regarding gay rights or the gay community in general, she did write in one of her books: Registered in New York as a Democrat, Garten has contributed to the presidential campaign funds of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama. Garten also sits on the Design Review Board for East Hampton, a panel that grants building permissions and approves architectural and design elements of the village. The board seeks to protect the historical district and further the overall aesthetics of the area.


name: Jamie Geller
first_name: Jamie
last_name: Geller
gender: F
personal_sec: In August 2012, Geller made aliyah to Israel and settled in Beit Shemesh.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Before writing her first cookbook, Geller was a writer and television producer for CNN, Entertainment News, the Food Network, and a senior writer/producer and marketing executive for HBO. In 2007, Geller published Quick and Kosher Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:12px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 978-1-60094-053-8) (Feldheim Publishers). The book chronicles her experience of choosing Orthodox Judaism, her marriage and learning to cook. In 2010 Geller published Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes (Feldheim Publishers). She didn't know how to cook before she got married but learned out of necessity. In over 15 years of experience, she's published 6 books, a website with 10K recipes and a YouTube channel with over 165 million views.

info:
Before writing her first cookbook, Geller was a writer and television producer for CNN, Entertainment News, the Food Network, and a senior writer/producer and marketing executive for HBO. In 2007, Geller published Quick and Kosher Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:12px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 978-1-60094-053-8) (Feldheim Publishers). The book chronicles her experience of choosing Orthodox Judaism, her marriage and learning to cook. In 2010 Geller published Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes (Feldheim Publishers). She didn't know how to cook before she got married but learned out of necessity. In over 15 years of experience, she's published 6 books, a website with 10K recipes and a YouTube channel with over 165 million views.In August 2012, Geller made aliyah to Israel and settled in Beit Shemesh.


name: Rozanne Gold
first_name: Rozanne
last_name: Gold
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Rozanne was first chef to New York Mayor Ed Koch at the age of 23 and has cooked for Presidents and Prime Ministers.  She is best known for the trends she has inspired, including "The Minimalist" column in The New York Times (which was based on her cookbook Recipes 1-2-3), Little Meals, which began the grazing craze; Cafe Greco, New York's first Med-Rim restaurant;  Hudson River Cuisine for the 3-star Hudson River Club, and much more.  Gold is Chef-Director of the restaurant consulting firm, Baum+Whiteman, best known for creating Windows on the World; the Rainbow Room, where Gold was consulting chef and an owner from 1987-2000, and three of New York's three-star restaurants. She is the author of twelve cookbooks, including the award-winning 1-2-3 cookbook series.  Her latest cookbook, Radically Simple: Brilliant Flavors with Breathtaking Ease, was hailed as one of the year's "best" by The New York Times, People, and Good Morning America.  Rozanne Gold is a well-known food writer and journalist who has written more than 600 articles for national magazines, newspapers, and blogs.  These publications includeBon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooking Light, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post. In order to save it from its demise, Ms. Gold purchased the Gourmet cookbook library and donated it to New York University.  Ms. Gold is a contributor to Savoring Gotham (Oxford University Press, 2015), 1001 Restaurants to Experience Before You Die (Barrons, 2014), and wrote the Foreword to Fresh Cooking by Shelley Boris (Monkfish Publishing, 2014.)  A well-respected moderator, she appeared at the New School's Gotham on a Plate (2015) and Les Dames d'Escoffier's The Next Big Bite (2015) public forums.  Her poetry has been published by Blue Lake Review, The Loom, and Villanness Press.  She is a featured contributor to Cooking Light magazine and a blogger for the Huffington Post.  Her career has been featured in Business Week, More, Mirabella, Gourmet, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Savoring Gotham, among many other publications. She is a frequent guest on National Public Radio and was among the first chefs on the Food Network. Rozanne is past President of Les Dames d'Escoffier, New York and is a trustee of The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. She graduated from Tufts University cum laude, did graduate work at New York University, and has an MFA in poetry from the New School. She works as an end-of-life care doula at various New York City hospices. Her poetry can be found in several on-line and print publications.

personal_sec:
Rozanne grew up in Queens, New York with her parents, Marion and Bernard Gold, and her brother, Leon Gold. Her father, Bill (Bernard) Gold scored the winning touchdown for the 1943 Sugar Bowl (as a fullback for the Tennessee Vols), and was later drafted by the Washington Redskins. Bill, who grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts was Rocky Marciano's sparring partner. Rozanne's mother, Marion Gold, grew up in Pahokee, Florida, attended the University of Miami, and was a medical secretary and teacher. Gold now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her Husband, Michael Whiteman, an international restaurant consultant and president of Baum-Whiteman, the company that created five of New York's three-star restaurants (including The Rainbow Room and Windows on the World.) Their son, Jeremy Whiteman, is a computer consultant in Silicon Valley, and daughter, Shayna DePersia, is a junior at Ithaca College.

info:
Rozanne was first chef to New York Mayor Ed Koch at the age of 23 and has cooked for Presidents and Prime Ministers.  She is best known for the trends she has inspired, including "The Minimalist" column in The New York Times (which was based on her cookbook Recipes 1-2-3), Little Meals, which began the grazing craze; Cafe Greco, New York's first Med-Rim restaurant;  Hudson River Cuisine for the 3-star Hudson River Club, and much more.  Gold is Chef-Director of the restaurant consulting firm, Baum+Whiteman, best known for creating Windows on the World; the Rainbow Room, where Gold was consulting chef and an owner from 1987-2000, and three of New York's three-star restaurants. She is the author of twelve cookbooks, including the award-winning 1-2-3 cookbook series.  Her latest cookbook, Radically Simple: Brilliant Flavors with Breathtaking Ease, was hailed as one of the year's "best" by The New York Times, People, and Good Morning America.  Rozanne Gold is a well-known food writer and journalist who has written more than 600 articles for national magazines, newspapers, and blogs.  These publications includeBon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooking Light, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post. In order to save it from its demise, Ms. Gold purchased the Gourmet cookbook library and donated it to New York University.  Ms. Gold is a contributor to Savoring Gotham (Oxford University Press, 2015), 1001 Restaurants to Experience Before You Die (Barrons, 2014), and wrote the Foreword to Fresh Cooking by Shelley Boris (Monkfish Publishing, 2014.)  A well-respected moderator, she appeared at the New School's Gotham on a Plate (2015) and Les Dames d'Escoffier's The Next Big Bite (2015) public forums.  Her poetry has been published by Blue Lake Review, The Loom, and Villanness Press.  She is a featured contributor to Cooking Light magazine and a blogger for the Huffington Post.  Her career has been featured in Business Week, More, Mirabella, Gourmet, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Savoring Gotham, among many other publications. She is a frequent guest on National Public Radio and was among the first chefs on the Food Network. Rozanne is past President of Les Dames d'Escoffier, New York and is a trustee of The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. She graduated from Tufts University cum laude, did graduate work at New York University, and has an MFA in poetry from the New School. She works as an end-of-life care doula at various New York City hospices. Her poetry can be found in several on-line and print publications.Rozanne grew up in Queens, New York with her parents, Marion and Bernard Gold, and her brother, Leon Gold. Her father, Bill (Bernard) Gold scored the winning touchdown for the 1943 Sugar Bowl (as a fullback for the Tennessee Vols), and was later drafted by the Washington Redskins. Bill, who grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts was Rocky Marciano's sparring partner. Rozanne's mother, Marion Gold, grew up in Pahokee, Florida, attended the University of Miami, and was a medical secretary and teacher. Gold now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her Husband, Michael Whiteman, an international restaurant consultant and president of Baum-Whiteman, the company that created five of New York's three-star restaurants (including The Rainbow Room and Windows on the World.) Their son, Jeremy Whiteman, is a computer consultant in Silicon Valley, and daughter, Shayna DePersia, is a junior at Ithaca College.


name: Alex Guarnaschelli
first_name: Alex
last_name: Guarnaschelli
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Guarnaschelli worked under Larry Forgione (whose son is Iron Chef Marc Forgione), and then at a number of restaurants in France, New York and Los Angeles, including Guy Savoy's La Butte Chaillot. She also worked at Daniel Boulud's eponymous restaurant and Joachim Splichal's Patina before becoming the executive chef at Butter. She was executive chef at The Darby restaurant before its closing. She chairs of the Museum of Food and Drink's Culinary Council.

personal_sec:
On April 29, 2007, Guarnaschelli married Brandon Clark. The two met in 2006 at New York's Institute of Culinary Education while Alex was teaching a fish class. Their daughter, Ava, was born in July 2007. The couple's marriage eventually ended, and in June 2020, Guarnaschelli announced her engagement to chef Michael Castellon, a Chopped winner who had proposed to her on her birthday over the weekend of June 19-20.

info:
Guarnaschelli worked under Larry Forgione (whose son is Iron Chef Marc Forgione), and then at a number of restaurants in France, New York and Los Angeles, including Guy Savoy's La Butte Chaillot. She also worked at Daniel Boulud's eponymous restaurant and Joachim Splichal's Patina before becoming the executive chef at Butter. She was executive chef at The Darby restaurant before its closing. She chairs of the Museum of Food and Drink's Culinary Council.On April 29, 2007, Guarnaschelli married Brandon Clark. The two met in 2006 at New York's Institute of Culinary Education while Alex was teaching a fish class. Their daughter, Ava, was born in July 2007. The couple's marriage eventually ended, and in June 2020, Guarnaschelli announced her engagement to chef Michael Castellon, a Chopped winner who had proposed to her on her birthday over the weekend of June 19-20.


name: Kirsten Gum
first_name: Kirsten
last_name: Gum
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After working as one-woman broadcast team in Jefferson City, Missouri, Gum landed her first on-air jobs as a news reporter and sportscaster in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Fox 18 WCCB in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was a news anchor and was voted "Sexiest Woman in Charlotte." She then went on to host the following television shows over a period that lasted nearly two decades: Fox Sports Net's Totally NASCAR, ESPN’s Outdoor Block, Outdoor Living Network’s Tour de France studio show (where she was the first-ever female host for the event), Travel Channel's Treasure Hunter: Kirsten Gum, and Discovery HD Theater's What's My Car Worth? At one time, Gum was considered the most recognizable woman in sports commenting. Gum currently works as a raw food chef, having received her certification from Living Light Raw Foods Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg, California. She has taught raw food instruction at the Japan Living Beauty Association, where she also sits on the board of directors.

personal_sec:
In addition to covering sports, Gum has led an active life, coming in as part of the second-place team in Virginia's 400-mile adventure race the "Beast of the East" in October 2005. She went on to compete in Primal Quest, an expedition-length adventure race that has been called one of the most difficult athletic events in the world and was cited as the most prestigious expedition event in North America.Gum is also an avid environmentalist.

info:
After working as one-woman broadcast team in Jefferson City, Missouri, Gum landed her first on-air jobs as a news reporter and sportscaster in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Fox 18 WCCB in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was a news anchor and was voted "Sexiest Woman in Charlotte." She then went on to host the following television shows over a period that lasted nearly two decades: Fox Sports Net's Totally NASCAR, ESPN’s Outdoor Block, Outdoor Living Network’s Tour de France studio show (where she was the first-ever female host for the event), Travel Channel's Treasure Hunter: Kirsten Gum, and Discovery HD Theater's What's My Car Worth? At one time, Gum was considered the most recognizable woman in sports commenting. Gum currently works as a raw food chef, having received her certification from Living Light Raw Foods Culinary Institute in Fort Bragg, California. She has taught raw food instruction at the Japan Living Beauty Association, where she also sits on the board of directors.In addition to covering sports, Gum has led an active life, coming in as part of the second-place team in Virginia's 400-mile adventure race the "Beast of the East" in October 2005. She went on to compete in Primal Quest, an expedition-length adventure race that has been called one of the most difficult athletic events in the world and was cited as the most prestigious expedition event in North America.Gum is also an avid environmentalist.


name: Christine Hà
first_name: Christine
last_name: Hà
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
While she has never studied cooking, she has a large following on her food blog. In the nineteen episodes where she competed on the third season of MasterChef, Ha won seven times in both individual and team challenges; additionally, she placed three times in the top three group. However, she was also in the bottom group twice. On September 10, 2012, Hà was announced the winner of the competition and was awarded $250,000, the MasterChef title, the MasterChef trophy, and a cookbook deal. Her cookbook, Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:12px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 9781623360955), was released on May 14, 2013. In 2013, Ha began co-hosting the Canadian TV show Four Senses with Carl Heinrich, the winner of Season 2 of Top Chef Canada.  It is a cooking show geared towards the visually impaired, and airs on AMI (Accessible Media, Inc.) TV, a Canadian cable network designed to make television accessible to the vision and hearing impaired. To compensate for the vision-impaired, the show contains a great deal of audio description, where they are narrating what's going on in the kitchen, what they're doing, how things feel or smell or sound. In 2015, she revealed on her blog and Facebook page that she would become a judge on the third season of MasterChef Vietnam, having been a guest judge in the previous series, and a guest judge of US MasterChef (season 4), making her the first former contestant and winner worldwide to become a regular judge, and also the third ever female judge after Michal Ansky of Israel and Christina Tosi.   In the meantime, she also returned along with Luca Manfé and Courtney Lapresi as guests of US MasterChef (season 6). Later in the year, she also made an appearance in MasterChef Celebrity Showdown in the battle of "Champions vs Juniors", where she, alongside Season 4 winner Luca Manfe and Season 6 winner Claudia Sandoval, cooked against 3 contestants from MasterChef Junior season 4 in a Salmon Wellington tag team battle. The three champions emerged as the winner and donate their winnings to their chosen charity. She also revealed that she was the first chef/author to become the winner of Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award in 2014, an award given to people and organizations that "demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving quality of life for people with vision loss".  Past/current winners included musicians Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Tom Sullivan, actor Charlie Cox (who portrayed a blind superhero, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, was awarded in June 2015) and businessman Bernard A. Newcomb. She has also opened small-scale pop-up restaurants around the world in the 5 years since winning Master Chef (2012-2017). She has traveled around the world to give TED talks about her life experiences as a blind cook and the lessons she has learned along the way . "Christine has also served as a culinary envoy on behalf of the American Embassy in cultural diplomacy programs in Jordan, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia". In 2018, Hà opened a Vietnamese gastropub in Bravery Chef Hall in Houston, Texas named "The Blind Goat". The name is a combination of her disability and her Vietnamese zodiac sign. The menu will be centered around authentic Vietnamese dishes, specifically drawing inspiration from Nhau cuisine. She is currently working on her memoir and second cookbook.

personal_sec:
Ha was born as an only child in Los Angeles County, California. Her parents were of Vietnamese origin; they immigrated from Saigon to the United States in 1975 after the Vietnam War. She lived in Lakewood, California and Long Beach, California as a young child before her family moved to Houston, Texas. Her mother died from lung cancer when Ha was 14. Ha graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance along with MIS from the University of Texas at Austin. She also earned a master's of fine arts in creative fiction and nonfiction from the University of Houston's nationally acclaimed writing program. Ha suffers from neuromyelitis optica,  in which a person's own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord. In 2004, she was diagnosed and gradually started losing her vision, and was almost completely blind by 2007. She describes her vision as "looking at a very foggy mirror after a hot shower". She uses adaptive technologies to help her manage her social media profiles by herself. Hà utilizes the following assistive technologies around her house: VoiceOver, JAWS, Aira glasses, Amigo portable CCTV along with a thermometer, food scale and liquid level indicator that gives an oral reading. Ha serves as Fiction Editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts, and her work has appeared in Fire Point, The ScissorTale Review and PANK Magazine, among others. In January 2014, she began hosting the cooking show Four Senses on AMI-TV.

info:
Ha was born as an only child in Los Angeles County, California. Her parents were of Vietnamese origin; they immigrated from Saigon to the United States in 1975 after the Vietnam War. She lived in Lakewood, California and Long Beach, California as a young child before her family moved to Houston, Texas. Her mother died from lung cancer when Ha was 14. Ha graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance along with MIS from the University of Texas at Austin. She also earned a master's of fine arts in creative fiction and nonfiction from the University of Houston's nationally acclaimed writing program. Ha suffers from neuromyelitis optica,  in which a person's own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord. In 2004, she was diagnosed and gradually started losing her vision, and was almost completely blind by 2007. She describes her vision as "looking at a very foggy mirror after a hot shower". She uses adaptive technologies to help her manage her social media profiles by herself. Hà utilizes the following assistive technologies around her house: VoiceOver, JAWS, Aira glasses, Amigo portable CCTV along with a thermometer, food scale and liquid level indicator that gives an oral reading. Ha serves as Fiction Editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts, and her work has appeared in Fire Point, The ScissorTale Review and PANK Magazine, among others. In January 2014, she began hosting the cooking show Four Senses on AMI-TV.While she has never studied cooking, she has a large following on her food blog. In the nineteen episodes where she competed on the third season of MasterChef, Ha won seven times in both individual and team challenges; additionally, she placed three times in the top three group. However, she was also in the bottom group twice. On September 10, 2012, Hà was announced the winner of the competition and was awarded $250,000, the MasterChef title, the MasterChef trophy, and a cookbook deal. Her cookbook, Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:12px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 9781623360955), was released on May 14, 2013. In 2013, Ha began co-hosting the Canadian TV show Four Senses with Carl Heinrich, the winner of Season 2 of Top Chef Canada.  It is a cooking show geared towards the visually impaired, and airs on AMI (Accessible Media, Inc.) TV, a Canadian cable network designed to make television accessible to the vision and hearing impaired. To compensate for the vision-impaired, the show contains a great deal of audio description, where they are narrating what's going on in the kitchen, what they're doing, how things feel or smell or sound. In 2015, she revealed on her blog and Facebook page that she would become a judge on the third season of MasterChef Vietnam, having been a guest judge in the previous series, and a guest judge of US MasterChef (season 4), making her the first former contestant and winner worldwide to become a regular judge, and also the third ever female judge after Michal Ansky of Israel and Christina Tosi.   In the meantime, she also returned along with Luca Manfé and Courtney Lapresi as guests of US MasterChef (season 6). Later in the year, she also made an appearance in MasterChef Celebrity Showdown in the battle of "Champions vs Juniors", where she, alongside Season 4 winner Luca Manfe and Season 6 winner Claudia Sandoval, cooked against 3 contestants from MasterChef Junior season 4 in a Salmon Wellington tag team battle. The three champions emerged as the winner and donate their winnings to their chosen charity. She also revealed that she was the first chef/author to become the winner of Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award in 2014, an award given to people and organizations that "demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving quality of life for people with vision loss".  Past/current winners included musicians Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Tom Sullivan, actor Charlie Cox (who portrayed a blind superhero, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, was awarded in June 2015) and businessman Bernard A. Newcomb. She has also opened small-scale pop-up restaurants around the world in the 5 years since winning Master Chef (2012-2017). She has traveled around the world to give TED talks about her life experiences as a blind cook and the lessons she has learned along the way . "Christine has also served as a culinary envoy on behalf of the American Embassy in cultural diplomacy programs in Jordan, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia". In 2018, Hà opened a Vietnamese gastropub in Bravery Chef Hall in Houston, Texas named "The Blind Goat". The name is a combination of her disability and her Vietnamese zodiac sign. The menu will be centered around authentic Vietnamese dishes, specifically drawing inspiration from Nhau cuisine. She is currently working on her memoir and second cookbook.


name: Gabrielle Hamilton
first_name: Gabrielle
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Following a career in catering, Hamilton opened the restaurant, Prune, in the East Village in 1999. She had no formal experience in restaurants, nor did she attend culinary school. Her 30-seat restaurant garnered widespread acclaim and admiration from diners, critics and other chefs including Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. Prune earned a spot in the Bib Gourmand section of the Michelin's 2014 New York guide. Hamilton was featured in the fourth season of the PBS show The Mind of a Chef. She also appeared as a guest judge on the first season of The Taste on ABC. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamilton published a piece in the New York Times discussing the closure of Prune and broader implications of the pandemic for the restaurant industry in the United States.

personal_sec:
Hamilton was married for 10 years to Dr. Michele Fuortes, an Italian-born teacher and researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College. They had two children, Marco and Leone, and later divorced. Hamilton is currently married to Ashley Merriman, who is her co-chef at Prune.

info:
Following a career in catering, Hamilton opened the restaurant, Prune, in the East Village in 1999. She had no formal experience in restaurants, nor did she attend culinary school. Her 30-seat restaurant garnered widespread acclaim and admiration from diners, critics and other chefs including Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. Prune earned a spot in the Bib Gourmand section of the Michelin's 2014 New York guide. Hamilton was featured in the fourth season of the PBS show The Mind of a Chef. She also appeared as a guest judge on the first season of The Taste on ABC. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamilton published a piece in the New York Times discussing the closure of Prune and broader implications of the pandemic for the restaurant industry in the United States.Hamilton was married for 10 years to Dr. Michele Fuortes, an Italian-born teacher and researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College. They had two children, Marco and Leone, and later divorced. Hamilton is currently married to Ashley Merriman, who is her co-chef at Prune.


name: Jessica B. Harris
first_name: Jessica
last_name: Harris
gender: F
personal_sec: Harris resides in Brooklyn, Martha's Vineyard and New Orleans.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In the 1970s, Harris worked as a journalist before becoming a food writer. She was book review editor at Essence and theater critic for New York Amsterdam News, the United States' oldest black newspaper. Harris is a member of the faculty in the English Department at Queens College/C.U.N.Y. She hosts a monthly program, My Welcome Table, on Heritage Radio Network. She has published 12 books. Her primary subjects are the culinary history, foodways and recipes of the African diaspora. Harris was a 2004 winner of the lifetime achievement awards from the Southern Foodways Alliance and a 2010 James Beard Foundation special award honoree. Her most recent book is the memoir My Soul Looks Back (2017).

info:
In the 1970s, Harris worked as a journalist before becoming a food writer. She was book review editor at Essence and theater critic for New York Amsterdam News, the United States' oldest black newspaper. Harris is a member of the faculty in the English Department at Queens College/C.U.N.Y. She hosts a monthly program, My Welcome Table, on Heritage Radio Network. She has published 12 books. Her primary subjects are the culinary history, foodways and recipes of the African diaspora. Harris was a 2004 winner of the lifetime achievement awards from the Southern Foodways Alliance and a 2010 James Beard Foundation special award honoree. Her most recent book is the memoir My Soul Looks Back (2017).Harris resides in Brooklyn, Martha's Vineyard and New Orleans.


name: Adina Howard
first_name: Adina
last_name: Howard
gender: F
personal_sec: She divorced Sherman Jordan in 2017.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Her debut album Do You Wanna Ride?, featuring the Platinum-certified hit single, "Freak like Me", was released in 1995 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Her follow-up singles included "My Up and Down" (#32 R&B, No. 68 Hot 100) and "It's All About You" (#58 R&B). In 1996, she collaborated with Warren G for the Police Story 3: Super Cop soundtrack with the single "What's Love Got to Do with It" which featured a sample of the Tina Turner hit. The single was another hit for the two, peaking at No. 36 on the Hot 100, No. 32 on R&B, and No. 2 on the UK charts. The music video also featured Jackie Chan in a cameo. Also that year, she collaborated on a track with Somethin' for the People titled "Damned If I Do" which appeared on the soundtrack for A Thin Line Between Love and Hate as well as their self-titled debut album. She also recorded the track "For the Funk" for the Sunset Park soundtrack. In 1997, she prepared for the release of her second album, Welcome to Fantasy Island (originally titled Portrait of a Lady). It garnered critical raves and a moderate hit with the lead single, "(Freak) And U Know It", but was shelved by Elektra Records in 1997. The album was leaked to the internet a few years later and promotional copies sell for hundreds of dollars One of the shelved album's tracks, "T-Shirt & Panties" (a collaboration with Jamie Foxx) ended up on a soundtrack the following year. It was originally slated for the soundtrack to his film Booty Call but it eventually ended up on the soundtrack to the 1998 feature film Woo. It was released promotionally as a single, and the remix featured Cam'ron and Charli Baltimore. Also this year, she collaborated with Cydal on a track titled "Chocolate (Cuties & Condoms)" which was released as a single for the Bulletproof soundtrack. The track was also included on their debut album Cydalwayz the following year. During this time, she made her feature film debut in the independent film High Freakquency, starring Deon Richmond and John Witherspoon. In 2002, she filmed her second movie role, in the still-unreleased Casanova's Demise for director Tigre Hill. Also this year, she collaborated with the Hip-Hop group PYG’z and Yuck Mouth on the track “Been Around the World” for the former’s debut album. By 2004, Howard released her third album The Second Coming on Rufftown Records. A video was made for the first single, "Nasty Grind", Mark Rezyka Directed the video and the music video was produced by Jack Edward Sawyers. The video featured Adina topless covering herself while she sang. The video played on BET during early morning hours. The album sold poorly due to lack of promotion and only managed to gather 40,000 copies on store shelves and she was later sued by the label. A second single, "(Outside) The Club" was slated to be released, along with a remix album The Second Coming: Remixed & UnCut but both were canceled following her departure from the label. Later that year, she collaborated with Play-N-Skillz and Krayzie Bone for the track "Freaks" which sampled her hit single "Freak Like Me". The single appeared on the Play-N-Skillz album The Process and became a hit, peaking at No. 52 R&B and No. 69 on the Hot 100 (her first-charting single in 7 years). She released an official mixtape album (with DJ RIP) featuring new songs, remixes, and unreleased tracks titled Let You Hit through SoundJewelz.com on August 5, 2005. In 2006, she announced that the single "Phone Sex" was going to be released, but the following year, the song "L.O.V.A." was released digitally as her lead single. Additionally, a song titled "Hips" was announced to be her second single. Her fourth album, Private Show was delayed many times by Arsenal Records, almost to the point of being shelved. However, it was released on June 26, 2007 along with a promotional single, "Picture This". As of 2008, the album has sold 4,000+ copies. Following the album's release, a remixes EP for "My Hips" (appears as "Hips" on her album) was released on iTunes & other digital services in December. A third official single, "Tease" was slated to be released, but as Howard parted ways with the label shortly after the album's release, it was cancelled. In 2008, she appeared in the short film Poke the Sleeping Bear which won the Grand Jury Award at the 2008 Solstice Film Festival. On September 25, 2009, a UK compilation Independent Soul Divas 2 was released on Lola Waxx Records. This compilation album featured "What Do I Do", a song recorded by Howard in 2008. The album version is different than the version that was originally included on Howard's MySpace page. In 2011, she started work on her Culinary Arts degree, a cookbook, a new album and a restaurant in Austin, Texas. She graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu with an Associates in Culinary Arts in October 2012. In 2012, Howard released two buzz singles online: "2 Close" and "Ooh Wee". She collaborated with rapper Ruffa on the track "I Want You" for his Coming to America album which was released on July 31, 2012. On January 16, 2013, Howard wrote on her Twitter account that her new single "Better Than Ever" would be released soon. She premiered a snippet of the single on January 28 on her official YouTube page. A longer version premiered on March 6 on the mixtape DJ Jump Off's R&B Madness Volume 4. Additionally, she signed a new record deal with Monarchy Records in April 2013. She also filmed an episode of TV One's Life After in April, and it is set to premiere during the Fall 2013 season on October 2. In July, she announced that she will be releasing an EP next, ahead of her forthcoming fifth studio album. On September 10, 2013, she released her new single "Switch" which is the lead single off her fifth studio album The Switch Up. It received positive reviews, and won "Best Dance/Club Single of the Year" at the 2013 UB Honors, which was voted by the public. On December 3, 2013 it was announced that Howard would be the resident chef on Wednesday nights at Michael's Cafe and Supper Club in Phoenix, Arizona. She completed her run at the end of December. In June 2014, it was announced that Howard had landed the lead role of April in Derrell Lawrence's touring stage play "Do You Trust Your Best Friend?" and is set to make her stage debut in October in Washington, DC. She later confirmed that her role had been changed to Olivia in the play. She announced in November 2014 that she signed a new label deal with SMG/Sony Red in addition to news of a new single "Bad 4 Me" set for release in December. Howard is also set to appear on Centric's new docu-series "Being" in early 2015. She released a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Love is a Losing Game" in January 2015 to media outlets. A documentary, Adina Howard 20: A Story of Sexual Liberation was released on May 6, 2015. In June, she announced that her single "Bad 4 Me" will make its premiere on a San Diego, CA radio station on June 5, ahead of her appearance at the Urban Network Digital "Back To Basics 2" Music Summit that weekend. It was released to digital outlets on August 14, 2015. She was also working on her next album now titled #IHeartAdinaHoward (originally titled The Switch Up). She was featured on Pitbull's single "FREE.K", which sampled her hit single "Freak Like Me". Her "Being" interview originally filmed back in 2014, premiered on December 9, 2015 under their new series "Designed For". In March 2016, she was featured on the new single "Freak" by R3hab and Quintino, who sampled her single "Freak Like Me". In May 2016, she previewed four new songs ("Love Jones", "Come Over", "Nasty" and "Run It") from Resurrection on her Periscope account, in addition to doing a mini-concert for her fans. In June 2016, she announced she'll be playing the role of Candice in the new stage musical For All My Girls alongside April Nixon, Monifah and Marlain Angelides premiering in New York on June 27. In July, one of her new promotional photos went viral, in which she released a sneak peek into her album for her fans the following weekend. A year after its release, the album's lead single "Bad 4 Me" was featured on MTV and garnered renewed interest and radio airplay. In November, she announced the Resurrection album will be released on March 17, 2017. On December 6, 2016, she released a Resurrection mixtape with DJ Daz-One on AudioMack. A few days earlier, her vocals were sampled once again on the DJ Luke Nasty track "Adina (Freaks)" produced by Djay Cas. On January 25, 2017, she shot a music video for the track "Blasphemy" in California. It premiered on March 20, 2017. On March 17, 2017, an EP containing previously unreleased/released material was released through Famous Records Corp / Echo International called Freaky. While many of the song titles were variations on the word "freak" they were actually renamed tracks from previous releases. "(Gonna Make You) Freaky" was previously released as "It's On Tonight" from her Let You Hit mixtape, "Time to Freak" is rumored to actually be called "Too Sexy" or "Mirror Mirror", "Freak Like Me (Remix) (Re-Recorded Version)" was an actual previously released remix on her 1995 hit single, and "Stay Freaky" was a previously leaked duet with Estevan called "Rough Ridin'". Her fourth studio album Resurrection was released on April 14, 2017. Due to some issues with iTunes and other digital services, Howard decided to release the album for free (on her Soundcloud) for 24 hours beginning at 12 pm PST. A week later, the album was finally released on all digital services. In November, she released a short tour film titled Adina Howard: Resurrection Tour Atlanta which premiered on digital services. Later that month, she received two UB Honors nominations in the Best Artist Return Single (for "Blasphemy" with King Gas) and Best Independent R&B Album Release (for Resurrection). In December, she further received two more award nominations, at the MCP Music Awards for Best Deep Cut of the Year ("Radiation" (with Tech N9ne)) and Best Comeback of the Year (for "Blasphemy" with King Gas). In January 2018, she did an interview with the online radio show Tha Council Radio and announced she was in the works of co-writing a self-help book tentatively called Adina Howard: Real Raw with a therapist. She also announced a new film role in the independent film The Relaxer, which was to premiere at the 2018 SXSW Festival in March. Additionally, she confirmed she was working with producer-rapper King Gas again on a new album tentatively titled Diary of a Desperate Housewife. The new year brought her some high profile releases. Her profile on TV One's hit "Unsung" series premiered on March 10, 2019. Later that month, her film Relaxer (directed by Joel Potrykus) was released to theaters on March 22, 2019 through Oscilloscope Labs. It garnered critical praise, receiving a 72% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. In May, she announced a new single with Mothers Favorite Child called "Freak" after collaborating with them for her acoustic performances for her TV One episode. She appeared in the documentary A Fatherless America from media personality and filmmaker Tommy Sotomayor which was released in June 2019. With her promotion for a Detroit performance with Montell Jordan in July, she discussed a new single in the works called "Lifeline" in addition to a book and a motivational speaking career. In a cover story interview with Consciousness Magazine, she announced hopes for a second quarter release for the single. At the beginning of 2020, her new dance single "Mind Reader" with Opolopo was announced, and released on January 17. After a few weeks, the song ended up hitting #1 on the TraxSource charts as well as #2 on the Dutch FREAK31 music chart. In an interview with R&B Junkie celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album, she discussed starting a Houston, TX residency set to begin in May. She also joined Katrina Walker's new theatrical stage play "Miss Dee's Kitchen" which was set to premiere April 3.

info:
Her debut album Do You Wanna Ride?, featuring the Platinum-certified hit single, "Freak like Me", was released in 1995 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Her follow-up singles included "My Up and Down" (#32 R&B, No. 68 Hot 100) and "It's All About You" (#58 R&B). In 1996, she collaborated with Warren G for the Police Story 3: Super Cop soundtrack with the single "What's Love Got to Do with It" which featured a sample of the Tina Turner hit. The single was another hit for the two, peaking at No. 36 on the Hot 100, No. 32 on R&B, and No. 2 on the UK charts. The music video also featured Jackie Chan in a cameo. Also that year, she collaborated on a track with Somethin' for the People titled "Damned If I Do" which appeared on the soundtrack for A Thin Line Between Love and Hate as well as their self-titled debut album. She also recorded the track "For the Funk" for the Sunset Park soundtrack. In 1997, she prepared for the release of her second album, Welcome to Fantasy Island (originally titled Portrait of a Lady). It garnered critical raves and a moderate hit with the lead single, "(Freak) And U Know It", but was shelved by Elektra Records in 1997. The album was leaked to the internet a few years later and promotional copies sell for hundreds of dollars One of the shelved album's tracks, "T-Shirt & Panties" (a collaboration with Jamie Foxx) ended up on a soundtrack the following year. It was originally slated for the soundtrack to his film Booty Call but it eventually ended up on the soundtrack to the 1998 feature film Woo. It was released promotionally as a single, and the remix featured Cam'ron and Charli Baltimore. Also this year, she collaborated with Cydal on a track titled "Chocolate (Cuties & Condoms)" which was released as a single for the Bulletproof soundtrack. The track was also included on their debut album Cydalwayz the following year. During this time, she made her feature film debut in the independent film High Freakquency, starring Deon Richmond and John Witherspoon. In 2002, she filmed her second movie role, in the still-unreleased Casanova's Demise for director Tigre Hill. Also this year, she collaborated with the Hip-Hop group PYG’z and Yuck Mouth on the track “Been Around the World” for the former’s debut album. By 2004, Howard released her third album The Second Coming on Rufftown Records. A video was made for the first single, "Nasty Grind", Mark Rezyka Directed the video and the music video was produced by Jack Edward Sawyers. The video featured Adina topless covering herself while she sang. The video played on BET during early morning hours. The album sold poorly due to lack of promotion and only managed to gather 40,000 copies on store shelves and she was later sued by the label. A second single, "(Outside) The Club" was slated to be released, along with a remix album The Second Coming: Remixed & UnCut but both were canceled following her departure from the label. Later that year, she collaborated with Play-N-Skillz and Krayzie Bone for the track "Freaks" which sampled her hit single "Freak Like Me". The single appeared on the Play-N-Skillz album The Process and became a hit, peaking at No. 52 R&B and No. 69 on the Hot 100 (her first-charting single in 7 years). She released an official mixtape album (with DJ RIP) featuring new songs, remixes, and unreleased tracks titled Let You Hit through SoundJewelz.com on August 5, 2005. In 2006, she announced that the single "Phone Sex" was going to be released, but the following year, the song "L.O.V.A." was released digitally as her lead single. Additionally, a song titled "Hips" was announced to be her second single. Her fourth album, Private Show was delayed many times by Arsenal Records, almost to the point of being shelved. However, it was released on June 26, 2007 along with a promotional single, "Picture This". As of 2008, the album has sold 4,000+ copies. Following the album's release, a remixes EP for "My Hips" (appears as "Hips" on her album) was released on iTunes & other digital services in December. A third official single, "Tease" was slated to be released, but as Howard parted ways with the label shortly after the album's release, it was cancelled. In 2008, she appeared in the short film Poke the Sleeping Bear which won the Grand Jury Award at the 2008 Solstice Film Festival. On September 25, 2009, a UK compilation Independent Soul Divas 2 was released on Lola Waxx Records. This compilation album featured "What Do I Do", a song recorded by Howard in 2008. The album version is different than the version that was originally included on Howard's MySpace page. In 2011, she started work on her Culinary Arts degree, a cookbook, a new album and a restaurant in Austin, Texas. She graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu with an Associates in Culinary Arts in October 2012. In 2012, Howard released two buzz singles online: "2 Close" and "Ooh Wee". She collaborated with rapper Ruffa on the track "I Want You" for his Coming to America album which was released on July 31, 2012. On January 16, 2013, Howard wrote on her Twitter account that her new single "Better Than Ever" would be released soon. She premiered a snippet of the single on January 28 on her official YouTube page. A longer version premiered on March 6 on the mixtape DJ Jump Off's R&B Madness Volume 4. Additionally, she signed a new record deal with Monarchy Records in April 2013. She also filmed an episode of TV One's Life After in April, and it is set to premiere during the Fall 2013 season on October 2. In July, she announced that she will be releasing an EP next, ahead of her forthcoming fifth studio album. On September 10, 2013, she released her new single "Switch" which is the lead single off her fifth studio album The Switch Up. It received positive reviews, and won "Best Dance/Club Single of the Year" at the 2013 UB Honors, which was voted by the public. On December 3, 2013 it was announced that Howard would be the resident chef on Wednesday nights at Michael's Cafe and Supper Club in Phoenix, Arizona. She completed her run at the end of December. In June 2014, it was announced that Howard had landed the lead role of April in Derrell Lawrence's touring stage play "Do You Trust Your Best Friend?" and is set to make her stage debut in October in Washington, DC. She later confirmed that her role had been changed to Olivia in the play. She announced in November 2014 that she signed a new label deal with SMG/Sony Red in addition to news of a new single "Bad 4 Me" set for release in December. Howard is also set to appear on Centric's new docu-series "Being" in early 2015. She released a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Love is a Losing Game" in January 2015 to media outlets. A documentary, Adina Howard 20: A Story of Sexual Liberation was released on May 6, 2015. In June, she announced that her single "Bad 4 Me" will make its premiere on a San Diego, CA radio station on June 5, ahead of her appearance at the Urban Network Digital "Back To Basics 2" Music Summit that weekend. It was released to digital outlets on August 14, 2015. She was also working on her next album now titled #IHeartAdinaHoward (originally titled The Switch Up). She was featured on Pitbull's single "FREE.K", which sampled her hit single "Freak Like Me". Her "Being" interview originally filmed back in 2014, premiered on December 9, 2015 under their new series "Designed For". In March 2016, she was featured on the new single "Freak" by R3hab and Quintino, who sampled her single "Freak Like Me". In May 2016, she previewed four new songs ("Love Jones", "Come Over", "Nasty" and "Run It") from Resurrection on her Periscope account, in addition to doing a mini-concert for her fans. In June 2016, she announced she'll be playing the role of Candice in the new stage musical For All My Girls alongside April Nixon, Monifah and Marlain Angelides premiering in New York on June 27. In July, one of her new promotional photos went viral, in which she released a sneak peek into her album for her fans the following weekend. A year after its release, the album's lead single "Bad 4 Me" was featured on MTV and garnered renewed interest and radio airplay. In November, she announced the Resurrection album will be released on March 17, 2017. On December 6, 2016, she released a Resurrection mixtape with DJ Daz-One on AudioMack. A few days earlier, her vocals were sampled once again on the DJ Luke Nasty track "Adina (Freaks)" produced by Djay Cas. On January 25, 2017, she shot a music video for the track "Blasphemy" in California. It premiered on March 20, 2017. On March 17, 2017, an EP containing previously unreleased/released material was released through Famous Records Corp / Echo International called Freaky. While many of the song titles were variations on the word "freak" they were actually renamed tracks from previous releases. "(Gonna Make You) Freaky" was previously released as "It's On Tonight" from her Let You Hit mixtape, "Time to Freak" is rumored to actually be called "Too Sexy" or "Mirror Mirror", "Freak Like Me (Remix) (Re-Recorded Version)" was an actual previously released remix on her 1995 hit single, and "Stay Freaky" was a previously leaked duet with Estevan called "Rough Ridin'". Her fourth studio album Resurrection was released on April 14, 2017. Due to some issues with iTunes and other digital services, Howard decided to release the album for free (on her Soundcloud) for 24 hours beginning at 12 pm PST. A week later, the album was finally released on all digital services. In November, she released a short tour film titled Adina Howard: Resurrection Tour Atlanta which premiered on digital services. Later that month, she received two UB Honors nominations in the Best Artist Return Single (for "Blasphemy" with King Gas) and Best Independent R&B Album Release (for Resurrection). In December, she further received two more award nominations, at the MCP Music Awards for Best Deep Cut of the Year ("Radiation" (with Tech N9ne)) and Best Comeback of the Year (for "Blasphemy" with King Gas). In January 2018, she did an interview with the online radio show Tha Council Radio and announced she was in the works of co-writing a self-help book tentatively called Adina Howard: Real Raw with a therapist. She also announced a new film role in the independent film The Relaxer, which was to premiere at the 2018 SXSW Festival in March. Additionally, she confirmed she was working with producer-rapper King Gas again on a new album tentatively titled Diary of a Desperate Housewife. The new year brought her some high profile releases. Her profile on TV One's hit "Unsung" series premiered on March 10, 2019. Later that month, her film Relaxer (directed by Joel Potrykus) was released to theaters on March 22, 2019 through Oscilloscope Labs. It garnered critical praise, receiving a 72% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. In May, she announced a new single with Mothers Favorite Child called "Freak" after collaborating with them for her acoustic performances for her TV One episode. She appeared in the documentary A Fatherless America from media personality and filmmaker Tommy Sotomayor which was released in June 2019. With her promotion for a Detroit performance with Montell Jordan in July, she discussed a new single in the works called "Lifeline" in addition to a book and a motivational speaking career. In a cover story interview with Consciousness Magazine, she announced hopes for a second quarter release for the single. At the beginning of 2020, her new dance single "Mind Reader" with Opolopo was announced, and released on January 17. After a few weeks, the song ended up hitting #1 on the TraxSource charts as well as #2 on the Dutch FREAK31 music chart. In an interview with R&B Junkie celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album, she discussed starting a Houston, TX residency set to begin in May. She also joined Katrina Walker's new theatrical stage play "Miss Dee's Kitchen" which was set to premiere April 3.She divorced Sherman Jordan in 2017.


name: Vivian Howard
first_name: Vivian
last_name: Howard
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Howard graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC in 2004. She completed an internship at Wylie Dufresne's wd~50 and trained as Chef de Partie at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market. Howard married Ben Knight, one of her coworkers at Voyage, and the two started a soup delivery business out of their apartment in Harlem, an effort that included chilling soup in the bathtub. Despite offers from investors to open a brick and mortar location in New York, the couple agreed to accept Howard’s parents' offer to buy a restaurant in Kinston. Howard and Knight moved to North Carolina in 2005 and opened Chef & the Farmer in 2006 in a downtown building that was previously a mule stable. More than 60% of the ingredients used in the restaurant come from within a 90-mile radius. The restaurant creates modern interpretations of traditional southern dishes, often collected from members of her family's Eastern North Carolina community. In 2018, Howard said "Older folks in our community teach me how to make something very simple. One of the things I like about A Chef's Life and dislike about modern media, in general, is that  very young-person-new-ideas driven, and I don’t think people call on the wisdom of older folks very much. To learn from them and share has been wonderful." In 2012, the Chef & the Farmer building caught fire and was rebuilt. In 2013, Howard and Knight opened the Boiler Room, a casual spot that serves oysters and burgers catty-corner from Chef & the Farmer. Howard has authored a cookbook and memoir, titled Deep Run Roots - Stories and Recipes from my Corner of the South .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:12px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 0316381101, which was released in October 2016. After the book was released, it remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for 3 weeks. In 2017, the book won four IACP Cookbook Awards including: Cookbook of the Year, Julia Child First Book Award, Outstanding Restaurant Cookbook, and Outstanding Cookbook in the General Category. Howard plans to write another cookbook to be released in 2019. Howard and Knight opened a restaurant called Benny's Big Time Pizzeria on December 12, 2017, in the Warehouse District of Wilmington, NC.

personal_sec:
Howard is married to Ben Knight. The couple met while working together at Voyage restaurant in NYC. They live on Howard's family homestead in Deep Run, North Carolina with their twin children.

info:
Howard graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC in 2004. She completed an internship at Wylie Dufresne's wd~50 and trained as Chef de Partie at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market. Howard married Ben Knight, one of her coworkers at Voyage, and the two started a soup delivery business out of their apartment in Harlem, an effort that included chilling soup in the bathtub. Despite offers from investors to open a brick and mortar location in New York, the couple agreed to accept Howard’s parents' offer to buy a restaurant in Kinston. Howard and Knight moved to North Carolina in 2005 and opened Chef & the Farmer in 2006 in a downtown building that was previously a mule stable. More than 60% of the ingredients used in the restaurant come from within a 90-mile radius. The restaurant creates modern interpretations of traditional southern dishes, often collected from members of her family's Eastern North Carolina community. In 2018, Howard said "Older folks in our community teach me how to make something very simple. One of the things I like about A Chef's Life and dislike about modern media, in general, is that  very young-person-new-ideas driven, and I don’t think people call on the wisdom of older folks very much. To learn from them and share has been wonderful." In 2012, the Chef & the Farmer building caught fire and was rebuilt. In 2013, Howard and Knight opened the Boiler Room, a casual spot that serves oysters and burgers catty-corner from Chef & the Farmer. Howard has authored a cookbook and memoir, titled Deep Run Roots - Stories and Recipes from my Corner of the South .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:9px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-image:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png");background-image:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg");background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:12px;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN 0316381101, which was released in October 2016. After the book was released, it remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for 3 weeks. In 2017, the book won four IACP Cookbook Awards including: Cookbook of the Year, Julia Child First Book Award, Outstanding Restaurant Cookbook, and Outstanding Cookbook in the General Category. Howard plans to write another cookbook to be released in 2019. Howard and Knight opened a restaurant called Benny's Big Time Pizzeria on December 12, 2017, in the Warehouse District of Wilmington, NC.Howard is married to Ben Knight. The couple met while working together at Voyage restaurant in NYC. They live on Howard's family homestead in Deep Run, North Carolina with their twin children.


name: Stephanie Izard
first_name: Stephanie
last_name: Izard
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After graduating  with a culinary arts degree, Izard worked in the Phoenix area at the Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, and Christopher Gross's Fermier Brasserie.  Izard returned to the Chicago area in 2001, with a job as garde manger at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Vong. While working at Vong, Izard met future "Top Chef" contestant Dale Talde, and Heather Shouse, with whom she would later co-author the cookbook "Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats, and Drinks". After leaving Vong, Izard worked as tournant at Shawn McClain's Spring, and then as sous chef at Dale Levitski's La Tache.

personal_sec:
Izard has a dog named Burt, who is a frequent guest on her social media networks and has his own Twitter. Izard currently resides in Chicago with her son, Ernie (born in 2016) and husband, Gary Valentine, a craft beer consultant, whom she married on October 6, 2013.

info:
After graduating  with a culinary arts degree, Izard worked in the Phoenix area at the Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, and Christopher Gross's Fermier Brasserie.  Izard returned to the Chicago area in 2001, with a job as garde manger at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Vong. While working at Vong, Izard met future "Top Chef" contestant Dale Talde, and Heather Shouse, with whom she would later co-author the cookbook "Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats, and Drinks". After leaving Vong, Izard worked as tournant at Shawn McClain's Spring, and then as sous chef at Dale Levitski's La Tache.Izard has a dog named Burt, who is a frequent guest on her social media networks and has his own Twitter. Izard currently resides in Chicago with her son, Ernie (born in 2016) and husband, Gary Valentine, a craft beer consultant, whom she married on October 6, 2013.


name: Pati Jinich
first_name: Pati
last_name: Jinich
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Jinich first began researching and cooking Mexican cuisine out of homesickness for her native Mexico City, when she moved to Dallas, Texas, with her husband. Soon, she was teaching Mexican cooking to friends and neighbors. At the same time, as she was writing her bachelor's thesis, she offered to help KERA, the Dallas public TV station, with a documentary on the Mexican Revolution, but they needed help with another project: the PBS series New Tastes from Texas with Chef Stephan Pyles, for which she became a production assistant. Two years later, she relocated to Washington, DC, with her husband and their first-born son, where she resumed her academic pursuits, earning her master's degree from Georgetown and landing her "dream job" at the Inter-American Dialogue, but she never stopped obsessively thinking about food and enrolled at L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. Jinich envisioned herself writing articles about Mexican cuisine and teaching it in her home kitchen, until she met with the executive director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC, who encouraged her to bring her cooking program to the institute. In 2007, she launched her "Mexican Table" series of live cooking demonstrations along with multi-course tasting dinners, which she still runs today. The classes combine Jinich's skilled Mexican cooking with her knowledge of the country's history and regions. Each one explores a single topic—for example, dishes of the Mexican Revolution, a historical vanilla menu, or convent foods from colonial Mexico. Around the same time, she started her blog about Mexican cuisine, which was followed by invitations to write about food for print publications and to give talks and cooking demos for radio and TV shows. Jinich's charisma and intelligence caught the attention of television producers. After exploring different outlets, she decided Washington, DC's WETA-TV was the right home for Pati's Mexican Table because of her commitment to authenticity and the independence the PBS and public-TV platform allows over the content of its shows. The first season of Pati’s Mexican Table aired in 2011 and included an episode that focused on the Sephardic and Lebanese influences on Mexican cooking. The best-selling cookbook of the same name followed in 2012. Her book which focuses on easy-to-prepare dishes is based on everyday family meals which she prepares and serves to her husband and three sons.

personal_sec:
Jinich lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband Daniel Jinich and their three sons: Alan, Samuel ("Sami"), and Julian ("Juju").

info:
Jinich first began researching and cooking Mexican cuisine out of homesickness for her native Mexico City, when she moved to Dallas, Texas, with her husband. Soon, she was teaching Mexican cooking to friends and neighbors. At the same time, as she was writing her bachelor's thesis, she offered to help KERA, the Dallas public TV station, with a documentary on the Mexican Revolution, but they needed help with another project: the PBS series New Tastes from Texas with Chef Stephan Pyles, for which she became a production assistant. Two years later, she relocated to Washington, DC, with her husband and their first-born son, where she resumed her academic pursuits, earning her master's degree from Georgetown and landing her "dream job" at the Inter-American Dialogue, but she never stopped obsessively thinking about food and enrolled at L'Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. Jinich envisioned herself writing articles about Mexican cuisine and teaching it in her home kitchen, until she met with the executive director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC, who encouraged her to bring her cooking program to the institute. In 2007, she launched her "Mexican Table" series of live cooking demonstrations along with multi-course tasting dinners, which she still runs today. The classes combine Jinich's skilled Mexican cooking with her knowledge of the country's history and regions. Each one explores a single topic—for example, dishes of the Mexican Revolution, a historical vanilla menu, or convent foods from colonial Mexico. Around the same time, she started her blog about Mexican cuisine, which was followed by invitations to write about food for print publications and to give talks and cooking demos for radio and TV shows. Jinich's charisma and intelligence caught the attention of television producers. After exploring different outlets, she decided Washington, DC's WETA-TV was the right home for Pati's Mexican Table because of her commitment to authenticity and the independence the PBS and public-TV platform allows over the content of its shows. The first season of Pati’s Mexican Table aired in 2011 and included an episode that focused on the Sephardic and Lebanese influences on Mexican cooking. The best-selling cookbook of the same name followed in 2012. Her book which focuses on easy-to-prepare dishes is based on everyday family meals which she prepares and serves to her husband and three sons.Jinich lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband Daniel Jinich and their three sons: Alan, Samuel ("Sami"), and Julian ("Juju").


name: Beverly Kim
first_name: Beverly
last_name: Kim
gender: F
personal_sec: Kim and her husband live in Chicago with their two children. Journalist Lee Ann Kim is her sister.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After culinary school, Kim worked again at the Ritz, and then at Charlie Trotter's. She worked with Stegner at Prairie Grass Cafe and then became executive chef of Opera and then Aria in the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. In 2011, Kim competed on  Season 9 of Top Chef in Texas, winning the "Restaurant Wars" episode and the "Last Chance Kitchen" competition before finishing in fourth place. In 2012, she was hired to take over the Michelin-starred Bonsoirée in Chicago, but the restaurant closed after two months. She then returned to her alma mater to teach a fine dining course at Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts. In 2014, Kim and her husband, Johnny Clark, opened their own restaurant, Parachute in Avondale, Chicago, serving modern Korean-American cuisine. The restaurant was named Eater Chicago's 2014 Restaurant of the Year, and it was a finalist for the 2015 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Bon Appétit magazine named it one of the country's best new restaurants in 2015. Parachute received a Michelin star in the 2016 Michelin Guide for Chicago. In 2019, Kim and Clark won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Great Lakes.

info:
After culinary school, Kim worked again at the Ritz, and then at Charlie Trotter's. She worked with Stegner at Prairie Grass Cafe and then became executive chef of Opera and then Aria in the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. In 2011, Kim competed on  Season 9 of Top Chef in Texas, winning the "Restaurant Wars" episode and the "Last Chance Kitchen" competition before finishing in fourth place. In 2012, she was hired to take over the Michelin-starred Bonsoirée in Chicago, but the restaurant closed after two months. She then returned to her alma mater to teach a fine dining course at Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts. In 2014, Kim and her husband, Johnny Clark, opened their own restaurant, Parachute in Avondale, Chicago, serving modern Korean-American cuisine. The restaurant was named Eater Chicago's 2014 Restaurant of the Year, and it was a finalist for the 2015 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Bon Appétit magazine named it one of the country's best new restaurants in 2015. Parachute received a Michelin star in the 2016 Michelin Guide for Chicago. In 2019, Kim and Clark won the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Great Lakes.Kim and her husband live in Chicago with their two children. Journalist Lee Ann Kim is her sister.


name: Melissa King
first_name: Melissa
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
King took her first kitchen job when she was 17 years old as a pastry assistant at the Getty Museum. She subsequently trained under several Michelin-star and James Beard-recognized chefs including Dominique Crenn and Ron Siegel over the next 10 years. She has worked at several Michelin starred Bay Area restaurants such as Campton Place, Luce, and The Dining Room (Ritz-Carlton San Francisco). Throughout her career, she has cooked for several notable figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Al Gore. She was a chef ambassador for Whole Foods Market. She was selected as one of the "Best Female Chefs in San Francisco." She owns a company focused on culinary partnerships and experiences. She has appeared on stage at Outsidelands music festival for a cooking demonstration with Drag Queen Alyssa Edwards. She has also appeared at a number of food festivals around the nation such as Pebble Beach Food and Wine and The Napa Valley Film Festival.  King earned national recognition after placing fourth as a finalist on Season 12 of Bravo's television series, Top Chef. King was invited back for Season 17 of Top Chef, the show's second all-stars season, where she was announced the winner and received the US$250,000 grand prize. She was subsequently voted as the "fan favorite" of Season 17, earning her another US$10,000, which she donated 100% of her fan favorite winnings to several non-profit organizations, including the Black Visions Collective, Asian Americans for Equality, Asian Youth Center, and The Trevor Project. She holds the most single-season individual challenge wins than any other competitor in the history of Top Chef.  King made her modeling debut in a global Levis Strauss Pride Campaign in 2018  King has created a line of ice cream flavors in collaboration with Humphry Slocombe that are exclusively sold at Whole Foods Market. She is the creator of Hong Kong Milk Tea Ice Cream, Almond Chocolate Crunch, Coconut Shoyu Caramel, Yuzu Cream, Golden Milk and Gingerbread, and Mango Mojito.  King is the creator of King Sauce, a small batch line of signature sauces. 

personal_sec:
King lives in San Francisco. She is openly gay and an advocate for LGBTQ equality as well as women's empowerment, environmental sustainability, and food education for youths. King is gender-fluid and uses she/her or they/them pronouns. She was awarded Grand Marshall for San Francisco Pride 2016. King spoke out against anti-Asian racism and harassment during the COVID19 pandemic in alliance with Ad Council in a PSA campaign directed by Alan Yang.  King hosts virtual cooking experiences with proceeds supporting charities such as The Okra Project, No Kid Hungry, The Trevor Project, Asian Pacific Islanders for Equality, National Black Justice Coalition. 

info:
King took her first kitchen job when she was 17 years old as a pastry assistant at the Getty Museum. She subsequently trained under several Michelin-star and James Beard-recognized chefs including Dominique Crenn and Ron Siegel over the next 10 years. She has worked at several Michelin starred Bay Area restaurants such as Campton Place, Luce, and The Dining Room (Ritz-Carlton San Francisco). Throughout her career, she has cooked for several notable figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Al Gore. She was a chef ambassador for Whole Foods Market. She was selected as one of the "Best Female Chefs in San Francisco." She owns a company focused on culinary partnerships and experiences. She has appeared on stage at Outsidelands music festival for a cooking demonstration with Drag Queen Alyssa Edwards. She has also appeared at a number of food festivals around the nation such as Pebble Beach Food and Wine and The Napa Valley Film Festival.  King earned national recognition after placing fourth as a finalist on Season 12 of Bravo's television series, Top Chef. King was invited back for Season 17 of Top Chef, the show's second all-stars season, where she was announced the winner and received the US$250,000 grand prize. She was subsequently voted as the "fan favorite" of Season 17, earning her another US$10,000, which she donated 100% of her fan favorite winnings to several non-profit organizations, including the Black Visions Collective, Asian Americans for Equality, Asian Youth Center, and The Trevor Project. She holds the most single-season individual challenge wins than any other competitor in the history of Top Chef.  King made her modeling debut in a global Levis Strauss Pride Campaign in 2018  King has created a line of ice cream flavors in collaboration with Humphry Slocombe that are exclusively sold at Whole Foods Market. She is the creator of Hong Kong Milk Tea Ice Cream, Almond Chocolate Crunch, Coconut Shoyu Caramel, Yuzu Cream, Golden Milk and Gingerbread, and Mango Mojito.  King is the creator of King Sauce, a small batch line of signature sauces. King lives in San Francisco. She is openly gay and an advocate for LGBTQ equality as well as women's empowerment, environmental sustainability, and food education for youths. King is gender-fluid and uses she/her or they/them pronouns. She was awarded Grand Marshall for San Francisco Pride 2016. King spoke out against anti-Asian racism and harassment during the COVID19 pandemic in alliance with Ad Council in a PSA campaign directed by Alan Yang.  King hosts virtual cooking experiences with proceeds supporting charities such as The Okra Project, No Kid Hungry, The Trevor Project, Asian Pacific Islanders for Equality, National Black Justice Coalition. 


name: Kristen Kish
first_name: Kristen
last_name: Kish
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Kish became an instructor at Stir, a culinary demonstration kitchen in Boston, Massachusetts.  In 2012, Kish was promoted to Stir's chef de cuisine by the owner, Barbara Lynch. She was the chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch's Menton Boston until March 2014. In 2017, she released a book of recipes co-authored with Meredith Erickson, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques. In May 2018, Kish became chef at her new restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas. Kish competed in Bravo's Top Chef in 2012.  She made it into the main competition by surviving a soup challenge judged by Emeril Lagasse. She won four elimination challenges, creating dishes as varied as French cuisine and onion rings, before being eliminated during "Restaurant Wars" (episode 11). She was able to cook her way back into the main competition with five wins in "Last Chance Kitchen", making it to the finale with Brooke Williamson. In the finale, Kish was crowned the Top Chef, becoming the first competitor to win after winning "Last Chance Kitchen" and the second female winner in the history of the Top Chef franchise. In 2015 Kish co-hosted the pilot season of 36 Hours, a series on the Travel Channel with Kyle Martino, a TV analyst and former soccer player. The show, an adaptation of the New York Times travel column of the same name, follows Kish and Martino as they spend 36 hours eating, drinking, and exploring a given city.

personal_sec:
On March 28, 2014, Kish publicly came out after announcing the one year anniversary of the relationship with her girlfriend at the time, Jacqueline Westbrook, over Instagram.

info:
Kish became an instructor at Stir, a culinary demonstration kitchen in Boston, Massachusetts.  In 2012, Kish was promoted to Stir's chef de cuisine by the owner, Barbara Lynch. She was the chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch's Menton Boston until March 2014. In 2017, she released a book of recipes co-authored with Meredith Erickson, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques. In May 2018, Kish became chef at her new restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas. Kish competed in Bravo's Top Chef in 2012.  She made it into the main competition by surviving a soup challenge judged by Emeril Lagasse. She won four elimination challenges, creating dishes as varied as French cuisine and onion rings, before being eliminated during "Restaurant Wars" (episode 11). She was able to cook her way back into the main competition with five wins in "Last Chance Kitchen", making it to the finale with Brooke Williamson. In the finale, Kish was crowned the Top Chef, becoming the first competitor to win after winning "Last Chance Kitchen" and the second female winner in the history of the Top Chef franchise. In 2015 Kish co-hosted the pilot season of 36 Hours, a series on the Travel Channel with Kyle Martino, a TV analyst and former soccer player. The show, an adaptation of the New York Times travel column of the same name, follows Kish and Martino as they spend 36 hours eating, drinking, and exploring a given city.On March 28, 2014, Kish publicly came out after announcing the one year anniversary of the relationship with her girlfriend at the time, Jacqueline Westbrook, over Instagram.


name: Sandra Lee
first_name: Sandra
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In the early 1990s, Lee created a product called "Sandra Lee Kraft Kurtains", a home-decorating tool that used a wire rack and sheets or other fabric samples to create decorative drapery. The product was sold via infomercials and cable shopping networks. Home-shopping network QVC hired her as on-air talent; in her first 18 months on the network, Lee sold $20 million worth of products. Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee premiered on the Food Network in 2003. Each episode contains an arts and crafts element, in which Lee decorates the table setting in accordance with the theme of the meal that she just prepared. She refers to these as "tablescapes". Lee's second Food Network series, Sandra's Money Saving Meals, began airing on May 10, 2009.She has released 25 books, including Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: Cool Kids Cooking (October 2006) and a memoir, Made From Scratch, which was released in November 2007. A magazine based on her show, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, was released in 2009. In 2012, Lee won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host for Semi-Homemade Cooking. Also in 2012, she started a new monthly lifestyle magazine in partnership with TV Guide. She is also starring in two new shows: Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes and Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs. When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a review of Lee's cookbook Semi-Homemade Cooking that criticized both her recipe and her "Semi-Homemade" concept,the review's author received a response "that was more impassioned than I anticipated", with most readers agreeing with the article. However, a number of readers disagreed with the column. One reader wrote, "Lots of people who don't want to take the time to shred a cup of carrots want to cook a good meal." Kurt Soller, writing for Newsweek, compared Lee's impact upon television cooking with that of Julia Child, noting that although Lee's show "is the furthest from Child's methods", both women "filled a niche that hasn't yet been explored". Kwanzaa cake Much of the criticism of Lee has coalesced around a recipe for "Kwanzaa Cake" that she demonstrated on a 2003 episode of Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. The recipe consisted of angel food cake topped with icing, cinnamon, apple pie filling, pumpkin seeds and corn nuts (which she referred to as acorns), all of which were store-bought, with seven Kwanzaa candles then inserted into the cake. Food writer Anthony Bourdain, who was harshly critical of Lee in general, described the video clip of this segment of the show as "eye searing" and "a war crime". The cake was called "scary" by the Houston Chronicle, and "the most ghastly-sounding dish in Lee's culinary repertoire" by Tulsa World. Salon.com wrote that the video "takes pride of place in the pantheon of hilarious culinary disaster videos". Cookbook author Denise Vivaldo, who claims to have ghostwritten recipes for many celebrity chefs, wrote a humorous post in The Huffington Post in December 2010 stating that she was responsible for the recipe (though she said that the candles were Lee's idea), and apologizing for it. She also wrote that Lee "has incredibly bad food taste". A week later, the post was removed after Lee's lawyer threatened legal action. Lee has said this recipe is the only one of hers whose criticism she has taken to heart, and that the recipe was partly due to the Food Network dictating the show's content at the time.

personal_sec:
From 2001 to 2005, she was married to KB Home CEO and philanthropist Bruce Karatz for whom she converted to Judaism. In the fall of 2005, Lee entered into a relationship with Andrew Cuomo, who became Governor of New York in 2011 and which made Lee the state's de facto First Lady. The two shared homes in Chappaqua and Poughkeepsie. On September 25, 2019, the couple announced that they had ended their relationship. Lee announced on May 12, 2015, that she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. By then she had undergone a lumpectomy, and was scheduled to have a double mastectomy later in the week. Governor Cuomo was to take some personal time to be with her during and after the surgery. On October 12, 2015, she was rushed to a hospital because of fluid buildup, believed to be a complication of her recovery, and was monitored closely in the next few days. Cuomo had been attending a Billy Joel concert at Nassau Coliseum, but left and went to the hospital. Lee has been cancer free since mid-2016.

info:
In the early 1990s, Lee created a product called "Sandra Lee Kraft Kurtains", a home-decorating tool that used a wire rack and sheets or other fabric samples to create decorative drapery. The product was sold via infomercials and cable shopping networks. Home-shopping network QVC hired her as on-air talent; in her first 18 months on the network, Lee sold $20 million worth of products. Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee premiered on the Food Network in 2003. Each episode contains an arts and crafts element, in which Lee decorates the table setting in accordance with the theme of the meal that she just prepared. She refers to these as "tablescapes". Lee's second Food Network series, Sandra's Money Saving Meals, began airing on May 10, 2009.She has released 25 books, including Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: Cool Kids Cooking (October 2006) and a memoir, Made From Scratch, which was released in November 2007. A magazine based on her show, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, was released in 2009. In 2012, Lee won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host for Semi-Homemade Cooking. Also in 2012, she started a new monthly lifestyle magazine in partnership with TV Guide. She is also starring in two new shows: Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes and Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs. When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a review of Lee's cookbook Semi-Homemade Cooking that criticized both her recipe and her "Semi-Homemade" concept,the review's author received a response "that was more impassioned than I anticipated", with most readers agreeing with the article. However, a number of readers disagreed with the column. One reader wrote, "Lots of people who don't want to take the time to shred a cup of carrots want to cook a good meal." Kurt Soller, writing for Newsweek, compared Lee's impact upon television cooking with that of Julia Child, noting that although Lee's show "is the furthest from Child's methods", both women "filled a niche that hasn't yet been explored". Kwanzaa cake Much of the criticism of Lee has coalesced around a recipe for "Kwanzaa Cake" that she demonstrated on a 2003 episode of Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. The recipe consisted of angel food cake topped with icing, cinnamon, apple pie filling, pumpkin seeds and corn nuts (which she referred to as acorns), all of which were store-bought, with seven Kwanzaa candles then inserted into the cake. Food writer Anthony Bourdain, who was harshly critical of Lee in general, described the video clip of this segment of the show as "eye searing" and "a war crime". The cake was called "scary" by the Houston Chronicle, and "the most ghastly-sounding dish in Lee's culinary repertoire" by Tulsa World. Salon.com wrote that the video "takes pride of place in the pantheon of hilarious culinary disaster videos". Cookbook author Denise Vivaldo, who claims to have ghostwritten recipes for many celebrity chefs, wrote a humorous post in The Huffington Post in December 2010 stating that she was responsible for the recipe (though she said that the candles were Lee's idea), and apologizing for it. She also wrote that Lee "has incredibly bad food taste". A week later, the post was removed after Lee's lawyer threatened legal action. Lee has said this recipe is the only one of hers whose criticism she has taken to heart, and that the recipe was partly due to the Food Network dictating the show's content at the time.From 2001 to 2005, she was married to KB Home CEO and philanthropist Bruce Karatz for whom she converted to Judaism. In the fall of 2005, Lee entered into a relationship with Andrew Cuomo, who became Governor of New York in 2011 and which made Lee the state's de facto First Lady. The two shared homes in Chappaqua and Poughkeepsie. On September 25, 2019, the couple announced that they had ended their relationship. Lee announced on May 12, 2015, that she had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. By then she had undergone a lumpectomy, and was scheduled to have a double mastectomy later in the week. Governor Cuomo was to take some personal time to be with her during and after the surgery. On October 12, 2015, she was rushed to a hospital because of fluid buildup, believed to be a complication of her recovery, and was monitored closely in the next few days. Cuomo had been attending a Billy Joel concert at Nassau Coliseum, but left and went to the hospital. Lee has been cancer free since mid-2016.


name: Aliya LeeKong
first_name: Aliya
last_name: LeeKong
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
LeeKong trained at the International Culinary Center and has traveled to over 30 countries in the past 10 years to study under international home cooks. Countries include Brazil, India, Thailand, Turkey, Chile, South Africa, and Peru. LeeKong initially worked at New York City's Jean Georges, Devi, and Per Se. From March 2011 until January 2014, she served as Chef and Culinary Creative Director of the Indian restaurant Junoon. A television personality, LeeKong has appeared on Food Network’s "Beat Bobby Flay," Chef Marks the Spot, NBC Weekend Today, CBS New York, Men's Health: Guy Gourmet New England Cable News Peggy's Kitchen Cures, What Would Julieanna Do, and Nirmala's Spice World on Veria Living.Leekong was also featured in Kitchen Casino To make cooking accessible and educational for children, LeeKong established an app called Issa’s Edible Adventures which allows users to digitally travel around the world to learn about food types and culture in different countries. LeeKong was inspired by games she played with her daughter to teach her about multiculturalism.

personal_sec:
LeeKong lives in New York City with her husband, her two daughters and two dogs. LeeKong is affiliated with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and The Family Center.

info:
LeeKong trained at the International Culinary Center and has traveled to over 30 countries in the past 10 years to study under international home cooks. Countries include Brazil, India, Thailand, Turkey, Chile, South Africa, and Peru. LeeKong initially worked at New York City's Jean Georges, Devi, and Per Se. From March 2011 until January 2014, she served as Chef and Culinary Creative Director of the Indian restaurant Junoon. A television personality, LeeKong has appeared on Food Network’s "Beat Bobby Flay," Chef Marks the Spot, NBC Weekend Today, CBS New York, Men's Health: Guy Gourmet New England Cable News Peggy's Kitchen Cures, What Would Julieanna Do, and Nirmala's Spice World on Veria Living.Leekong was also featured in Kitchen Casino To make cooking accessible and educational for children, LeeKong established an app called Issa’s Edible Adventures which allows users to digitally travel around the world to learn about food types and culture in different countries. LeeKong was inspired by games she played with her daughter to teach her about multiculturalism.LeeKong lives in New York City with her husband, her two daughters and two dogs. LeeKong is affiliated with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and The Family Center.


name: Antonia Lofaso
first_name: Antonia
last_name: Lofaso
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Lofaso attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City; during that time she was also a manager at Sean Combs' restaurant, Justin. She then worked as a chef at the Los Angeles restaurants Spago and Foxtail. Lofaso is currently a co-owner and the executive chef of the Los Angeles restaurants Black Market Liquor Bar, DAMA, and Scopa Italian Roots. In 2008, Lofaso appeared as a contestant on season four of the competition series Top Chef, also known as Top Chef: Chicago; she came in 4th place. She appeared on season eight of Top Chef, known as Top Chef: All-Stars, from 2010 to 2011, coming in 3rd place. In 2014 she appeared on an episode of Top Chef Duels, competing against Mike Isabella, who had beaten her on Top Chef: All-Stars; she won the "duel." In 2012, Lofaso appeared on the short-lived Game Show Network show Beat the Chefs; she was one of three professional chefs that the amateur chef contestants had to compete against. The show ran for four episodes. Since 2013, she has been one of a rotating group of judges on the Food Network competition show Cutthroat Kitchen. She also competed in (and won) Cutthroat's special "Judging Judges" episode, beating fellow regular judges Simon Majumdar and Jet Tila as well as Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. Since served as the restaurant adviser for seasons 2 and 3 of the CNBC competition/investment show Restaurant Startup, in 2015 and 2016. She is a judge on Guy's Grocery Games, where she has also competed (and won). In 2020, she appeared on Selena Gomez's cooking show, "Selena + Chef".

personal_sec:
Lofaso has one daughter, Xea, born in 2000 from her relationship with recording artist Heavy D. She also has a brother.Lofaso has Sicilian, Italian, and Jewish roots.

info:
Lofaso attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City; during that time she was also a manager at Sean Combs' restaurant, Justin. She then worked as a chef at the Los Angeles restaurants Spago and Foxtail. Lofaso is currently a co-owner and the executive chef of the Los Angeles restaurants Black Market Liquor Bar, DAMA, and Scopa Italian Roots. In 2008, Lofaso appeared as a contestant on season four of the competition series Top Chef, also known as Top Chef: Chicago; she came in 4th place. She appeared on season eight of Top Chef, known as Top Chef: All-Stars, from 2010 to 2011, coming in 3rd place. In 2014 she appeared on an episode of Top Chef Duels, competing against Mike Isabella, who had beaten her on Top Chef: All-Stars; she won the "duel." In 2012, Lofaso appeared on the short-lived Game Show Network show Beat the Chefs; she was one of three professional chefs that the amateur chef contestants had to compete against. The show ran for four episodes. Since 2013, she has been one of a rotating group of judges on the Food Network competition show Cutthroat Kitchen. She also competed in (and won) Cutthroat's special "Judging Judges" episode, beating fellow regular judges Simon Majumdar and Jet Tila as well as Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. Since served as the restaurant adviser for seasons 2 and 3 of the CNBC competition/investment show Restaurant Startup, in 2015 and 2016. She is a judge on Guy's Grocery Games, where she has also competed (and won). In 2020, she appeared on Selena Gomez's cooking show, "Selena + Chef".Lofaso has one daughter, Xea, born in 2000 from her relationship with recording artist Heavy D. She also has a brother.Lofaso has Sicilian, Italian, and Jewish roots.


name: Mary Sue Milliken
first_name: Mary
last_name: Milliken
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After working together in Chicago and Paris, Milliken and her longtime collaborator, Susan Feniger, settled in Los Angeles where they founded the critically acclaimed City Cafe in 1981.  They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Avenue, renaming the establishment CITY Restaurant. In 1985, they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the original City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in 1990. The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Broadening their culinary horizons, Milliken and her partner opened Ciudad in Los Angeles in 1998. The success of the three restaurants has often led Milliken and Feniger to be recognized for single-handedly changing Los Angeles' culinary landscape. In collaboration with Feniger and others, Milliken has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (1989), Mesa Mexicana (1994), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking(1996), Cooking with Too Hot Tamales (1997) and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (1999/2002). Milliken is also a seasoned TV personality, starring with Feniger in 396 episodes of Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network in the 1990s. Prior to the shows on the Food Network, in 1993 Milliken and Feniger appeared with Julia Child in her PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs.  Milliken also prepared with Feniger the food that was served in the 2001 movie, Tortilla Soup. Milliken and Feniger were a team of sixteen chefs on the Julia Child series, Cooking With Master Chefs in 1993. Most recently, Milliken appeared on the third season of Top Chef Masters that aired in 2011. She was the first runner up and won $40,000 for her charity, Share Our Strength.

personal_sec:
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Josh Schweitzer, and their two sons. Milliken serves on the Board of Directors of Share Our Strength.

info:
After working together in Chicago and Paris, Milliken and her longtime collaborator, Susan Feniger, settled in Los Angeles where they founded the critically acclaimed City Cafe in 1981.  They eventually expanded to a larger space on La Brea Avenue, renaming the establishment CITY Restaurant. In 1985, they opened the Mexican restaurant Border Grill in the original City Cafe space, before moving it to Santa Monica in 1990. The restaurant later expanded to Pasadena (closed) and the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Broadening their culinary horizons, Milliken and her partner opened Ciudad in Los Angeles in 1998. The success of the three restaurants has often led Milliken and Feniger to be recognized for single-handedly changing Los Angeles' culinary landscape. In collaboration with Feniger and others, Milliken has published five cookbooks: City Cuisine (1989), Mesa Mexicana (1994), Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking(1996), Cooking with Too Hot Tamales (1997) and Mexican Cooking for Dummies (1999/2002). Milliken is also a seasoned TV personality, starring with Feniger in 396 episodes of Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network in the 1990s. Prior to the shows on the Food Network, in 1993 Milliken and Feniger appeared with Julia Child in her PBS series Cooking with Master Chefs.  Milliken also prepared with Feniger the food that was served in the 2001 movie, Tortilla Soup. Milliken and Feniger were a team of sixteen chefs on the Julia Child series, Cooking With Master Chefs in 1993. Most recently, Milliken appeared on the third season of Top Chef Masters that aired in 2011. She was the first runner up and won $40,000 for her charity, Share Our Strength.She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Josh Schweitzer, and their two sons. Milliken serves on the Board of Directors of Share Our Strength.


name: Nilou Motamed
first_name: Nilou
last_name: Motamed
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In 2000, Motamed joined the staff at Travel + Leisure as Associate Editor; she was soon promoted to Food Editor and ultimately to Features Director & Senior Correspondent. For 14 years Motamed also directed Travel + Leisure's culinary and restaurants coverage. She was the instigator of the magazine's annual "Food & Travel" issue, along with the "Eat Like a Local" special. Her Travel + Leisure food coverage was nominated for eight James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. In collaboration with CNN, she created Travel + Leisure's "Eat Like a Local" special, combining print, digital, social, and broadcast in a global food platform. She has hosted several TV series, including the restaurant review show Reservations Required and Travel Channel's undercover series Travel Spies, appearing on outlets ranging from CNN to NBC's Today and CBS This Morning. In 2013, Motamed was named editor-in-chief of Epicurious, Condé Nast's digital food site. In 2015, she became the first-ever Director of Inspiration for Conrad Hotels & Resorts, where she reimagined the guest experience and concierge programs for 24 luxury hotel properties around the globe Motamed created and curated the brand's "1/3/5" collection of local experiences. In 2016, Motamed took charge of Time Inc.'s Food & Wine, overseeing editorial operations and content for an audience of more than 12 million. As editor-in-chief, Motamed managed all of F&W's tentpole franchises and partnerships, including the annual Best New Chefs showcase and the millennial food site FWx. Beginning with Season 5 in 2008, Motamed has appeared often as a guest on Bravo's award-winning series Top Chef. For Season 16, set in Kentucky, she took on a more official role as recurring judge.

personal_sec:
Motamed met her husband magazine journalist Peter Jon Lindberg in 2000 while both were working at Travel + Leisure magazine.

info:
In 2000, Motamed joined the staff at Travel + Leisure as Associate Editor; she was soon promoted to Food Editor and ultimately to Features Director & Senior Correspondent. For 14 years Motamed also directed Travel + Leisure's culinary and restaurants coverage. She was the instigator of the magazine's annual "Food & Travel" issue, along with the "Eat Like a Local" special. Her Travel + Leisure food coverage was nominated for eight James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. In collaboration with CNN, she created Travel + Leisure's "Eat Like a Local" special, combining print, digital, social, and broadcast in a global food platform. She has hosted several TV series, including the restaurant review show Reservations Required and Travel Channel's undercover series Travel Spies, appearing on outlets ranging from CNN to NBC's Today and CBS This Morning. In 2013, Motamed was named editor-in-chief of Epicurious, Condé Nast's digital food site. In 2015, she became the first-ever Director of Inspiration for Conrad Hotels & Resorts, where she reimagined the guest experience and concierge programs for 24 luxury hotel properties around the globe Motamed created and curated the brand's "1/3/5" collection of local experiences. In 2016, Motamed took charge of Time Inc.'s Food & Wine, overseeing editorial operations and content for an audience of more than 12 million. As editor-in-chief, Motamed managed all of F&W's tentpole franchises and partnerships, including the annual Best New Chefs showcase and the millennial food site FWx. Beginning with Season 5 in 2008, Motamed has appeared often as a guest on Bravo's award-winning series Top Chef. For Season 16, set in Kentucky, she took on a more official role as recurring judge.Motamed met her husband magazine journalist Peter Jon Lindberg in 2000 while both were working at Travel + Leisure magazine.


name: Sara Moulton
first_name: Sara
last_name: Moulton
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
She began working in restaurants immediately, first in Boston, Massachusetts, and then in New York City, taking off time only for a postgraduate apprenticeship with Master Chef Maurice Cazalis of the Henri IV Restaurant in Chartres, France, in 1979. Between 1981 and 1983 she was the chef tournant at La Tulipe, a three-star restaurant in New York City. In 1982, Moulton co-founded the New York Women's Culinary Alliance, a still-functioning "old girl's network" designed to help women working in the culinary field. In the interest of starting a family, she left restaurant work and began devoting herself instead to recipe testing and development. Moulton worked for two years as an instructor at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (now known as the Institute of Culinary Education), where she discovered her love of teaching. In 1984, she took a job in the test kitchen at Gourmet. Four years later she became chef of the magazine's executive dining room. In 1979 Moulton's television career began when she was hired to work behind the scenes on Julia Child & More Company, a cooking program on PBS. Her friendship with Julia Child led eventually to Moulton's job at Good Morning America, where what started as another behind-the-scenes position ripened in 1997 into on-camera work. By then she had begun hosting the Food Network's Cooking Live. Six years and over 1,200 hour-long shows later, that show ended on March 31, 2002. Sara's Secrets, which began the next day, ran until 2007.  “Sara Moulton is a chef, and one of the few people knowledgeable enough to field live phone-in queries, the basis of her show," wrote The New Yorker's Bill Buford. "Cooking Live" was nominated as the James Beard Awards' Best National Television Cooking Show in 1999 and 2000. The ninth season of "Sara's Weeknight Meals" began airing on public television in the fall of 2019.  The show was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2013 and 2015, while Moulton herself has been nominated three times as Outstanding Personality/Host, most recently in 2014. Her first cookbook, Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, was published by Broadway Books in October 2002, and was meant to counter America's disastrous love affair with fast food by encouraging everyone to cook delicious and healthy food at home and to dine with family and friends. "While rooted in classic French technique, the book also accommodates the American hunger for convenience, novelty and freshness," wrote Mike Dunne for The Sacramento Bee. Moulton's second cookbook, Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals, was published by Broadway Books in October 2005. It was reviewed by Michelle Green in People magazine, who wrote:  "Sara has a gift for creating quick, accessible fine cuisine. Why suffer to make a gorgeous meal?" Her third cookbook, Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners, was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2010.  Blogging for StoveTop Readings in November 2010, Greg Mowery wrote:  "If there is a less pretentious, more accessible, and creative cookbook that gets great food on the table in good time with the least amount of fuss, I haven't seen it this year….This new book belongs in every family kitchen." Moulton's fourth cookbook, Home Cooking 101:  How to Make Everything Taste Better, was published Oxmoor House in March 2016.  Diana K. Rice, in The Huffington Post, described it as "extremely useful to the home cook.    like a textbook, albeit...with fabulous food photos and enticing recipes." In August 2012 Moulton began writing a weekly column entitled "The Healthy Plate" for the Associated Press.  In January 2015, she replaced it with a new column called "KitchenWise," which ran through October 2018.  Between November 2016 and September 2018, Moulton contributed a monthly column called "Sunday Supper" to The Washington Post Magazine.

personal_sec:
Moulton's husband is Bill Adler, an American music journalist and critic. They have two children. Moulton and her family live in New York City, New York.

info:
She began working in restaurants immediately, first in Boston, Massachusetts, and then in New York City, taking off time only for a postgraduate apprenticeship with Master Chef Maurice Cazalis of the Henri IV Restaurant in Chartres, France, in 1979. Between 1981 and 1983 she was the chef tournant at La Tulipe, a three-star restaurant in New York City. In 1982, Moulton co-founded the New York Women's Culinary Alliance, a still-functioning "old girl's network" designed to help women working in the culinary field. In the interest of starting a family, she left restaurant work and began devoting herself instead to recipe testing and development. Moulton worked for two years as an instructor at Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (now known as the Institute of Culinary Education), where she discovered her love of teaching. In 1984, she took a job in the test kitchen at Gourmet. Four years later she became chef of the magazine's executive dining room. In 1979 Moulton's television career began when she was hired to work behind the scenes on Julia Child & More Company, a cooking program on PBS. Her friendship with Julia Child led eventually to Moulton's job at Good Morning America, where what started as another behind-the-scenes position ripened in 1997 into on-camera work. By then she had begun hosting the Food Network's Cooking Live. Six years and over 1,200 hour-long shows later, that show ended on March 31, 2002. Sara's Secrets, which began the next day, ran until 2007.  “Sara Moulton is a chef, and one of the few people knowledgeable enough to field live phone-in queries, the basis of her show," wrote The New Yorker's Bill Buford. "Cooking Live" was nominated as the James Beard Awards' Best National Television Cooking Show in 1999 and 2000. The ninth season of "Sara's Weeknight Meals" began airing on public television in the fall of 2019.  The show was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2013 and 2015, while Moulton herself has been nominated three times as Outstanding Personality/Host, most recently in 2014. Her first cookbook, Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, was published by Broadway Books in October 2002, and was meant to counter America's disastrous love affair with fast food by encouraging everyone to cook delicious and healthy food at home and to dine with family and friends. "While rooted in classic French technique, the book also accommodates the American hunger for convenience, novelty and freshness," wrote Mike Dunne for The Sacramento Bee. Moulton's second cookbook, Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals, was published by Broadway Books in October 2005. It was reviewed by Michelle Green in People magazine, who wrote:  "Sara has a gift for creating quick, accessible fine cuisine. Why suffer to make a gorgeous meal?" Her third cookbook, Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners, was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2010.  Blogging for StoveTop Readings in November 2010, Greg Mowery wrote:  "If there is a less pretentious, more accessible, and creative cookbook that gets great food on the table in good time with the least amount of fuss, I haven't seen it this year….This new book belongs in every family kitchen." Moulton's fourth cookbook, Home Cooking 101:  How to Make Everything Taste Better, was published Oxmoor House in March 2016.  Diana K. Rice, in The Huffington Post, described it as "extremely useful to the home cook.    like a textbook, albeit...with fabulous food photos and enticing recipes." In August 2012 Moulton began writing a weekly column entitled "The Healthy Plate" for the Associated Press.  In January 2015, she replaced it with a new column called "KitchenWise," which ran through October 2018.  Between November 2016 and September 2018, Moulton contributed a monthly column called "Sunday Supper" to The Washington Post Magazine.Moulton's husband is Bill Adler, an American music journalist and critic. They have two children. Moulton and her family live in New York City, New York.


name: Kelsey Nixon
first_name: Kelsey
last_name: Nixon
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Kelsey Nixon attended Brigham Young University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. While she was still in college, she created her own cooking show, Kelsey’s Kitchen, eventually hosting and producing 100 episodes over 2 years. After graduating, she then earned a professional culinary arts degree at Le Cordon Bleu – Hollywood, and later received additional training at the French Culinary Institute. She also interned at Martha Stewart Living and The Food Network series, Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.

personal_sec:
Nixon married Robby Egan in 2008 and gave birth to a son, Oliver, on June 24, 2012. Nixon and Egan had a second son, Leo Ezra Egan, born March 2015, 2 months earlier than his due date. Nixon and her husband welcomed a baby girl, Nora, born on November 21, 2016 via surrogate.Penelope aka Penny born 2020

info:
Kelsey Nixon attended Brigham Young University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. While she was still in college, she created her own cooking show, Kelsey’s Kitchen, eventually hosting and producing 100 episodes over 2 years. After graduating, she then earned a professional culinary arts degree at Le Cordon Bleu – Hollywood, and later received additional training at the French Culinary Institute. She also interned at Martha Stewart Living and The Food Network series, Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.Nixon married Robby Egan in 2008 and gave birth to a son, Oliver, on June 24, 2012. Nixon and Egan had a second son, Leo Ezra Egan, born March 2015, 2 months earlier than his due date. Nixon and her husband welcomed a baby girl, Nora, born on November 21, 2016 via surrogate.Penelope aka Penny born 2020


name: Nancy Oakes
first_name: Nancy
last_name: Oakes
gender: F
personal_sec: Oakes is married to Bruce Aidells, owner of Aidells sausage company and a cook book author.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
The culinary career of Nancy Oakes began under Pat O'Shea at the Mad Hatter restaurant in the Richmond District of San Francisco. She left that restaurant to open a location on her own, with L'Avenue opening in 1988. Although the restaurant closed in 1993, the San Francisco Chronicle's website "SFGate" highlighted Oakes' work at L'Avenue as being one of five trendsetting restaurants which changed the culinary scene in the city. When L'Avenue was closed, Oakes opened her second restaurant, Boulevard. It is located in the only building still standing to have survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Oakes has continued to work in the kitchen there ever since, although takes an interest in her third restaurant, Prospect. With the exception of 1996, Oakes was nominated consecutively for the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef from 1995 to 2000, winning the award in 2001. Likewise, Boulevard was nominated on eight consecutive occasions for the Best Restaurant Award, before finally winning in 2012. She said that over the time she has spent at the restaurant, it was evolved from a neighbourhood restaurant into something that people view as a destination restaurant.

info:
The culinary career of Nancy Oakes began under Pat O'Shea at the Mad Hatter restaurant in the Richmond District of San Francisco. She left that restaurant to open a location on her own, with L'Avenue opening in 1988. Although the restaurant closed in 1993, the San Francisco Chronicle's website "SFGate" highlighted Oakes' work at L'Avenue as being one of five trendsetting restaurants which changed the culinary scene in the city. When L'Avenue was closed, Oakes opened her second restaurant, Boulevard. It is located in the only building still standing to have survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Oakes has continued to work in the kitchen there ever since, although takes an interest in her third restaurant, Prospect. With the exception of 1996, Oakes was nominated consecutively for the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef from 1995 to 2000, winning the award in 2001. Likewise, Boulevard was nominated on eight consecutive occasions for the Best Restaurant Award, before finally winning in 2012. She said that over the time she has spent at the restaurant, it was evolved from a neighbourhood restaurant into something that people view as a destination restaurant.Oakes is married to Bruce Aidells, owner of Aidells sausage company and a cook book author.


name: Nora Pouillon
first_name: Nora
last_name: Pouillon
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
The turning point in Nora's culinary career came in the mid-1970s, when one of her students asked if she was interested in opening the first restaurant inside the historic Tabard Inn. She developed a following serving locally-sourced tomatoes and house-made mayonnaise, and began making plans to open her own restaurant. In 1979, Restaurant Nora opened its doors on the corner of Florida Avenue and 21st in Washington, D.C.’s DuPont Circle neighborhood. Journalist Sally Quinn and her late husband, Washington Post executive editor, Ben Bradlee were early patrons and financial backers of Restaurant Nora. Quinn offered a piece of advice: “Don’t mention anything about being healthy and natural. That sounds so unappetizing. That sounds like hippie food.” Pouillon ignored it. The early patronage and support of Bradlee and Quinn gained Restaurant Nora a loyal following, and by the early 1990s it was a destination for D.C’s media and political elite. President Bill Clinton held his first inaugural party at the restaurant.Jimmy Carter was the first president to eat at Nora’s, and it was a favorite of Hillary Clinton; Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have dined there, as has Nancy Reagan. Asked about her Presidential patrons in The Washington Post, Pouillon said:“Neither of the Bush presidents ever set foot in Nora’s, but Laura Bush came, along with her two daughters,” Pouillon announces proudly. “Good food, it seems, is also bipartisan.” Restaurant Nora closed in June 2017, upon Pouillon's retirement. Pouillon began to investigate how to become an organic certified restaurant and learned that no certification process existed. She decided to set about creating those standards. She worked for two years with Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting and advocating organic food and farming. The Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Program was established in 1982 and is an Accredited Certifying Agent for the USDA’s National Organic Program.The resulting standard required that 95 percent of the food used, as a certified restaurant, must be obtained from USDA certified organic sources. “This meant obtaining proof of organic certification from all our suppliers,” Pouillon says. She complied with the lengthy requirements, and in 1999 Restaurant Nora became the first certified organic restaurant in the country.For many restaurants across the country, achieving and maintaining proof that 95 percent of suppliers are organic is a costly and time-consuming process. As Nora explained to Organic Connections Magazine about becoming certified:“People don’t always understand how complicated and time consuming it is,” Pouillon explains. “Almost everything has to be organic down to the spices and coffee. It’s a lot of work to find certified organic farmers and track down certification papers from 35-plus purveyors every year. This process has to be done each year because the certificates have to be renewed each year.” In 1986, Pouillon opened the now defunct City Café on M Street in West End, Washington, D.C. City Café was a casual modern American restaurant open for lunch and dinner. In 1994, she changed the format to Asian cuisine and renamed the restaurant Asia Nora, offering organic fusion cuisine. It was the perfect combination with Nora's style of cooking - light, elegant dishes, prepared in a healthful way with exciting flavors from across Asia. In 2007, Pouillon closed the very popular Asia Nora. In 1993, Pouillon joined with chefs John Ash, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Nobu Matsuhisa, Michel Romano, and Alice Waters to found Chefs Collaborative, an organization dedicated to sustainable food practices. Pouillon is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a society of professional women involved in the food, wine, and hospitality industries. She is also active in the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, an organization for women chefs and restaurateurs. Pouillon was a driving force behind the opening of the FreshFarm farmers' market in Dupont Circle in 1997, serving on the Board as FreshFarm expanded to more than ten markets throughout the city. Pouillon sits on the board of directors for the Ocean Foundation, the Amazon Conservation Team, the Earth Day Network, and the DC Environmental Film Festival. From 1998 to 2000, Pouillon was a spokesperson for the "Give Swordfish a Break" campaign for NRDC/SeaWeb. Along with restaurant partners William Cole, Thomas and Steven Damato in 2005, Pouillon founded Blue Circle Foods, a sustainable seafood company that focuses on traceability, animal welfare, food safety, and quality. Blue Circle supplies fresh and frozen seafood to chefs, retailers, and select distributors.

personal_sec:
Pouillon has been married once, to a French journalist, 17 years her senior—the marriage produced two sons and ended in divorce. Nora has two daughters with her business partner, Steven Damato.

info:
The turning point in Nora's culinary career came in the mid-1970s, when one of her students asked if she was interested in opening the first restaurant inside the historic Tabard Inn. She developed a following serving locally-sourced tomatoes and house-made mayonnaise, and began making plans to open her own restaurant. In 1979, Restaurant Nora opened its doors on the corner of Florida Avenue and 21st in Washington, D.C.’s DuPont Circle neighborhood. Journalist Sally Quinn and her late husband, Washington Post executive editor, Ben Bradlee were early patrons and financial backers of Restaurant Nora. Quinn offered a piece of advice: “Don’t mention anything about being healthy and natural. That sounds so unappetizing. That sounds like hippie food.” Pouillon ignored it. The early patronage and support of Bradlee and Quinn gained Restaurant Nora a loyal following, and by the early 1990s it was a destination for D.C’s media and political elite. President Bill Clinton held his first inaugural party at the restaurant.Jimmy Carter was the first president to eat at Nora’s, and it was a favorite of Hillary Clinton; Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have dined there, as has Nancy Reagan. Asked about her Presidential patrons in The Washington Post, Pouillon said:“Neither of the Bush presidents ever set foot in Nora’s, but Laura Bush came, along with her two daughters,” Pouillon announces proudly. “Good food, it seems, is also bipartisan.” Restaurant Nora closed in June 2017, upon Pouillon's retirement. Pouillon began to investigate how to become an organic certified restaurant and learned that no certification process existed. She decided to set about creating those standards. She worked for two years with Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting and advocating organic food and farming. The Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Program was established in 1982 and is an Accredited Certifying Agent for the USDA’s National Organic Program.The resulting standard required that 95 percent of the food used, as a certified restaurant, must be obtained from USDA certified organic sources. “This meant obtaining proof of organic certification from all our suppliers,” Pouillon says. She complied with the lengthy requirements, and in 1999 Restaurant Nora became the first certified organic restaurant in the country.For many restaurants across the country, achieving and maintaining proof that 95 percent of suppliers are organic is a costly and time-consuming process. As Nora explained to Organic Connections Magazine about becoming certified:“People don’t always understand how complicated and time consuming it is,” Pouillon explains. “Almost everything has to be organic down to the spices and coffee. It’s a lot of work to find certified organic farmers and track down certification papers from 35-plus purveyors every year. This process has to be done each year because the certificates have to be renewed each year.” In 1986, Pouillon opened the now defunct City Café on M Street in West End, Washington, D.C. City Café was a casual modern American restaurant open for lunch and dinner. In 1994, she changed the format to Asian cuisine and renamed the restaurant Asia Nora, offering organic fusion cuisine. It was the perfect combination with Nora's style of cooking - light, elegant dishes, prepared in a healthful way with exciting flavors from across Asia. In 2007, Pouillon closed the very popular Asia Nora. In 1993, Pouillon joined with chefs John Ash, Rick Bayless, Susan Feniger, Nobu Matsuhisa, Michel Romano, and Alice Waters to found Chefs Collaborative, an organization dedicated to sustainable food practices. Pouillon is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a society of professional women involved in the food, wine, and hospitality industries. She is also active in the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, an organization for women chefs and restaurateurs. Pouillon was a driving force behind the opening of the FreshFarm farmers' market in Dupont Circle in 1997, serving on the Board as FreshFarm expanded to more than ten markets throughout the city. Pouillon sits on the board of directors for the Ocean Foundation, the Amazon Conservation Team, the Earth Day Network, and the DC Environmental Film Festival. From 1998 to 2000, Pouillon was a spokesperson for the "Give Swordfish a Break" campaign for NRDC/SeaWeb. Along with restaurant partners William Cole, Thomas and Steven Damato in 2005, Pouillon founded Blue Circle Foods, a sustainable seafood company that focuses on traceability, animal welfare, food safety, and quality. Blue Circle supplies fresh and frozen seafood to chefs, retailers, and select distributors.Pouillon has been married once, to a French journalist, 17 years her senior—the marriage produced two sons and ended in divorce. Nora has two daughters with her business partner, Steven Damato.


name: Rachael Ray
first_name: Rachael
last_name: Ray
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Ray, who favors a "quick and easy" cooking style, teaches many simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim her concept does not include preparation time. Ray says her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry both exert strong influences on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic, and chicken stock to boost flavors, and believes measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking." She, instead, favors approximations such as "half a palmful" or "2 pan swirl". To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had." She has also repeatedly said, "I'm not a chef." On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o", "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder). In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO, short for extra-virgin olive oil, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase. One of Ray's specialties is burgers. She has devoted one of her published works to the topic, The Book of Burger. Ray hosted 30 Minute Meals on Food Network for 11 seasons from 2001 to 2012, as well as a revival of the series starting in 2019. In 2005, she signed a deal to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, Rachael Ray, premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah. The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication announcement, Ray said, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share". On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series Rachael's Vacation premiered on the Food Network. The show was a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries. In 2008, Ray became a television executive producer of a short-lived Latin cooking show on the Food Network, called Viva Daisy!, starring Daisy Martínez. In January 2012, Ray and Guy Fieri were team captains in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. In 2016, Ray guest starred in the second episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a miniseries revival of Gilmore Girls, as a fictionalized version of herself. In 2019, Ray fulfilled a long-time goal of voicing a cartoon character when she voiced a character on the Nick Jr. program Butterbean's Café. In 2003, Ray posed for the men's magazine FHM. Though she was not nude in any of the photos, this drew criticism so harsh, not least of all from Ray's own mother, that in a March 2, 2009 ABC News Nightline interview she gave to Cynthia McFadden, an ABC News correspondent, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine. The interview quoted her as saying, "I'd do it again tomorrow." The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006 and increased to 10 issues in 2007. In October 2011, Meredith Corporation acquired the magazine. In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have her recipes. In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray. Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine," a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt. In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself. As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous." In May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature. In July 2008, Rachael Ray's "Nutrish" pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes Ray developed for her pit bull, "Isaboo". All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity which Ray organized specifically to provide assistance for at-risk animals. In December 2016, PulteGroup started Rachael Ray Home Collection for their interior design division. The furniture it markets is all of Ray's own design.

personal_sec:
On September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano.  Ray owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York, and Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The Lake Luzerne home was damaged in a fire on August 9, 2020. The next day, a director of emergency services with the county stated that there were no injuries to Ray or her family. In 2006, Ray launched the Yum-O! nonprofit organization. Its mission is to "empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. This is achieved by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids, and funding cooking education."

info:
Ray, who favors a "quick and easy" cooking style, teaches many simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim her concept does not include preparation time. Ray says her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry both exert strong influences on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic, and chicken stock to boost flavors, and believes measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking." She, instead, favors approximations such as "half a palmful" or "2 pan swirl". To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had." She has also repeatedly said, "I'm not a chef." On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o", "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder). In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO, short for extra-virgin olive oil, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase. One of Ray's specialties is burgers. She has devoted one of her published works to the topic, The Book of Burger. Ray hosted 30 Minute Meals on Food Network for 11 seasons from 2001 to 2012, as well as a revival of the series starting in 2019. In 2005, she signed a deal to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, Rachael Ray, premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah. The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication announcement, Ray said, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share". On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series Rachael's Vacation premiered on the Food Network. The show was a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries. In 2008, Ray became a television executive producer of a short-lived Latin cooking show on the Food Network, called Viva Daisy!, starring Daisy Martínez. In January 2012, Ray and Guy Fieri were team captains in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. In 2016, Ray guest starred in the second episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a miniseries revival of Gilmore Girls, as a fictionalized version of herself. In 2019, Ray fulfilled a long-time goal of voicing a cartoon character when she voiced a character on the Nick Jr. program Butterbean's Café. In 2003, Ray posed for the men's magazine FHM. Though she was not nude in any of the photos, this drew criticism so harsh, not least of all from Ray's own mother, that in a March 2, 2009 ABC News Nightline interview she gave to Cynthia McFadden, an ABC News correspondent, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine. The interview quoted her as saying, "I'd do it again tomorrow." The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006 and increased to 10 issues in 2007. In October 2011, Meredith Corporation acquired the magazine. In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have her recipes. In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray. Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine," a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt. In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself. As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous." In May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature. In July 2008, Rachael Ray's "Nutrish" pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes Ray developed for her pit bull, "Isaboo". All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity which Ray organized specifically to provide assistance for at-risk animals. In December 2016, PulteGroup started Rachael Ray Home Collection for their interior design division. The furniture it markets is all of Ray's own design.On September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano.  Ray owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York, and Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The Lake Luzerne home was damaged in a fire on August 9, 2020. The next day, a director of emergency services with the county stated that there were no injuries to Ray or her family. In 2006, Ray launched the Yum-O! nonprofit organization. Its mission is to "empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. This is achieved by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids, and funding cooking education."


name: Iliana Regan
first_name: Iliana
last_name: Regan
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
She worked as a waitress and as a cook in several fine-dining restaurants in Chicago, including at Trio, Schwa, and Alinea under Grant Achatz and Michael Carlson. In 2008, Regan began selling microgreens and vegetables at farmer's markets, soon expanding her offerings to include Pierogi. In 2010, she started a weekly supper club hosting 10-12 diners in her Chicago apartment. Through the supper club, Regan met several investors interested in supporting her opening her own restaurant. Regan named her restaurant Elizabeth for her deceased sister, opening in Chicago's Lincoln Square in 2012. Elizabeth features home-grown and foraged ingredients, originally served multi-course prix fixe menus at three 8-seat communal tables in the style of Regan's supper club. She later condensed the menu and removed the communal tables. The restaurant was immediately well-received, earning a Michelin star in its second year. Regan opened a second restaurant in 2017, Kitsune, with Japanese influences. It closed in 2019. She and her wife, Anna, opened The Milkweed Inn, in Nahma Township in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in 2019. The Milkweed Inn hosts 10 guests each weekend April through October at $750 to $1000 per person for a "new gatherer" culinary experience. Accommodations include three rooms inside the inn, a platform tent and a small Airstream trailer. Regan plans to close Elizabeth once the inn is successful enough. A 2019 weekend "starts with pierogi and smoked lake trout on Friday and peaks on Saturday with a 15-course dinner that might include wild blueberries in juiced wood sorrel, young milkweed pods fried until the insides turn as silky as cheese, and moose tartare." She published a memoir in 2019, entitled Burn the Place. The New York Times called it "perhaps the definitive Midwest drunken-lesbian food memoir." In it she describes incidents "before she got sober 10 years ago, ran away from the police in handcuffs, had sex in bar bathrooms and used her car key to administer bumps of cocaine."

personal_sec:
Regan is married to Anna Hamlin. They met while Hamlin was working with a wine distributor and managing the Elizabeth account.

info:
She worked as a waitress and as a cook in several fine-dining restaurants in Chicago, including at Trio, Schwa, and Alinea under Grant Achatz and Michael Carlson. In 2008, Regan began selling microgreens and vegetables at farmer's markets, soon expanding her offerings to include Pierogi. In 2010, she started a weekly supper club hosting 10-12 diners in her Chicago apartment. Through the supper club, Regan met several investors interested in supporting her opening her own restaurant. Regan named her restaurant Elizabeth for her deceased sister, opening in Chicago's Lincoln Square in 2012. Elizabeth features home-grown and foraged ingredients, originally served multi-course prix fixe menus at three 8-seat communal tables in the style of Regan's supper club. She later condensed the menu and removed the communal tables. The restaurant was immediately well-received, earning a Michelin star in its second year. Regan opened a second restaurant in 2017, Kitsune, with Japanese influences. It closed in 2019. She and her wife, Anna, opened The Milkweed Inn, in Nahma Township in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in 2019. The Milkweed Inn hosts 10 guests each weekend April through October at $750 to $1000 per person for a "new gatherer" culinary experience. Accommodations include three rooms inside the inn, a platform tent and a small Airstream trailer. Regan plans to close Elizabeth once the inn is successful enough. A 2019 weekend "starts with pierogi and smoked lake trout on Friday and peaks on Saturday with a 15-course dinner that might include wild blueberries in juiced wood sorrel, young milkweed pods fried until the insides turn as silky as cheese, and moose tartare." She published a memoir in 2019, entitled Burn the Place. The New York Times called it "perhaps the definitive Midwest drunken-lesbian food memoir." In it she describes incidents "before she got sober 10 years ago, ran away from the police in handcuffs, had sex in bar bathrooms and used her car key to administer bumps of cocaine."Regan is married to Anna Hamlin. They met while Hamlin was working with a wine distributor and managing the Elizabeth account.


name: Andrea Reusing
first_name: Andrea
last_name: Reusing
gender: F
personal_sec: She is married to musician Mac McCaughan, and they have two children together.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Andrea Reusing opened a wine focused restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, named Enoteca Vin.She opened her Asian cuisine based restaurant Lantern in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2002. At her restaurant, she seeks to source the majority of her ingredients locally. In 2011, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Southeast, the same year she had her first cookbook published entitled Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes. The book featured a couple of dishes from her restaurant, but was mostly recollections of dishes from her childhood. Unlike at Lantern, at Reusing's Restaurant at the Durham in North Carolina, she serves American cuisine. She had previously not sought to open a restaurant within a hotel, but the design of The Durham hotel attracted her. She also founded the non-profit organisation Kitchen Patrol, which provides classes on healthy eating to children.

info:
Andrea Reusing opened a wine focused restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, named Enoteca Vin.She opened her Asian cuisine based restaurant Lantern in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2002. At her restaurant, she seeks to source the majority of her ingredients locally. In 2011, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Southeast, the same year she had her first cookbook published entitled Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes. The book featured a couple of dishes from her restaurant, but was mostly recollections of dishes from her childhood. Unlike at Lantern, at Reusing's Restaurant at the Durham in North Carolina, she serves American cuisine. She had previously not sought to open a restaurant within a hotel, but the design of The Durham hotel attracted her. She also founded the non-profit organisation Kitchen Patrol, which provides classes on healthy eating to children.She is married to musician Mac McCaughan, and they have two children together.


name: Lena Richard
first_name: Lena
last_name: Richard
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Richard began her culinary training working as a domestic worker employed by the Vairin family of New Orleans. Alice and Nugent Vairin would later send Richard to the Fannie Farmer Cooking School in Boston. After graduation in 1918, Richard returned to New Orleans and started a catering business. During the next two decades, she started multiple businesses and also worked as a cook at the Orleans Club, an elite organization for white women. In 1937, Richard and her daughter, Marie, started a cooking school. As historian Ashley Young Rose writes, "Richard’s school targeted young black men and women. She sought to train them in the culinary sciences so as to give them a chance to make a career for themselves in a city that historically disenfranchised African Americans." In 1939, Richard self-published Lena Richard’s Cook Book. A year later, Houghton-Mifflin reissued her book with a new title, New Orleans Cook Book. Although Richard's self-published book included an image of herself, the reissue did not, essentially erasing any connection to the author's heritage. While traveling to promote her book in the Northeast, Richard was recruited to be the head chef at Bird and Bottle Inn in Garrison, New York. Richard soonreturned to New Orleans and opened Lena's Eatery in November 1941. In 1945, Richard started a frozen food business, creating fully cooked packaged dinners that could be shipped anywhere in the United States. The meals were prepared by Bordelon Fine Foods Company.  In 1949, Richard opened her last restaurant, The Gumbo House, which was one of the only Black-owned fine-dining establishments in the city at that time.From 1949–1950, Richard hosted a 30-minute cooking television show called Lena Richard's New Orleans Cook Book. The show aired twice weekly and was broadcast on New Orleans' first television station, WDSU. During the program, Richard and her assistant, Marie Matthews, guided their television audience through recipes from Richard's cookbook.  Richard and Matthews were the first African-Americans to host a cooking show in an age when few households owned television sets.

personal_sec:
Richard married Percival Richard in the 1920s. They had one daughter, Marie Richard, who graduated from Xavier University with a degree in Home Economics. Marie later helped her mother open her cooking school in New Orleans in 1937.

info:
Richard began her culinary training working as a domestic worker employed by the Vairin family of New Orleans. Alice and Nugent Vairin would later send Richard to the Fannie Farmer Cooking School in Boston. After graduation in 1918, Richard returned to New Orleans and started a catering business. During the next two decades, she started multiple businesses and also worked as a cook at the Orleans Club, an elite organization for white women. In 1937, Richard and her daughter, Marie, started a cooking school. As historian Ashley Young Rose writes, "Richard’s school targeted young black men and women. She sought to train them in the culinary sciences so as to give them a chance to make a career for themselves in a city that historically disenfranchised African Americans." In 1939, Richard self-published Lena Richard’s Cook Book. A year later, Houghton-Mifflin reissued her book with a new title, New Orleans Cook Book. Although Richard's self-published book included an image of herself, the reissue did not, essentially erasing any connection to the author's heritage. While traveling to promote her book in the Northeast, Richard was recruited to be the head chef at Bird and Bottle Inn in Garrison, New York. Richard soonreturned to New Orleans and opened Lena's Eatery in November 1941. In 1945, Richard started a frozen food business, creating fully cooked packaged dinners that could be shipped anywhere in the United States. The meals were prepared by Bordelon Fine Foods Company.  In 1949, Richard opened her last restaurant, The Gumbo House, which was one of the only Black-owned fine-dining establishments in the city at that time.From 1949–1950, Richard hosted a 30-minute cooking television show called Lena Richard's New Orleans Cook Book. The show aired twice weekly and was broadcast on New Orleans' first television station, WDSU. During the program, Richard and her assistant, Marie Matthews, guided their television audience through recipes from Richard's cookbook.  Richard and Matthews were the first African-Americans to host a cooking show in an age when few households owned television sets.Richard married Percival Richard in the 1920s. They had one daughter, Marie Richard, who graduated from Xavier University with a degree in Home Economics. Marie later helped her mother open her cooking school in New Orleans in 1937.


name: Jen Royle
first_name: Jen
last_name: Royle
gender: F
personal_sec: She has two brothers. Royle’s father died in 2006 due to complications of lung cancer.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In 2003, her career began when she was hired as a clubhouse reporter by the YES Network where she would be a regular broadcaster to the New York Yankees before departing in 2006. Her very first interview was at a locker room at the old Yankee Stadium, where she would ask players questions after the game between the Yankees and the Red Sox. After three years working at YES, she worked for the MLB Advanced Media, providing coverage from the New York Yankees clubhouse – regular season and postseason games. Conducted exclusive one-on-one on-camera interviews with various Yankees & MLB players, managers and coaches. In May 2008, she joined XM Satellite Radio where she would be reporting two New York City baseball teams such as the New York Yankees and the New York Mets before leaving in 2009. A year later, she joined MASN, a Baltimore/Washington D.C. based regional sports network for broadcasting the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. She then moved on to CBS Radio where she became a beat reporter/radio co-host for the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens, which is called "The Fan" on 105.7 in Baltimore, Maryland. A year prior, she would work for the SB Nation as an MLB Columnist in 5 months before leaving in 2012. Next year later, she would joined WEEI-FM, a radio station based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she served as radio talk show host. Same year later, she joined the Boston Herald, serving as a news reporter for covering the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and the New England Patriots.Royle appeared in season three of the ABC cooking show The Taste  and that's when she made the decision to focus exclusively on cooking. She worked at Mario Batali’s Babbo in the Seaport, then launched a private cooking company. In January 2019, she launched a new career as a chef with the opening of a restaurant in Boston.

info:
In 2003, her career began when she was hired as a clubhouse reporter by the YES Network where she would be a regular broadcaster to the New York Yankees before departing in 2006. Her very first interview was at a locker room at the old Yankee Stadium, where she would ask players questions after the game between the Yankees and the Red Sox. After three years working at YES, she worked for the MLB Advanced Media, providing coverage from the New York Yankees clubhouse – regular season and postseason games. Conducted exclusive one-on-one on-camera interviews with various Yankees & MLB players, managers and coaches. In May 2008, she joined XM Satellite Radio where she would be reporting two New York City baseball teams such as the New York Yankees and the New York Mets before leaving in 2009. A year later, she joined MASN, a Baltimore/Washington D.C. based regional sports network for broadcasting the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. She then moved on to CBS Radio where she became a beat reporter/radio co-host for the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens, which is called "The Fan" on 105.7 in Baltimore, Maryland. A year prior, she would work for the SB Nation as an MLB Columnist in 5 months before leaving in 2012. Next year later, she would joined WEEI-FM, a radio station based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she served as radio talk show host. Same year later, she joined the Boston Herald, serving as a news reporter for covering the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins and the New England Patriots.Royle appeared in season three of the ABC cooking show The Taste  and that's when she made the decision to focus exclusively on cooking. She worked at Mario Batali’s Babbo in the Seaport, then launched a private cooking company. In January 2019, she launched a new career as a chef with the opening of a restaurant in Boston.She has two brothers. Royle’s father died in 2006 due to complications of lung cancer.


name: Claire Saffitz
first_name: Claire
last_name: Saffitz
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Saffitz joined Bon Appétit in 2013, and worked there as a senior food editor until August 2018. She returned in November 2018 as a freelance recipe developer and video host. In July 2017, Gourmet Makes debuted, in which Saffitz attempts to recreate or elevate popular snack foods such as Doritos, Twinkies, and Gushers. Gourmet Makes consistently trends on YouTube and has developed a cult following on social media. Saffitz's work has been described as taking "junk food staples and...elevating them from their humble processed beginnings into wonders of gastronomy." In February 2019, Bon Appétit launched two new series that featured Saffitz: Bon Appétit’s Baking School and Making Perfect. On January 22, 2020, Saffitz appeared on a cooking segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Saffitz has written her debut cookbook, Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence, which is set to be published by Penguin Random House in October 2020.

personal_sec:
Saffitz lives with her husband, fellow chef Harris Mayer-Selinger, in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. She has two cats, Maya and Felix.

info:
Saffitz joined Bon Appétit in 2013, and worked there as a senior food editor until August 2018. She returned in November 2018 as a freelance recipe developer and video host. In July 2017, Gourmet Makes debuted, in which Saffitz attempts to recreate or elevate popular snack foods such as Doritos, Twinkies, and Gushers. Gourmet Makes consistently trends on YouTube and has developed a cult following on social media. Saffitz's work has been described as taking "junk food staples and...elevating them from their humble processed beginnings into wonders of gastronomy." In February 2019, Bon Appétit launched two new series that featured Saffitz: Bon Appétit’s Baking School and Making Perfect. On January 22, 2020, Saffitz appeared on a cooking segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Saffitz has written her debut cookbook, Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence, which is set to be published by Penguin Random House in October 2020.Saffitz lives with her husband, fellow chef Harris Mayer-Selinger, in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City. She has two cats, Maya and Felix.


name: Nancy Silverton
first_name: Nancy
last_name: Silverton
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
After Silverton returned to Los Angeles in 1982, she was hired by Wolfgang Puck as Spago's opening pastry chef, and in 1986, she wrote her first cookbook, Desserts. In 1989, Silverton, her then-husband, chef Mark Peel, and  Manfred Krankl  opened  Campanile, about which critic Jonathan Gold  would later write: "It is hard to overstate Campanile's contributions to American cooking." Almost as an afterthought, Silverton and Peel opened La Brea Bakery in a space which adjoined the main restaurant; it opened prior to Campanile.  Silverton served as the head baker at the bakery and the head pastry chef at the restaurant, which was located on La Brea Avenue in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. Silverton had limited experience from baking bread while a pastry chef at Spago and began to experiment with recipes after she read an article about a San Francisco artisan bakery, Acme.  She used grapes, which had natural yeast, and let them soak for days in flour and water.  She then mixed the dough, shaped the loaves by hand, and let them rise twice over a two-day period.  After six months and "hundreds" of attempts to perfect the recipe, she was satisfied.  Artisan bread was then largely unknown in Los Angeles, and within weeks, sales were up to $1,000 a day at the bakery.  On Thanksgiving in 1990, the line to buy bread stretched around the block and partway down a side street. Campanile was equally successful from the start. Silverton and Peel were well-known through their work at Spago and Michael's, and Campanile was uniformly lauded by the press.  Reservations were difficult, and during their first year,  annual sales exceeded $2 million.  Silverton would bake bread all night, sleep briefly,  wake mid-morning to prepare pastries and desserts for the restaurant, and nap again before dinner. In 1991, she won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Pastry Chef award. In an article on the awards, the Los Angeles Times wrote that she had  "not only given Los Angeles great bread, but through her work at Campanile, she has virtually redefined what dessert is."  Silverton, however, was "frazzled." In 1992, she and Krankl went back to the group of investors who had funded Campanile, and built a much larger, fully staffed, commercial bakery.  At the same time, they split the bakery into a separate entity. Silverton became less involved with the bakery in 1993, serving mainly as an advisor.   In 1996, her second book, Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur, was published. In 1998, Silverton began "Grilled Cheese Night" at Campanile, which became an establishment in Los Angeles.  Described as the "godmother of grilled cheese sandwiches," by NBC's Today Show, "Grilled Cheese Night" started a worldwide trend.  Her book Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at Campanile was published in 2005. In 2001, an Irish investment group, IAWS, purchased La Brea Bakery for a price that was reported as ranging from $56 million to $68.5 million.  Silverton earned more than $5 million in the sale, and invested with Bernard Madoff; her profits were lost in 2008 with the collapse of his pyramid scheme.   In 2005, she and Peel separated, and Silverton left Campanile after their divorce in 2007. The restaurant closed in October 2012. In 2007, Silverton partnered with New York chef Mario Batali and his frequent collaborator Joseph Bastianich to open an Italian restaurant, Osteria Mozza.  Reminiscent of the evolution of La Brea bakery, a pizzeria, Pizzeria Mozza, opened in an adjoining space prior to the opening of the main restaurant.  It was met with an "instant and outsize swoon."  The Los Angeles Times gave it a four-star review, and the New York Times called it a "serious and impressive restaurant." Four months after the opening of the pizzeria, Osteria Mozza opened to similar acclaim.  Although the restaurant's entire menu was widely praised, Silverton's interpretation of antipasti as a Mozzarella bar won particular recognition, with Zagat's noting that she had "perfected the art of cheese."  It was nominated as Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation the year it opened, and was awarded a Michelin star in 2008. Osteria Mozza maintained its Michelin star in the 2019 Michelin Guide for California. Osteria Mozza later opened restaurants in Newport Beach, California, and Singapore.  The main Mozza location has since grown to include Mozza2Go and a third restaurant, Chi Spacca, which focuses on meats. Silverton won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, the Beard Awards' most prestigious honor. In June 2015 Silverton launched Nancy's Fancy.  A luxury line of seven flavors of gelato and sorbetto, Nancy's Fancy, is sold in supermarkets. The company's original location was based in Chatsworth, California  however they have since relocated to a 6,000 square foot warehouse in the Arts District of Downtown, Los Angeles. Nancy will open a casual Italian restaurant specializing in small pizzas in Fall 2019 located in Culver City, California called Pizzette. Nancy was named Culinary Ambassador of the new Farmhouse food and event space in Ojai, California in early 2019.

personal_sec:
Silverton serves as mentor to the team of pastry chefs at Short Cake Bakery, a bakery she helped her longtime friend, the late Amy Pressman, to open. She has been a member of the Macy's Culinary Council since 2003 and is involved in the Meals on Wheels programs in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Nancy Silverton lost the money she made from the sale of La Brea Bakery in the Bernie Madoff scandal. Silverton lives in Los Angeles with her long time boyfriend gang reporter Michael Krikorian. She has three children. In April 2020, Silverton tested positive for COVID-19 and announced she would be closing her restaurants.

info:
After Silverton returned to Los Angeles in 1982, she was hired by Wolfgang Puck as Spago's opening pastry chef, and in 1986, she wrote her first cookbook, Desserts. In 1989, Silverton, her then-husband, chef Mark Peel, and  Manfred Krankl  opened  Campanile, about which critic Jonathan Gold  would later write: "It is hard to overstate Campanile's contributions to American cooking." Almost as an afterthought, Silverton and Peel opened La Brea Bakery in a space which adjoined the main restaurant; it opened prior to Campanile.  Silverton served as the head baker at the bakery and the head pastry chef at the restaurant, which was located on La Brea Avenue in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. Silverton had limited experience from baking bread while a pastry chef at Spago and began to experiment with recipes after she read an article about a San Francisco artisan bakery, Acme.  She used grapes, which had natural yeast, and let them soak for days in flour and water.  She then mixed the dough, shaped the loaves by hand, and let them rise twice over a two-day period.  After six months and "hundreds" of attempts to perfect the recipe, she was satisfied.  Artisan bread was then largely unknown in Los Angeles, and within weeks, sales were up to $1,000 a day at the bakery.  On Thanksgiving in 1990, the line to buy bread stretched around the block and partway down a side street. Campanile was equally successful from the start. Silverton and Peel were well-known through their work at Spago and Michael's, and Campanile was uniformly lauded by the press.  Reservations were difficult, and during their first year,  annual sales exceeded $2 million.  Silverton would bake bread all night, sleep briefly,  wake mid-morning to prepare pastries and desserts for the restaurant, and nap again before dinner. In 1991, she won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Pastry Chef award. In an article on the awards, the Los Angeles Times wrote that she had  "not only given Los Angeles great bread, but through her work at Campanile, she has virtually redefined what dessert is."  Silverton, however, was "frazzled." In 1992, she and Krankl went back to the group of investors who had funded Campanile, and built a much larger, fully staffed, commercial bakery.  At the same time, they split the bakery into a separate entity. Silverton became less involved with the bakery in 1993, serving mainly as an advisor.   In 1996, her second book, Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur, was published. In 1998, Silverton began "Grilled Cheese Night" at Campanile, which became an establishment in Los Angeles.  Described as the "godmother of grilled cheese sandwiches," by NBC's Today Show, "Grilled Cheese Night" started a worldwide trend.  Her book Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at Campanile was published in 2005. In 2001, an Irish investment group, IAWS, purchased La Brea Bakery for a price that was reported as ranging from $56 million to $68.5 million.  Silverton earned more than $5 million in the sale, and invested with Bernard Madoff; her profits were lost in 2008 with the collapse of his pyramid scheme.   In 2005, she and Peel separated, and Silverton left Campanile after their divorce in 2007. The restaurant closed in October 2012. In 2007, Silverton partnered with New York chef Mario Batali and his frequent collaborator Joseph Bastianich to open an Italian restaurant, Osteria Mozza.  Reminiscent of the evolution of La Brea bakery, a pizzeria, Pizzeria Mozza, opened in an adjoining space prior to the opening of the main restaurant.  It was met with an "instant and outsize swoon."  The Los Angeles Times gave it a four-star review, and the New York Times called it a "serious and impressive restaurant." Four months after the opening of the pizzeria, Osteria Mozza opened to similar acclaim.  Although the restaurant's entire menu was widely praised, Silverton's interpretation of antipasti as a Mozzarella bar won particular recognition, with Zagat's noting that she had "perfected the art of cheese."  It was nominated as Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation the year it opened, and was awarded a Michelin star in 2008. Osteria Mozza maintained its Michelin star in the 2019 Michelin Guide for California. Osteria Mozza later opened restaurants in Newport Beach, California, and Singapore.  The main Mozza location has since grown to include Mozza2Go and a third restaurant, Chi Spacca, which focuses on meats. Silverton won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, the Beard Awards' most prestigious honor. In June 2015 Silverton launched Nancy's Fancy.  A luxury line of seven flavors of gelato and sorbetto, Nancy's Fancy, is sold in supermarkets. The company's original location was based in Chatsworth, California  however they have since relocated to a 6,000 square foot warehouse in the Arts District of Downtown, Los Angeles. Nancy will open a casual Italian restaurant specializing in small pizzas in Fall 2019 located in Culver City, California called Pizzette. Nancy was named Culinary Ambassador of the new Farmhouse food and event space in Ojai, California in early 2019.Silverton serves as mentor to the team of pastry chefs at Short Cake Bakery, a bakery she helped her longtime friend, the late Amy Pressman, to open. She has been a member of the Macy's Culinary Council since 2003 and is involved in the Meals on Wheels programs in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Nancy Silverton lost the money she made from the sale of La Brea Bakery in the Bernie Madoff scandal. Silverton lives in Los Angeles with her long time boyfriend gang reporter Michael Krikorian. She has three children. In April 2020, Silverton tested positive for COVID-19 and announced she would be closing her restaurants.


name: Elle Simone
first_name: Elle
last_name: Simone
gender: F
personal_sec: Simone is a survivor of ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 40.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
At age 28, Simone lost her job as a social worker, her car, and her home during the 2008 recession. She took a job on a cruise ship as a cook for two years. In 2009 she moved to New York, working at a women's shelter, and in 2010 attended culinary school. She did an internship with Food Network. She worked as a food stylist for Cabot Creamery and The Chew. She worked in culinary production for Cook's Country, Food Network, Bravo, and Cooking Channel. Simone was the first African American woman to appear as a regular host on the PBS television show America's Test Kitchen starting in 2016. She is a test cook and food stylist for the show. She also develops videos for the show's online cooking school. She was featured in a segment of NBC's The Hub Today .in 2018 and in 2019 hosted 28 Days of Edna, a monthlong America's Test Kitchen series focussed on Edna Lewis. Simone is a member of the board of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She has said she wants to become the "culinary Oprah."

info:
At age 28, Simone lost her job as a social worker, her car, and her home during the 2008 recession. She took a job on a cruise ship as a cook for two years. In 2009 she moved to New York, working at a women's shelter, and in 2010 attended culinary school. She did an internship with Food Network. She worked as a food stylist for Cabot Creamery and The Chew. She worked in culinary production for Cook's Country, Food Network, Bravo, and Cooking Channel. Simone was the first African American woman to appear as a regular host on the PBS television show America's Test Kitchen starting in 2016. She is a test cook and food stylist for the show. She also develops videos for the show's online cooking school. She was featured in a segment of NBC's The Hub Today .in 2018 and in 2019 hosted 28 Days of Edna, a monthlong America's Test Kitchen series focussed on Edna Lewis. Simone is a member of the board of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs. She has said she wants to become the "culinary Oprah."Simone is a survivor of ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 40.


name: B. Smith
first_name: B.
last_name: Smith
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In the mid-1960s, Smith began her career in modeling, participating in the Ebony Fashion Fair and later signing with the Wilhelmina Models agency. Smith was the first African-American model to be featured on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in 1976. Smith made two appearances on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, once as a model for Queen Sara's wedding dress, and once giving a tour of her restaurant, B. Smith, and making raspberry custard with Fred Rogers and her head chef, Henry. During the episode, she taught child viewers about the importance of washing hands, and shared the excitement of using huge bowls and mixers. She said her dream was to feed people, which began at an early age when she fed her dolls. Her weekly half-hour syndicated television show, B. Smith With Style, debuted in 1997 and also aired weekdays on BTN and Bounce TV. It featured home decor and cooking segments. Smith appeared as herself on "Prelude to a Kiss", a 1999 episode of the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, in which Aunt Hilda summons her in order to teach a group of unruly pirates to keep house. Smith accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27 through May 29, 2011, run with Conchata Ferrell, AnnaLynne McCord, Anne Meara, and Minka Kelly. Smith owned multiple restaurants called B. Smith. The first opened in 1986, on Eighth Avenue at 47th Street in New York City, and several years later moved around the corner to Restaurant Row on 46th Street; followed by another one in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York. She also owned a restaurant in the historic Beaux-Arts Union Station in Washington, D.C.; in September 2013, it was reported that restaurant would close. In 2014, the Sag Harbor restaurant was shuttered, followed by the Manhattan location in January 2015. Smith's interest in décor and restaurant design led to the development of her first home collection, which debuted at Bed, Bath & Beyond in Spring 2001. She also launched a line of serveware in 2004. In spring 2007, Smith debuted her first furniture collection with the La-Z-Boy company Clayton Marcus. B. Smith authored three books concentrating on recipes and presentation: B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends (1995), B. Smith's Rituals and Celebrations (1999), and B. Smith Cooks Southern Style (2009). Smith and her husband released Before I Forget in early 2016, detailing their journey following her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. The book was written with husband Dan Gasby and Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson.

personal_sec:
Smith married twice and although she had no biological children, she was stepmother to Dana Gasby. Her first marriage was to former HBO executive Donald "Don" Anderson from 1986 until 1990. Smith began dating Anderson after formally meeting him at her restaurant in late 1986. Smith married Dan Gasby in 1992 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Gasby was the executive producer of the Essence Awards and the senior vice president of marketing at Camelot Entertainment Sales Inc. Smith was stepmother of Gasby's daughter, Dana. Smith lived in Sag Harbor, New York, on Long Island, until she and Dan Gasby moved to nearby East Hampton, New York, in the mid-2010s. She previously lived on Central Park South and had a second apartment she used as an office. In June 2014, Smith revealed that she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, stating that she came out with the information to counter the stigma associated with the disease. In November 2014, Smith's husband reported her missing from Southampton, New York. She was found the next day in a cafe in Midtown Manhattan. On February 22, 2020, Smith died of early-onset Alzheimer's disease at age 70.

info:
In the mid-1960s, Smith began her career in modeling, participating in the Ebony Fashion Fair and later signing with the Wilhelmina Models agency. Smith was the first African-American model to be featured on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in 1976. Smith made two appearances on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, once as a model for Queen Sara's wedding dress, and once giving a tour of her restaurant, B. Smith, and making raspberry custard with Fred Rogers and her head chef, Henry. During the episode, she taught child viewers about the importance of washing hands, and shared the excitement of using huge bowls and mixers. She said her dream was to feed people, which began at an early age when she fed her dolls. Her weekly half-hour syndicated television show, B. Smith With Style, debuted in 1997 and also aired weekdays on BTN and Bounce TV. It featured home decor and cooking segments. Smith appeared as herself on "Prelude to a Kiss", a 1999 episode of the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, in which Aunt Hilda summons her in order to teach a group of unruly pirates to keep house. Smith accepted a role in the Off Broadway play Love, Loss, and What I Wore for an April 27 through May 29, 2011, run with Conchata Ferrell, AnnaLynne McCord, Anne Meara, and Minka Kelly. Smith owned multiple restaurants called B. Smith. The first opened in 1986, on Eighth Avenue at 47th Street in New York City, and several years later moved around the corner to Restaurant Row on 46th Street; followed by another one in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York. She also owned a restaurant in the historic Beaux-Arts Union Station in Washington, D.C.; in September 2013, it was reported that restaurant would close. In 2014, the Sag Harbor restaurant was shuttered, followed by the Manhattan location in January 2015. Smith's interest in décor and restaurant design led to the development of her first home collection, which debuted at Bed, Bath & Beyond in Spring 2001. She also launched a line of serveware in 2004. In spring 2007, Smith debuted her first furniture collection with the La-Z-Boy company Clayton Marcus. B. Smith authored three books concentrating on recipes and presentation: B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends (1995), B. Smith's Rituals and Celebrations (1999), and B. Smith Cooks Southern Style (2009). Smith and her husband released Before I Forget in early 2016, detailing their journey following her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. The book was written with husband Dan Gasby and Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson.Smith married twice and although she had no biological children, she was stepmother to Dana Gasby. Her first marriage was to former HBO executive Donald "Don" Anderson from 1986 until 1990. Smith began dating Anderson after formally meeting him at her restaurant in late 1986. Smith married Dan Gasby in 1992 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Gasby was the executive producer of the Essence Awards and the senior vice president of marketing at Camelot Entertainment Sales Inc. Smith was stepmother of Gasby's daughter, Dana. Smith lived in Sag Harbor, New York, on Long Island, until she and Dan Gasby moved to nearby East Hampton, New York, in the mid-2010s. She previously lived on Central Park South and had a second apartment she used as an office. In June 2014, Smith revealed that she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, stating that she came out with the information to counter the stigma associated with the disease. In November 2014, Smith's husband reported her missing from Southampton, New York. She was found the next day in a cafe in Midtown Manhattan. On February 22, 2020, Smith died of early-onset Alzheimer's disease at age 70.


name: Sarah Stegner
first_name: Sarah
last_name: Stegner
gender: F
personal_sec: Stegner is married to Rohit Nambiar, and they have a daughter.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, Sarah Stegner's grandmother worked as a caterer. Stegner studied classical guitar at Northwestern University, before deciding to become a chef. She went to the Dumas Pere Cooking School, and after graduating, she landed a position at the Ritz-Calton Hotel, Chicago. She worked her way up, eventually becoming sous chef to George Bumbaris. While there, she won two James Beard Foundation Awards, first for Rising Star Chef in 1994 and then four years later for Best Chef Midwest. Stegner appeared twice on the television series Great Chefs, first in 1994, and then again in 1998 for a barbecue special in collaboration with Weber-Stephen Products. In 2004, Stegner and Bumbaris opened their own restaurant together, named the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois. Stegner launched a second restaurant, Prairie Fire, in 2010. This saw a return to downtown Chicago, for Stegner, who ran it as a casual dining establishment. Outside of the professional kitchen, she also shows students at Northbrook Junior High School how to prepare healthy food, and praised Michelle Obama's work when she launched a similar nationwide campaign in 2011.

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Born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, Sarah Stegner's grandmother worked as a caterer. Stegner studied classical guitar at Northwestern University, before deciding to become a chef. She went to the Dumas Pere Cooking School, and after graduating, she landed a position at the Ritz-Calton Hotel, Chicago. She worked her way up, eventually becoming sous chef to George Bumbaris. While there, she won two James Beard Foundation Awards, first for Rising Star Chef in 1994 and then four years later for Best Chef Midwest. Stegner appeared twice on the television series Great Chefs, first in 1994, and then again in 1998 for a barbecue special in collaboration with Weber-Stephen Products. In 2004, Stegner and Bumbaris opened their own restaurant together, named the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois. Stegner launched a second restaurant, Prairie Fire, in 2010. This saw a return to downtown Chicago, for Stegner, who ran it as a casual dining establishment. Outside of the professional kitchen, she also shows students at Northbrook Junior High School how to prepare healthy food, and praised Michelle Obama's work when she launched a similar nationwide campaign in 2011.Stegner is married to Rohit Nambiar, and they have a daughter.


name: Sylvia Vaughn Thompson
first_name: Sylvia
last_name: Thompson
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Thompson married in the 1950s and moved to New York. She wrote food articles for Vogue magazine. In 1963 she published her first cookbook, Economy Gastronomy. The Budget Gourmet followed in 1974. The Washington Post stated that Thompson's early cookbooks "made cooking with next to nothing seem a great, swaggering adventure." However, her 1977 book Woman’s Day Crockery Cuisine was recalled by the publisher because one of the recipes recommended heating an unopened food tin in a manner that in one case caused it to explode. Thompson is credited as a co-writer of her mother's memoirs, I Just Kept Hoping (1999). Thompson's Feasts and Friends is part memoir, part cookbook. Thompson recounts food experiences at each stage in her life, offering recipes that reflect the various cultures that contributed to her upbringing, including San Joaquin Valley and Russian. The book was well received; a reviewer wrote that "few food writers can so casually capture the flavor of place -- and few are as lucky in the places that have come their way to capture: from a Hollywood childhood to Europe on a shoestring to the good life along the California coast."

personal_sec:
Thompson married Gene Thompson in 1958, to whom she was introduced by M. F. K. Fisher's sister, Norah. They have four children, David Oxley Thompson, Dinah Vaughn Sapia, Benjamin Stuart Thompson, and Amanda Thompson.

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Thompson married in the 1950s and moved to New York. She wrote food articles for Vogue magazine. In 1963 she published her first cookbook, Economy Gastronomy. The Budget Gourmet followed in 1974. The Washington Post stated that Thompson's early cookbooks "made cooking with next to nothing seem a great, swaggering adventure." However, her 1977 book Woman’s Day Crockery Cuisine was recalled by the publisher because one of the recipes recommended heating an unopened food tin in a manner that in one case caused it to explode. Thompson is credited as a co-writer of her mother's memoirs, I Just Kept Hoping (1999). Thompson's Feasts and Friends is part memoir, part cookbook. Thompson recounts food experiences at each stage in her life, offering recipes that reflect the various cultures that contributed to her upbringing, including San Joaquin Valley and Russian. The book was well received; a reviewer wrote that "few food writers can so casually capture the flavor of place -- and few are as lucky in the places that have come their way to capture: from a Hollywood childhood to Europe on a shoestring to the good life along the California coast."Thompson married Gene Thompson in 1958, to whom she was introduced by M. F. K. Fisher's sister, Norah. They have four children, David Oxley Thompson, Dinah Vaughn Sapia, Benjamin Stuart Thompson, and Amanda Thompson.


name: Julia Turshen
first_name: Julia
last_name: Turshen
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Turshen was hired right out of college, by the television producer for whom she had interned and worked, to serve as assistant to a writer who had been hired to write the companion book for a PBS travel show about food and cooking. (Queery podcast, 19:40) The job was in Spain, and Turshen bought a one-way ticket there. When the writer dropped out of the project, Turshen was afforded the opportunity to write the book herself, and she did. Next, she co-authored and otherwise collaborated on approximately ten cookbooks, ranging from a Korean cookbook to a Vietnamese cookbook to a cookbook about breads from around the world (Queery podcast, 30:40), supplementing her meager income by working as a private chef for wealthy clients. (Queery podcast, 25:26) Using her experiences, Turshen published her first solo book of recipes and stories in September 2016. (Queery podcast, 28:35) In 2016, Turshen released her first solo cookbook, Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs. It was listed as one of The New York Times' best cookbooks of that year, one of NPR's best cookbooks of that year, and one of the best cookbooks for holiday giving, according to the Boston Globe. In 2017, Turshen released Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved, whose proceeds she donated to the ACLU. The book was a meditation on food and activism. It went on to earn Eater's Best Cookbook of 2017. The San Francisco Chronicle lauded it as one of their picks for best cookbooks of 2017 and The Village Voice included it on their list 2017’s Best Food Books for Woke Readers (and Eaters). In 2018, Turshen's book Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Best Food & Cookbooks. In 2019, Turshen's podcast, Keep Calm and Cook On, was nominated for an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award. Turshen has given talks or served as moderator at venues such as the Brooklyn's Museum of Food & Drink, the University of Michigan, New Orleans' Dillard University, The New York Times Food Festival, the National Museum of American History, the Philly Chef Conference, and the William Vale Hotel. She has also been featured on Google Talks, NPR, KCRW, and PRX.

personal_sec:
Turshen is married to Design Sponge founder Grace Bonney. The couple lived in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and had a vacation home in Ulster County, New York. In 2014, they and their dogs moved into the vacation home, an 1850s farmhouse, full-time.

info:
Turshen was hired right out of college, by the television producer for whom she had interned and worked, to serve as assistant to a writer who had been hired to write the companion book for a PBS travel show about food and cooking. (Queery podcast, 19:40) The job was in Spain, and Turshen bought a one-way ticket there. When the writer dropped out of the project, Turshen was afforded the opportunity to write the book herself, and she did. Next, she co-authored and otherwise collaborated on approximately ten cookbooks, ranging from a Korean cookbook to a Vietnamese cookbook to a cookbook about breads from around the world (Queery podcast, 30:40), supplementing her meager income by working as a private chef for wealthy clients. (Queery podcast, 25:26) Using her experiences, Turshen published her first solo book of recipes and stories in September 2016. (Queery podcast, 28:35) In 2016, Turshen released her first solo cookbook, Small Victories: Recipes, Advice + Hundreds of Ideas for Home Cooking Triumphs. It was listed as one of The New York Times' best cookbooks of that year, one of NPR's best cookbooks of that year, and one of the best cookbooks for holiday giving, according to the Boston Globe. In 2017, Turshen released Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved, whose proceeds she donated to the ACLU. The book was a meditation on food and activism. It went on to earn Eater's Best Cookbook of 2017. The San Francisco Chronicle lauded it as one of their picks for best cookbooks of 2017 and The Village Voice included it on their list 2017’s Best Food Books for Woke Readers (and Eaters). In 2018, Turshen's book Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Best Food & Cookbooks. In 2019, Turshen's podcast, Keep Calm and Cook On, was nominated for an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award. Turshen has given talks or served as moderator at venues such as the Brooklyn's Museum of Food & Drink, the University of Michigan, New Orleans' Dillard University, The New York Times Food Festival, the National Museum of American History, the Philly Chef Conference, and the William Vale Hotel. She has also been featured on Google Talks, NPR, KCRW, and PRX.Turshen is married to Design Sponge founder Grace Bonney. The couple lived in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and had a vacation home in Ulster County, New York. In 2014, they and their dogs moved into the vacation home, an 1850s farmhouse, full-time.


name: Marcela Valladolid
first_name: Marcela
last_name: Valladolid
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Valladolid-Rodriguez joined the staff of Bon Appétit magazine as an editor and recipe stylist. She also competed on the 2005 series The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, in which she came in fourth place. Valladolid-Rodriguez's first cooking show was Relatos con Sabor on Discovery en Español which aired in the U.S. and Latin America. In the series, she showed viewers how local Hispanic homes preserve and revive traditional recipes. Valladolid-Rodriguez's first cookbook, Fresh Mexico: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor, debuted in August 2009 and has since received positive reviews. Valladolid-Rodriguez's second cooking show, "Mexican Made Easy", debuted in January 2010 on the Food Network. Her second cookbook, Mexican Made Easy, was released in September 2011 as a companion book to her show. Both Valladolid's book and the show, filmed in San Diego, were designed to show the world there is no "yellow cheese" in traditional Mexican cooking and that her Mexican culinary style can be done with "fresh flavor that fits all." Valladolid-Rodriguez has also appeared in other Food Network shows. On Throwdown! with Bobby Flay she was a judge for a fish taco-themed competition. She and Flay teamed up to defeat Masaharu Morimoto and teammate Andrew Zimmern on a New Year's edition of Iron Chef America in 2012. Also in 2012, she competed in a celebrity version of Chopped in which she advanced to the final round and finished second (out of four competitors). In 2013, she served as a judge on Guy's Grocery Games. Valladolid-Rodriguez was one of two judges on the CBS reality TV cooking competition series The American Baking Competition. On November 27, 2013, Valladolid-Rodriguez was a guest model on the Thanksgiving episode of The Price Is Right, and long before that was a contestant in 2004 playing "That's Too Much", winning a car. In January 2014, Marcela debuted as one of the co-hosts on Food Network's new show The Kitchen. and left the show in October 2017.

personal_sec:
Valladolid-Rodriguez lives in Chula Vista, California. She has sons named Fausto and David, and a daughter, Anna. She is engaged to Philip Button. In 2013, Valladolid-Rodriguez had a brief affair with her The American Baking Competition co-host Paul Hollywood. Hollywood and his wife separated temporarily because of the affair before reconciling, but it was cited in news of their second separation in 2017.

info:
Valladolid-Rodriguez joined the staff of Bon Appétit magazine as an editor and recipe stylist. She also competed on the 2005 series The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, in which she came in fourth place. Valladolid-Rodriguez's first cooking show was Relatos con Sabor on Discovery en Español which aired in the U.S. and Latin America. In the series, she showed viewers how local Hispanic homes preserve and revive traditional recipes. Valladolid-Rodriguez's first cookbook, Fresh Mexico: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor, debuted in August 2009 and has since received positive reviews. Valladolid-Rodriguez's second cooking show, "Mexican Made Easy", debuted in January 2010 on the Food Network. Her second cookbook, Mexican Made Easy, was released in September 2011 as a companion book to her show. Both Valladolid's book and the show, filmed in San Diego, were designed to show the world there is no "yellow cheese" in traditional Mexican cooking and that her Mexican culinary style can be done with "fresh flavor that fits all." Valladolid-Rodriguez has also appeared in other Food Network shows. On Throwdown! with Bobby Flay she was a judge for a fish taco-themed competition. She and Flay teamed up to defeat Masaharu Morimoto and teammate Andrew Zimmern on a New Year's edition of Iron Chef America in 2012. Also in 2012, she competed in a celebrity version of Chopped in which she advanced to the final round and finished second (out of four competitors). In 2013, she served as a judge on Guy's Grocery Games. Valladolid-Rodriguez was one of two judges on the CBS reality TV cooking competition series The American Baking Competition. On November 27, 2013, Valladolid-Rodriguez was a guest model on the Thanksgiving episode of The Price Is Right, and long before that was a contestant in 2004 playing "That's Too Much", winning a car. In January 2014, Marcela debuted as one of the co-hosts on Food Network's new show The Kitchen. and left the show in October 2017.Valladolid-Rodriguez lives in Chula Vista, California. She has sons named Fausto and David, and a daughter, Anna. She is engaged to Philip Button. In 2013, Valladolid-Rodriguez had a brief affair with her The American Baking Competition co-host Paul Hollywood. Hollywood and his wife separated temporarily because of the affair before reconciling, but it was cited in news of their second separation in 2017.


name: Cathy Whims
first_name: Cathy
last_name: Whims
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Early in her career, Whims was the bread and pastry chef in a local natural food restaurant and catered private dinners in Chapel Hill, and later worked at kitchens in the San Francisco Bay Area. She relocated to Portland in 1979 and immediately began working at Produce Row Cafe, and later served as a prep cook at the defunct Italian restaurant Genoa. Her title rose to executive chef and she became a co-owner during her eighteen-year tenure at Genoa, which has been credited "for bringing fine-dining to Portland", and closed in 2014. Whims studied with Marcella Hazan in Venice in 1998, and later worked at restaurants in Italy's Langhe region. Whims has opened several restaurants in Portland, including Nostrana (2005–present), Hamlet (2015–2017), and the pizzeria/bar Oven and Shaker (2011–present). She was a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for six consecutive years after opening Nostrana. Following Hazan's death in 2013, Whims commemorated the chef by creating a special tribute menu at Nostrana. The restaurant's menu has featured other recipes inspired by Hazan, as well as American chef, baker, and writer Nancy Silverton. Hamlet was named one of Portland's best restaurants by Portland Monthly in 2015. In 2017, Whims served as Oregon's ambassador of the James Beard Foundation's Smart Catch program, which promotes sustainable seafood practices. She opened the 40-seat wine European bar Enoteca Nostrana, adjacent to Nostrana, in 2018.

personal_sec:
Whims is married and lives in Portland, Oregon. Her partner, David West, co-owns Nostrana and Enoteca Nostrana. She has described herself as a "born-again Italian". Whims has a sister who also works in the restaurant industry.

info:
Early in her career, Whims was the bread and pastry chef in a local natural food restaurant and catered private dinners in Chapel Hill, and later worked at kitchens in the San Francisco Bay Area. She relocated to Portland in 1979 and immediately began working at Produce Row Cafe, and later served as a prep cook at the defunct Italian restaurant Genoa. Her title rose to executive chef and she became a co-owner during her eighteen-year tenure at Genoa, which has been credited "for bringing fine-dining to Portland", and closed in 2014. Whims studied with Marcella Hazan in Venice in 1998, and later worked at restaurants in Italy's Langhe region. Whims has opened several restaurants in Portland, including Nostrana (2005–present), Hamlet (2015–2017), and the pizzeria/bar Oven and Shaker (2011–present). She was a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for six consecutive years after opening Nostrana. Following Hazan's death in 2013, Whims commemorated the chef by creating a special tribute menu at Nostrana. The restaurant's menu has featured other recipes inspired by Hazan, as well as American chef, baker, and writer Nancy Silverton. Hamlet was named one of Portland's best restaurants by Portland Monthly in 2015. In 2017, Whims served as Oregon's ambassador of the James Beard Foundation's Smart Catch program, which promotes sustainable seafood practices. She opened the 40-seat wine European bar Enoteca Nostrana, adjacent to Nostrana, in 2018.Whims is married and lives in Portland, Oregon. Her partner, David West, co-owns Nostrana and Enoteca Nostrana. She has described herself as a "born-again Italian". Whims has a sister who also works in the restaurant industry.


name: Kate Williams
first_name: Kate
gender: F
personal_sec: Williams has lived in Corktown since 2014.
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Williams served as sous chef for Wolfgang Puck in Chicago and worked in restaurants in New York and at Restaurant Relæ  in Copenhagen. She was living in New York and working in restaurants when she came home to attend a funeral and "decided this is the only place I want to have a restaurant." She returned to Detroit and helped open Republic Tavern and Parks & Rec Diner, serving as Executive Chef for Republic and Rodin before opening Lady of the House. The restaurant opened in September 2017 in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood in a 1970s building that was previously home to St. Cece's, an Irish pub. It is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner and, since February 2018, on Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Some of the dinnerware had belonged to Williams' grandmother. Childhood photos of restaurant employees hang in a hallway. According to Food + Wine it is a "no-waste kitchen." Williams uses trim from prime rib to make tartare. Diners are sometimes disappointed when a dish they've read about is unavailable due to the seasonal nature of Williams' menu. One of Williams' signature dishes is a "carrot steak," a large carrot shaved into thin slices, salted, rolled into a rosette, and basted in butter. It requires large carrots, so is available only at times of year when local farmers are producing them. Williams' initial vision was to build a neighborhood restaurant "that feels like it's been there forever." She wanted a restaurant "small enough that I am cooking every day and not just doing paperwork." She has family connections to Corktown and Detroit. Her paternal grandfather once lived a few blocks from the restaurant's location. Her maternal grandparents met at the Gaelic League, located around the corner. A great-great-grandfather ran a bakery in Detroit's West Village neighborhood.

info:
Williams served as sous chef for Wolfgang Puck in Chicago and worked in restaurants in New York and at Restaurant Relæ  in Copenhagen. She was living in New York and working in restaurants when she came home to attend a funeral and "decided this is the only place I want to have a restaurant." She returned to Detroit and helped open Republic Tavern and Parks & Rec Diner, serving as Executive Chef for Republic and Rodin before opening Lady of the House. The restaurant opened in September 2017 in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood in a 1970s building that was previously home to St. Cece's, an Irish pub. It is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner and, since February 2018, on Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Some of the dinnerware had belonged to Williams' grandmother. Childhood photos of restaurant employees hang in a hallway. According to Food + Wine it is a "no-waste kitchen." Williams uses trim from prime rib to make tartare. Diners are sometimes disappointed when a dish they've read about is unavailable due to the seasonal nature of Williams' menu. One of Williams' signature dishes is a "carrot steak," a large carrot shaved into thin slices, salted, rolled into a rosette, and basted in butter. It requires large carrots, so is available only at times of year when local farmers are producing them. Williams' initial vision was to build a neighborhood restaurant "that feels like it's been there forever." She wanted a restaurant "small enough that I am cooking every day and not just doing paperwork." She has family connections to Corktown and Detroit. Her paternal grandfather once lived a few blocks from the restaurant's location. Her maternal grandparents met at the Gaelic League, located around the corner. A great-great-grandfather ran a bakery in Detroit's West Village neighborhood.Williams has lived in Corktown since 2014.


name: Sherry Yard
first_name: Sherry
last_name: Yard
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
Yard has served as a chef in several Wolfgang Puck restaurants, including Spago, Rainbow Room and Tribeca Grill. She also served as Chief Operating Officer, Restaurant Division at iPic Entertainment, a national entertainment group known for their upscale movie theaters, in-cinema dining, and restaurants. She officially stepped down from iPic in July 2019. Yard has stated that her signature dessert is Kaiserschmarrn. Yard has served as a judge on several cooking shows, including the Food Network series Halloween Baking Championship, Cake Wars Christmas, Christmas Cookie Challenge, Cooking Channel television series Sugar Showdown and more recently on ABC's The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition. She has been a guest judge on Top Chef: Just Desserts, Food Network Star, Duff Till Dawn, Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen. She has also competed in the Food Network show, Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage.

personal_sec:
Yard stands at 5 feet 2 inches tall. On May 3, 2008, she married dentist Edward M. Ines in Malibu, California in a destination wedding hosted by Wolfgang Puck, whom Yard served under as the corporate executive pastry chef at the time. They live in Manhattan Beach, California.

info:
Yard has served as a chef in several Wolfgang Puck restaurants, including Spago, Rainbow Room and Tribeca Grill. She also served as Chief Operating Officer, Restaurant Division at iPic Entertainment, a national entertainment group known for their upscale movie theaters, in-cinema dining, and restaurants. She officially stepped down from iPic in July 2019. Yard has stated that her signature dessert is Kaiserschmarrn. Yard has served as a judge on several cooking shows, including the Food Network series Halloween Baking Championship, Cake Wars Christmas, Christmas Cookie Challenge, Cooking Channel television series Sugar Showdown and more recently on ABC's The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition. She has been a guest judge on Top Chef: Just Desserts, Food Network Star, Duff Till Dawn, Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen. She has also competed in the Food Network show, Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage.Yard stands at 5 feet 2 inches tall. On May 3, 2008, she married dentist Edward M. Ines in Malibu, California in a destination wedding hosted by Wolfgang Puck, whom Yard served under as the corporate executive pastry chef at the time. They live in Manhattan Beach, California.


name: Molly Yeh
first_name: Molly
last_name: Yeh
gender: F
occupation: chefs
career_sec:
In October 2016, Yeh published her first book, Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from An Unlikely Life on a Farm (Rodale Books), for which she won the Judges' Choice IACP Cookbook Award in 2017. In June 2018, it was announced that Yeh would be hosting a cooking show on Food Network. The series, Girl Meets Farm, debuted on June 24, 2018.

personal_sec:
Yeh is of Chinese and Jewish descent. Yeh was raised in Glenview, Illinois, and attended Glenbrook South High School and the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, where she was a member of two percussion ensembles—The Rattan Trio  and Beat 3--  which won consecutive gold medals (2004 and 2005) in the junior division of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Yeh moved to Brooklyn and attended the Juilliard School, where she was editorial assistant and writer at The Juilliard Journal and in 2011 earned a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion. Yeh married fellow Juilliard music major Nick Hagen in 2015 and moved to the Minnesota-North Dakota region where Hagen is a fifth-generation farmer. In November 2018, Yeh announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child. On March 30, 2019, Yeh gave birth to a daughter, Bernadette Rosemary Yeh Hagen, named after her husband's great-great-grandfather Bernt (who started the Hagen farm) and her own great-great grandfather, Bernard. Also in November 2018, she was a co-host on From the Top, a podcast showcasing young classical musicians. Yeh had previously appeared on the show twice as a teenager, in 2004 and 2007.

info:
In October 2016, Yeh published her first book, Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from An Unlikely Life on a Farm (Rodale Books), for which she won the Judges' Choice IACP Cookbook Award in 2017. In June 2018, it was announced that Yeh would be hosting a cooking show on Food Network. The series, Girl Meets Farm, debuted on June 24, 2018.Yeh is of Chinese and Jewish descent. Yeh was raised in Glenview, Illinois, and attended Glenbrook South High School and the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, where she was a member of two percussion ensembles—The Rattan Trio  and Beat 3--  which won consecutive gold medals (2004 and 2005) in the junior division of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Yeh moved to Brooklyn and attended the Juilliard School, where she was editorial assistant and writer at The Juilliard Journal and in 2011 earned a Bachelor of Music degree in percussion. Yeh married fellow Juilliard music major Nick Hagen in 2015 and moved to the Minnesota-North Dakota region where Hagen is a fifth-generation farmer. In November 2018, Yeh announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child. On March 30, 2019, Yeh gave birth to a daughter, Bernadette Rosemary Yeh Hagen, named after her husband's great-great-grandfather Bernt (who started the Hagen farm) and her own great-great grandfather, Bernard. Also in November 2018, she was a co-host on From the Top, a podcast showcasing young classical musicians. Yeh had previously appeared on the show twice as a teenager, in 2004 and 2007.


name: Ciel Bergman
first_name: Ciel
last_name: Bergman
gender: F
occupation: artists
career_sec:
Bergman, who was known Cheryl Bowers at the time, had originally trained to be a psychiatric nurse. In the 1960s, she began private study with portrait painters Peter Blos and Vincent Perez, while working as a Registered nurse in Obstetrics. She was awarded first place in painting at The Jack London Invitational, Oakland and then returned to school. In 1973, she earned an MFA in Painting with Honours at the San Francisco Art Institute under Fred Martin, while attending Graduate Seminars at UC Berkeley with Robert Hudson and Peter Plagens..

personal_sec:
Bergman had two children from her marriage to Lynn Franklyn Bowers. In 1988, the artist made what she felt was a necessary spiritual decision to legally change her name on her 50th birthday, from Cheryl Marie Bowers to Ciel Bergman, to honor her Swedish maternal grandmother, Emma Josephine Bergman. In Blood, Milk, Water, scholar Dr. Wendy Steiner explains, "Her name itself represents that sort of shift - from Cheryl Bowers to Ciel Bergman - becoming a landscape of 'sky' and' mountain' that is a typical background in her paintings."

info:
Bergman, who was known Cheryl Bowers at the time, had originally trained to be a psychiatric nurse. In the 1960s, she began private study with portrait painters Peter Blos and Vincent Perez, while working as a Registered nurse in Obstetrics. She was awarded first place in painting at The Jack London Invitational, Oakland and then returned to school. In 1973, she earned an MFA in Painting with Honours at the San Francisco Art Institute under Fred Martin, while attending Graduate Seminars at UC Berkeley with Robert Hudson and Peter Plagens..Bergman had two children from her marriage to Lynn Franklyn Bowers. In 1988, the artist made what she felt was a necessary spiritual decision to legally change her name on her 50th birthday, from Cheryl Marie Bowers to Ciel Bergman, to honor her Swedish maternal grandmother, Emma Josephine Bergman. In Blood, Milk, Water, scholar Dr. Wendy Steiner explains, "Her name itself represents that sort of shift - from Cheryl Bowers to Ciel Bergman - becoming a landscape of 'sky' and' mountain' that is a typical background in her paintings."


name: Aline Bernstein
first_name: Aline
last_name: Bernstein
gender: F
occupation: artists
career_sec:
Between 1916 and 1951, Bernstein would do set design, costuming, or both for 51 productions. Bernstein was a theater set and costume designer for the Neighborhood Playhouse on the Lower East Side, volunteering her work to make her name. In 1926 she struggled but prevailed in becoming the first female member of the designers union. This membership opened up opportunities for Broadway commissions. However, as a woman, she still found that it was much easier to find work as a costume designer rather than as a set designer. Her career ran in phases; early on, she focused largely on costume design. After about 14 years of work, in 1930, she was able to move into set design. For about a decade, she primarily did set design work, only to return to costume design again around 1940 for the final phase of her career. In the 1930s she also began to write, with two books published by Knopf, a highly respected publisher at that time. She was personal friends with Arthur and Blanche Knopf. Her first book, Three Blue Suits, helped to more firmly establish her as a designer in New York. The book included a series of three stories in which three very different men wear the same blue serge suit. The details regarding how each man wears – or drags (the jacket on the floor) – his suit, reveal aspects of each man's character in subtle ways. A common trope among costume designer is that costumes, if they are good, should ultimately not be noticed. In contrast, the blue suit stories reveal Bernstein's ability to discern how critical details of costume evoke, and interact with, a character, and ultimately her skill as a costume designer at making this happen effectively. Some of her publications include: In 1950, Aline Bernstein finally won some hard earned recognition. In 1949 she had designed costumes for the opera Regina. The music and libretto were written Marc Blitzstein but based on the play The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman, a play for which Bernstein had previously designed costumes. Although that production of Regina (it would be regularly revived in the 20th century) only ran for a month and a half, Bernstein won a Tony for her costume design in 1950.

personal_sec:
Aline married Theodore F. Bernstein, a Wall Street broker, on November 19, 1902. Bernstein and her husband had two children: Theodore Frankau Bernstein (1904–1949), and Edla Cusick (1906–1983).  Her marriage remained intact throughout and despite her affair with Thomas Wolfe. Bernstein died on September 7, 1955, in New York City, aged 74. Bernstein met Thomas Wolfe in 1925 aboard the RMS Olympic when Wolfe was 25 and Bernstein 44. Bernstein became Wolfe's lover and provided Wolfe with emotional, domestic, and financial support while he wrote his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel, which he dedicated to Bernstein. Wolfe immortalized Bernstein as the character Esther Jack in his novels Of Time and the River, The Web and the Rock, You Can't Go Home Again, and The Good Child's River. Bernstein, in turn, centered her autobiographical novel The Journey Down around her affair with Wolfe. Bernstein's and Wolfe's affair ended after a few years, but their friendship continued. One of Wolfe's last phone calls, when he was dying of a brain tumor at age 37, was to tell Bernstein he loved her. At the time of Wolfe's death in 1938, Bernstein possessed some of Wolfe's unpublished manuscripts. In the 2016 biographical drama film Genius, Bernstein was portrayed by Nicole Kidman, while Wolfe was portrayed by Jude Law. The 2019 monologue, "Vogue," written for the 365 Days of Women by playwright Libby Mitchell is inspired by the life of Aline Bernstein.

info:
Between 1916 and 1951, Bernstein would do set design, costuming, or both for 51 productions. Bernstein was a theater set and costume designer for the Neighborhood Playhouse on the Lower East Side, volunteering her work to make her name. In 1926 she struggled but prevailed in becoming the first female member of the designers union. This membership opened up opportunities for Broadway commissions. However, as a woman, she still found that it was much easier to find work as a costume designer rather than as a set designer. Her career ran in phases; early on, she focused largely on costume design. After about 14 years of work, in 1930, she was able to move into set design. For about a decade, she primarily did set design work, only to return to costume design again around 1940 for the final phase of her career. In the 1930s she also began to write, with two books published by Knopf, a highly respected publisher at that time. She was personal friends with Arthur and Blanche Knopf. Her first book, Three Blue Suits, helped to more firmly establish her as a designer in New York. The book included a series of three stories in which three very different men wear the same blue serge suit. The details regarding how each man wears – or drags (the jacket on the floor) – his suit, reveal aspects of each man's character in subtle ways. A common trope among costume designer is that costumes, if they are good, should ultimately not be noticed. In contrast, the blue suit stories reveal Bernstein's ability to discern how critical details of costume evoke, and interact with, a character, and ultimately her skill as a costume designer at making this happen effectively. Some of her publications include: In 1950, Aline Bernstein finally won some hard earned recognition. In 1949 she had designed costumes for the opera Regina. The music and libretto were written Marc Blitzstein but based on the play The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman, a play for which Bernstein had previously designed costumes. Although that production of Regina (it would be regularly revived in the 20th century) only ran for a month and a half, Bernstein won a Tony for her costume design in 1950.Aline married Theodore F. Bernstein, a Wall Street broker, on November 19, 1902. Bernstein and her husband had two children: Theodore Frankau Bernstein (1904–1949), and Edla Cusick (1906–1983).  Her marriage remained intact throughout and despite her affair with Thomas Wolfe. Bernstein died on September 7, 1955, in New York City, aged 74. Bernstein met Thomas Wolfe in 1925 aboard the RMS Olympic when Wolfe was 25 and Bernstein 44. Bernstein became Wolfe's lover and provided Wolfe with emotional, domestic, and financial support while he wrote his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel, which he dedicated to Bernstein. Wolfe immortalized Bernstein as the character Esther Jack in his novels Of Time and the River, The Web and the Rock, You Can't Go Home Again, and The Good Child's River. Bernstein, in turn, centered her autobiographical novel The Journey Down around her affair with Wolfe. Bernstein's and Wolfe's affair ended after a few years, but their friendship continued. One of Wolfe's last phone calls, when he was dying of a brain tumor at age 37, was to tell Bernstein he loved her. At the time of Wolfe's death in 1938, Bernstein possessed some of Wolfe's unpublished manuscripts. In the 2016 biographical drama film Genius, Bernstein was portrayed by Nicole Kidman, while Wolfe was portrayed by Jude Law. The 2019 monologue, "Vogue," written for the 365 Days of Women by playwright Libby Mitchell is inspired by the life of Aline Bernstein.


name: Tina Williams Brewer
first_name: Tina
last_name: Brewer
gender: F
occupation: artists
career_sec:
Brewers weaves symbolism into her works to tell stories focusing on issues of family, women and children, and the spirituality of the African American culture, and her personal experiences associated with them. Much of her older works focused on the Middle Passage and her ancestors arriving to America on slave ships, but she also focuses on African American contributions to history and society, such as Jazz. Brewer works in artistic community outreach, using her insight to encourage others in the creative and collaborative process. She mentors aspiring artists of all ages, and has brought the quilting experience to hundreds of individuals in schools and residency programs.  She volunteers and works in a number of arts guilds, and is sought after for workshops and lectures. Brewer's quilts have been featured in collections such as those of the African American Museum, Dallas, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio. Her quilts have been exhibited internationally via the “Art in Embassies” program of the U.S. Department of State. Her quilts are displayed at the US Embassy in Ghana. Her work was included in that program’s exhibitions in Accra (2003), Khartoum (2009), and Dhaka (2011). Brewer describes her design process as using the concept of the mandala. Friday, June 12, 2009 was proclaimed "Tina Willilams Brewer Day" by Pittsburgh City Council.

personal_sec:
Brewer lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, John Brewer. She has two children, John Emery and Kristine, and four grandchildren.

info:
Brewers weaves symbolism into her works to tell stories focusing on issues of family, women and children, and the spirituality of the African American culture, and her personal experiences associated with them. Much of her older works focused on the Middle Passage and her ancestors arriving to America on slave ships, but she also focuses on African American contributions to history and society, such as Jazz. Brewer works in artistic community outreach, using her insight to encourage others in the creative and collaborative process. She mentors aspiring artists of all ages, and has brought the quilting experience to hundreds of individuals in schools and residency programs.  She volunteers and works in a number of arts guilds, and is sought after for workshops and lectures. Brewer's quilts have been featured in collections such as those of the African American Museum, Dallas, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio. Her quilts have been exhibited internationally via the “Art in Embassies” program of the U.S. Department of State. Her quilts are displayed at the US Embassy in Ghana. Her work was included in that program’s exhibitions in Accra (2003), Khartoum (2009), and Dhaka (2011). Brewer describes her design process as using the concept of the mandala. Friday, June 12, 2009 was proclaimed "Tina Willilams Brewer Day" by Pittsburgh City Council.Brewer lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, John Brewer. She has two children, John Emery and Kristine, and four grandchildren.


name: Edith Bry
first_name: Edith
last_name: Bry
gender: F
occupation: artists
career_sec:
In 1927 Bry showed portraits and abstractions that she called "imaginative creations" in a solo exhibition at a gallery in Corsicana, Texas. The portraits showed George Gershwin, Rebecca West, Irwin Edman, and other well-known people. She told a reporter that by expressing her feelings the abstractions helped her to overcome depression and "turbulent moods." A year later the New York Post included her portrait of Carl Van Doren in its Saturday Gravure section and two of her drawings were included in a show organized by the Opportunity Gallery. Over the next few years her work appeared in group shows at the same gallery and in the gallery of a printer of limited edition books. In 1932 she exhibited with two other women in the G.R.D. Gallery. The still lifes in that show drew comment from a critic for the New York Times who praised her "knowing technique" and appreciated her enigmatic titles. ("Atavic," for a still life of red cabbage, beets, and eggplant, was one.) She joined the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors in 1934 and contributed paintings to some of its exhibitions, but she did not take an active role in that organization. When she showed line drawings in a 1935 exhibition at the National Association's Argent Galleries, a critic praised her skill, writing that her "drawings might bid Picasso look to his laurels. In October 1935 she held a solo exhibition of oil paintings at a commercial gallery in St. Louis. A notice of the show in the St. Louis Star drew attention to her versatility. "Her output," it said, "is large, not only in oil, but in etching, lithography, wood carving, and sanguine crayon." The following year she was given a solo exhibition at the Grant Gallery in which she showed still lifes, landscapes, and scenes showing indigenous Mexicans. In 1937 she showed a lithograph called "Exiled" in the International Print Makers Exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum. The Los Angeles Times headed its article on the show with a reproduction of the print and its critic said it was "grim." This 1936 lithograph and a 1937 painting she made of the same scene were later purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The lithograph can be seen at right.  Bry joined the nonprofit Studio Guild in 1937. During the next few years she participated in the Studio Guild's exhibitions. She also helped to arrange Guild-sponsored events that raised money for overseas relief work. In 1938, for example, she organized the sale of works donated by 130 artists for funds to support the work of the Joint Distribution Committee to help European Jews escape Nazi persecution. A year later she contributed works to a Guild exhibition that circulated among museums and galleries around the country. In 1940, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art put "Exiled" on view, a New York Sun reporter interviewed Bry. In the interview, she said she intended the painting to convey a sense of finality and doom. While she recognized that it was topical, she said there was nothing propagandistic in her intent. In 1941 Bry became active in an artists' advocacy group called the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors. She showed in its first and in subsequent annual exhibitions and participated in special exhibitions as well. Her contribution of a collage called "Equations" in the 35th annual exhibition of 1976 seems to have been her last. She served as recording secretary and vice-president of the organization and in 1945 was elected its president. Bry continued to participate in group exhibitions during the war years, but she also volunteered her time in war-related work. In 1942 she began art classes for wounded soldiers, a year later she made war bond posters and made skin-draft drawings for a plastic surgeon, and in 1945 she painted irises for artificial eyes. Before the war Bry had traveled to Guatemala which then became the source of much of her later work. Working from sketches she made then, she finished a lithograph called "Palin" in 1945 (seen at left). Showing Guatemalan Indians grouped around a Ceiba tree, the print was commissioned by a commercial gallery called Associated American Artists. In the post-war years she continued to show oils, watercolors, and prints in group exhibitions held by the associations of which she was a member and in 1951 was given a solo exhibition at the John Heller gallery. The latter drew critics' attention for what one called a shift in her work from "visual sobriety" to expressionistic feeling. Bry explained the transition as an effort to free herself from the "tyranny of nature." She aimed to move from painting subjects "in the customary sense like a figure or scene" toward a more direct expression of emotion. In these deeply felt works she increasingly showed religious subjects. In the late 1950s Bry began to experiment with works in fused glass and vitreous enamel and thereafter began to make fused glass panels mainly for places of worship. After her death in 1991 she was best known for these works of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1983 the Loeb Student Art Center at New York University gave her a retrospective exhibition. Bry was a versatile artist who painted in oils, drew using graphite and crayon, and produced watercolors, and pastels. She made lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings. She did wood carving, mosaics, and large works in glass employing fused glass and enamel. Although her style evolved considerably during her long career, she avoided non-objectivism. She deployed degrees of abstraction, beginning with social realism and proceeding to a nearly free-form abstract expressionism. The progression was not clear-cut, however. Early in her career she made what she called "imaginative paintings" and in mid-career she made paintings that were, she said, "free harmonies of beautiful glowing colors." Late in her career she was still producing realist work such as the watercolor, "Fire Island 3," shown at right. For the most part her work could be described as semi-abstract. Its subjects were discernible, whether easily so, or only on close examination. She was seen as an expressive artist. A critic noted a tension between two styles of expressive work, one that revealed the "discipline of an inner reticence" and another consisting of a "more dynamic emotional expressionism." Critics saw this expressive content in both her realist and the more abstract paintings. Her collage, "Moonlit Ocean Seascape," at left, shows her late abstract style. She was noted for her skill in composition and handling of color. In 1932 a critic praised three still life paintings for "their good spacial design and pleasing relation of color." Another said she arranged "her subject matter in compositions as interesting for their color harmonies as they are for their harmonies of form." A few years later Howard Devree, of the New York Times praised her "growth in compositional conception, and advance in paint values and ... mature and gratifying sureness of approach" and a critic for the New York Post said she had a flair for composition: "she places the objects in her still lifes in pleasing relations of form and space; the flowers in her bouquets have a spacial existence, air flows between the blossoms and around them." When painting in oils Bry usually used a palette knife rather than a brush. During much of her career, she worked five days a week from about 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

personal_sec:
Bry was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 28, 1898. She was the daughter of Louis Bry (1861-1928) and Melanie Scharff Bry (1869-1933). Her siblings were Martin Edwin Bry (1891-1962), Louis Bry, Jr. (1895-1961), Nathan William Bry (1900-1982), and Adolph William Bry (1908-1938). In 1880 Louis Bry, Sr. emigrated to the United States from Rawitsch, Prussia (now Rawicz, Poland) and became a partner of his older brother, Nathan, in running successful department stores in Camden, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. The brothers also operated a clothing manufacturing business called Bry & Brother Cloak Company in St. Louis. In 1906 Louis moved to New York. There, he partnered with a relative named Edwin Bry (not his son), in a woolen manufacturing business with offices in Philadelphia and New York. He later served as a consultant to a business run by his sons Edwin and Louis. Louis and Melanie were married in St. Louis in 1890. Bry married in 1921. Her husband, Maurice Shevelson Benjamin (1896–1984), was an engineer and founder of a brokerage firm called Benjamin, Hill & Company. They remained married to each other for the rest of their lives. Their only child, Bry Benjamin, was born in 1924 and died in 2009.  In 1929 the family moved to a large apartment on an upper floor in the newly-opened Beresford building on Central Park West. The apartment had been designed for them in Art Deco style by a well-known architect, Ely Jacques Kahn. Bry carved the wood panel that was set over the fireplace in the library. The panel can be seen in the photo at right and in the portrait of Bry and her husband at top. Edith Bry died at home in New York on January 19, 1991.

info:
In 1927 Bry showed portraits and abstractions that she called "imaginative creations" in a solo exhibition at a gallery in Corsicana, Texas. The portraits showed George Gershwin, Rebecca West, Irwin Edman, and other well-known people. She told a reporter that by expressing her feelings the abstractions helped her to overcome depression and "turbulent moods." A year later the New York Post included her portrait of Carl Van Doren in its Saturday Gravure section and two of her drawings were included in a show organized by the Opportunity Gallery. Over the next few years her work appeared in group shows at the same gallery and in the gallery of a printer of limited edition books. In 1932 she exhibited with two other women in the G.R.D. Gallery. The still lifes in that show drew comment from a critic for the New York Times who praised her "knowing technique" and appreciated her enigmatic titles. ("Atavic," for a still life of red cabbage, beets, and eggplant, was one.) She joined the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors in 1934 and contributed paintings to some of its exhibitions, but she did not take an active role in that organization. When she showed line drawings in a 1935 exhibition at the National Association's Argent Galleries, a critic praised her skill, writing that her "drawings might bid Picasso look to his laurels. In October 1935 she held a solo exhibition of oil paintings at a commercial gallery in St. Louis. A notice of the show in the St. Louis Star drew attention to her versatility. "Her output," it said, "is large, not only in oil, but in etching, lithography, wood carving, and sanguine crayon." The following year she was given a solo exhibition at the Grant Gallery in which she showed still lifes, landscapes, and scenes showing indigenous Mexicans. In 1937 she showed a lithograph called "Exiled" in the International Print Makers Exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum. The Los Angeles Times headed its article on the show with a reproduction of the print and its critic said it was "grim." This 1936 lithograph and a 1937 painting she made of the same scene were later purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The lithograph can be seen at right.  Bry joined the nonprofit Studio Guild in 1937. During the next few years she participated in the Studio Guild's exhibitions. She also helped to arrange Guild-sponsored events that raised money for overseas relief work. In 1938, for example, she organized the sale of works donated by 130 artists for funds to support the work of the Joint Distribution Committee to help European Jews escape Nazi persecution. A year later she contributed works to a Guild exhibition that circulated among museums and galleries around the country. In 1940, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art put "Exiled" on view, a New York Sun reporter interviewed Bry. In the interview, she said she intended the painting to convey a sense of finality and doom. While she recognized that it was topical, she said there was nothing propagandistic in her intent. In 1941 Bry became active in an artists' advocacy group called the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors. She showed in its first and in subsequent annual exhibitions and participated in special exhibitions as well. Her contribution of a collage called "Equations" in the 35th annual exhibition of 1976 seems to have been her last. She served as recording secretary and vice-president of the organization and in 1945 was elected its president. Bry continued to participate in group exhibitions during the war years, but she also volunteered her time in war-related work. In 1942 she began art classes for wounded soldiers, a year later she made war bond posters and made skin-draft drawings for a plastic surgeon, and in 1945 she painted irises for artificial eyes. Before the war Bry had traveled to Guatemala which then became the source of much of her later work. Working from sketches she made then, she finished a lithograph called "Palin" in 1945 (seen at left). Showing Guatemalan Indians grouped around a Ceiba tree, the print was commissioned by a commercial gallery called Associated American Artists. In the post-war years she continued to show oils, watercolors, and prints in group exhibitions held by the associations of which she was a member and in 1951 was given a solo exhibition at the John Heller gallery. The latter drew critics' attention for what one called a shift in her work from "visual sobriety" to expressionistic feeling. Bry explained the transition as an effort to free herself from the "tyranny of nature." She aimed to move from painting subjects "in the customary sense like a figure or scene" toward a more direct expression of emotion. In these deeply felt works she increasingly showed religious subjects. In the late 1950s Bry began to experiment with works in fused glass and vitreous enamel and thereafter began to make fused glass panels mainly for places of worship. After her death in 1991 she was best known for these works of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1983 the Loeb Student Art Center at New York University gave her a retrospective exhibition. Bry was a versatile artist who painted in oils, drew using graphite and crayon, and produced watercolors, and pastels. She made lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings. She did wood carving, mosaics, and large works in glass employing fused glass and enamel. Although her style evolved considerably during her long career, she avoided non-objectivism. She deployed degrees of abstraction, beginning with social realism and proceeding to a nearly free-form abstract expressionism. The progression was not clear-cut, however. Early in her career she made what she called "imaginative paintings" and in mid-career she made paintings that were, she said, "free harmonies of beautiful glowing colors." Late in her career she was still producing realist work such as the watercolor, "Fire Island 3," shown at right. For the most part her work could be described as semi-abstract. Its subjects were discernible, whether easily so, or only on close examination. She was seen as an expressive artist. A critic noted a tension between two styles of expressive work, one that revealed the "discipline of an inner reticence" and another consisting of a "more dynamic emotional expressionism." Critics saw this expressive content in both her realist and the more abstract paintings. Her collage, "Moonlit Ocean Seascape," at left, shows her late abstract style. She was noted for her skill in composition and handling of color. In 1932 a critic praised three still life paintings for "their good spacial design and pleasing relation of color." Another said she arranged "her subject matter in compositions as interesting for their color harmonies as they are for their harmonies of form." A few years later Howard Devree, of the New York Times praised her "growth in compositional conception, and advance in paint values and ... mature and gratifying sureness of approach" and a critic for the New York Post said she had a flair for composition: "she places the objects in her still lifes in pleasing relations of form and space; the flowers in her bouquets have a spacial existence, air flows between the blossoms and around them." When painting in oils Bry usually used a palette knife rather than a brush. During much of her career, she worked five days a week from about 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.Bry was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 28, 1898. She was the daughter of Louis Bry (1861-1928) and Melanie Scharff Bry (1869-1933). Her siblings were Martin Edwin Bry (1891-1962), Louis Bry, Jr. (1895-1961), Nathan William Bry (1900-1982), and Adolph William Bry (1908-1938). In 1880 Louis Bry, Sr. emigrated to the United States from Rawitsch, Prussia (now Rawicz, Poland) and became a partner of his older brother, Nathan, in running successful department stores in Camden, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. The brothers also operated a clothing manufacturing business called Bry & Brother Cloak Company in St. Louis. In 1906 Louis moved to New York. There, he partnered with a relative named Edwin Bry (not his son), in a woolen manufacturing business with offices in Philadelphia and New York. He later served as a consultant to a business run by his sons Edwin and Louis. Louis and Melanie were married in St. Louis in 1890. Bry married in 1921. Her husband, Maurice Shevelson Benjamin (1896–1984), was an engineer and founder of a brokerage firm called Benjamin, Hill & Company. They remained married to each other for the rest of their lives. Their only child, Bry Benjamin, was born in 1924 and died in 2009.  In 1929 the family moved to a large apartment on an upper floor in the newly-opened Beresford building on Central Park West. The apartment had been designed for them in Art Deco style by a well-known architect, Ely Jacques Kahn. Bry carved the wood panel that was set over the fireplace in the library. The panel can be seen in the photo at right and in the portrait of Bry and her husband at top. Edith Bry died at home in New York on January 19, 1991.


name: Nidhi Chanani
first_name: Nidhi
last_name: Chanani
gender: F
personal_sec: Chanani and her husband, Nick Giordano, live in San Francisco Bay Area with their daughter.
occupation: artists
career_sec:
Chanani worked at non-profit organizations before entering the comics field. Chanani runs an online webseries and store titled EveryDayLoveArt.com, where she tries to capture the relevance for "ordinary everyday moments in our daily lives". Chanani explains that Pashmina is a story of a first-generation girl who is "trying to understand herself". She worked as a concept artist for the 2011 Australian film, Hannah and the Hasbian. She has also worked with Hasbro, Paramount Pictures and Disney. Other than her novel, Chanani has illustrated Misty: the Proud Cloud by Hugh Howey. Chanani has also been commissioned by Dark Horse Comics for a graphic novel based on Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1992 animated feature Aladdin titled Disney's princess: Jasmine's new pet.The graphic novel revolves around Jasmine and her pet tiger, Raja's, relationship when they first met.  It was released in October 2018. Chanani has written and Illustrated a bilingual children book titled Shubh Raatri Dost (Good Night Friend) with Bharat babies. Her second graphic novel, Jukebox, was a collaboration with her husband Nick Giordano about two Muslim American cousins, Shaheen and Tannaz in San Francisco who find a magical jukebox that comes to their aid when Giovanni, Shaheen's father, goes missing. It is slated for 2020 release. She illustrated the book I will be Fierce by Bea Birdsong, to be released in 2019 by Macmillan Publishers.  Throughout her work Chanani has worked to represent normal problems that exist within families, as well as showcasing female characters of color dealing with issues of identity. She utilizes the visual medium of graphic novels and comics to utilize the storytelling through both written and visual mediums in order to portray aspects of her stories that cannot be demonstrated in only one medium. In March 2019, Netflix announced it will adapt Chanani's best selling graphic novel Pashmina into a CG animated musical with Gurinder Chadha set to direct. 

info:
Chanani worked at non-profit organizations before entering the comics field. Chanani runs an online webseries and store titled EveryDayLoveArt.com, where she tries to capture the relevance for "ordinary everyday moments in our daily lives". Chanani explains that Pashmina is a story of a first-generation girl who is "trying to understand herself". She worked as a concept artist for the 2011 Australian film, Hannah and the Hasbian. She has also worked with Hasbro, Paramount Pictures and Disney. Other than her novel, Chanani has illustrated Misty: the Proud Cloud by Hugh Howey. Chanani has also been commissioned by Dark Horse Comics for a graphic novel based on Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1992 animated feature Aladdin titled Disney's princess: Jasmine's new pet.The graphic novel revolves around Jasmine and her pet tiger, Raja's, relationship when they first met.  It was released in October 2018. Chanani has written and Illustrated a bilingual children book titled Shubh Raatri Dost (Good Night Friend) with Bharat babies. Her second graphic novel, Jukebox, was a collaboration with her husband Nick Giordano about two Muslim American cousins, Shaheen and Tannaz in San Francisco who find a magical jukebox that comes to their aid when Giovanni, Shaheen's father, goes missing. It is slated for 2020 release. She illustrated the book I will be Fierce by Bea Birdsong, to be released in 2019 by Macmillan Publishers.  Throughout her work Chanani has worked to represent normal problems that exist within families, as well as showcasing female characters of color dealing with issues of identity. She utilizes the visual medium of graphic novels and comics to utilize the storytelling through both written and visual mediums in order to portray aspects of her stories that cannot be demonstrated in only one medium. In March 2019, Netflix announced it will adapt Chanani's best selling graphic novel Pashmina into a CG animated musical with Gurinder Chadha set to direct. Chanani and her husband, Nick Giordano, live in San Francisco Bay Area with their daughter.


