Host
Alex Wagner
Alex Wagner is an MSNBC Host and Political Analyst. Previously, she served as host of MSNBC’s Emmy-nominated “NOW with Alex Wagner” (4PM ET Weekdays). She is also the host of msnbc.com’s traveling interview series, “Mind Over Mountain” and “On the Water.”
Before joining MSNBC, Alex was a reporter with Huffington Post, where she covered innovation in the American economy, investigating the intersection of business, politics and new technology. Prior to this, she served as the White House correspondent for Politics Daily, where she chronicled a number of international and domestic affairs ranging from the BP oil spill to the Egyptian revolution.
From 2007-2009 she was the Executive Director of Not on Our Watch, an advocacy and grant making non-profit founded by actors George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle.
Prior to that, she was the Editor in Chief of the award-winning Fader Magazine, covering cultural movements around the globe from Brazil to China to South Africa.
Before joining the FADER, Alex served as the Cultural Correspondent for the Washington, DC-based think tank Center for American Progress.
Alex Wagner is a native of Washington, DC and attended Brown University. Follow her on Twitter @alexwagner.
The Roast
An opportunity for friends and colleagues to poke fun at Chef Tom Colicchio.
Tom's Roaster's
Richard Blais
Chef, Restaurateur, Author, Television Personality
Perhaps most recognizable as the winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef All-Stars,” Richard Blais is a successful chef, restaurateur, James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and television personality. After discovering his passion as a cook at McDonald’s, Blais graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1998 and ventured to New York City for the opportunity to work with famed chef Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel.
After a brief stage at El Bulli with culinary wizard, Ferran Adria, Blais relocated to Atlanta to oversee a local seafood concept, and his creative approach to cooking and cuisine led to the establishment of Trail Blais, Inc. a forward-thinking culinary company that has consulted on, designed, and operated some of Atlanta’s most popular eateries including Flip Burger Boutique. Blais then opened The Spence, a classic, ingredient-driven eatery in Midtown Atlanta, and in early 2014, he opened Juniper & Ivy in San Diego where he offers a refined approach to American cuisine and showcases the seasonal and local ingredients of the region.
In February 2013, Blais released his debut cookbook, Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate, in which he reveals a simplified approach to adventurous cooking by sharing new flavor combinations and textures to reinvent home cooks’ classic dishes. Try This at Home was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award 2014 in the “Cookbook: General Cooking” category.
In fall 2014, Blais appeared as host of the brand new Food Network series, Hungry Games, where he explored the psychology and science behind food decisions through a series of hidden camera experiments and man-on-the-street taste tests. He also recently appeared as a recurring judge on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 12, and will star as a judge on Top Chef Season 13 which will air in fall 2015.
Blais has also appeared on “TODAY Show,” “Good Morning America,” “The Rachael Ray Show,” “The Chew,” “The Talk,” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” as well as in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, People, InStyle and more.
Padma Lakshmi
Host, Top Chef
Emmy nominated Padma Lakshmi is known internationally as a television host, food expert, model and award-winning author. Lakshmi recently wrapped filming her twelfth season as Host and Executive Producer of Bravo’s Emmy award winning “Top Chef”.
Lakshmi was born in India and grew up in America. She graduated from Clark University with a Bachelors degree in Theater Arts and American Literature. Known as India’s first supermodel, she began her career as a fashion model, working in Europe and the US.
She established herself as a food expert early on in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing a best-selling cookbook Easy Exotic, for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time author. She followed its success with her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, which has over 150 recipes from around the world alongside intriguing personal memoirs. In addition to her own books, she has also written for such publications as American Vogue, Gourmet, Parade and British and American Harper's Bazaar as well as being a syndicated columnist for the New York Times.
Her debut home décor line, The Padma Collection, hit floors in Fall 2013 at Bloomingdale’s stores nationwide with tabletop dishware, stemware and hand-blown glass décor pieces. She has also created Padma’s Easy Exotic, a collection of culinary products including organic frozen food; fine teas and teapots; high-quality natural spice blends, roasting rubs and sea salts; as well as hard goods.
In 2009, Lakshmi co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America alongside world-renowned Advanced Gynecological Surgeon Tamer Seckin. Opening up about her own harrowing journey with the little-known disease, she has brought hope to millions of women suffering in silence and made enormous strides in spreading awareness and garnering funding for research and teen health education. She has been recognized by the New York State senate for her efforts in women's health and also helped to launch the first research center in the US for gynopathology at MIT.
Kerry Heffernan
Executive Chef, Grand Banks, Chef Member Blue Ribbon Panel at Monterey Bay Aquarium, Seafood Watch
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Connecticut, Kerry Heffernan began working in restaurants at age 15. Following high school, Kerry bicycled through Europe, eventually setting up camp in the South of France baking croissants. He returned home to attend the Culinary Institute of America, graduating second in his class. After spending another year cooking and traveling throughout Europe, Kerry came back to New York City, honing his skills at such highly regarded restaurants as Montrachet, Le Régence, Restaurant Bouley and Mondrian with Tom Colicchio before landing his first job as Chef de Cuisine at One Fifth Avenue.
Kerry later became the Executive Chef of the Westbury Hotel's famed Polo Restaurant, training ground of such extraordinary talents as Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud. Soon afterward Kerry opened Union Square Hospitality Group's Eleven Madison Park as Executive Chef and eventually became partner. Under his leadership, the restaurant received numerous accolades, including a tie with Per Se on Zagat Survey's "Top 20 Most Popular Restaurants in New York," The James Beard Foundation's Award for Outstanding Service in America, and Esquire Magazine's "Best New Restaurant."
Kerry is currently Chef at Grand Banks, a seasonal Oyster Bar and galley on the deck of a historic cod fishing schooner moored at Pier 25 New York. He previously spent a five-year tenure as Executive Chef of New York City's South Gate, and created and continues to work as a consultant to "15 CPW," a private restaurant at Manhattan's toniest address. Kerry remains active outside the kitchen in philanthropy, serving on the City Harvest Food Council and cooking for Share Our Strength, Project by Project, and both the Central Park and Madison Square Park Conservancies and as an advisor to several nonprofit agencies charged with seafood sustainability and conservation. In 2012, Kerry was honored as the commencement speaker at the Culinary Institute of America.
An avid outdoorsman and seafood expert, Kerry has won several charity fishing tournaments, including the "Manhattan Cup" and the "Montauk Redbone." In addition to appearing as a guest judge on Top Chef All-Stars, Kerry has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Martha Stewart, CBS and CNN's American Morning. Kerry is currently working on a cookbook about foraging, fishing and cooking on the East End of Long Island.
Spike Mendelsohn
Restauranteur and DC Food Policy Council Chair
In January of 2004, Spike Mendelsohn began his education at the Culinary Institute of America. During his time at school, Spike had an externship with Chef Gerard Boyer at the famous Restaurant Les Crayeres in Reims, France. Upon his return to the Institute, Spike joined the Culinary Society where he was chosen as one of ten students for a trip to Vietnam, which ended up being the beginning of Vietnamese influence on his technique and cuisine. Upon graduating in March 2005, Spike received the highest award offered at the Culinary Institute of America - The Francis Roth Leadership Award. After graduation he pursued and landed a job working for Thomas Keller at Bouchon in Napa Valley.
Following his time at Bouchon, Spike moved to New York City to work for the Maccioni Family at the famed Le Cirque. After leaving Le Cirque, Spike went on to work for Drew Nieporent and later Chef Michael Huynh to open Michelin-starred restaurant, Mai House.
Spike decided to make his television debut when he became a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef: Chicago. He has since appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef All-Stars” and “Life After Top Chef.” He was also enlisted for Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef: All-Stars” and “Next Iron Chef: Redemption” season. In the fall of 2014, he hosted the “Midnight Feast” competition show on FYI lifestyle network from A+E.
Spike’s full time passion remains his restaurants. He opened his first, Good Stuff Eatery, in the Capitol Hill section of Washington D.C. after his first appearance on “Top Chef” to rave reviews and subsequently opened locations in Georgetown, Crystal City, Philadelphia and Chicago. Good Stuff Eatery will open in Saudi Arabia later this year as well. Next door to his original Good Stuff Eatery location is Spike’s second concept called We, The Pizza that also has a sister location in Arlington, VA. He added another restaurant to his “restaurant row” in Capitol Hill in the summer of 2013 when he opened a steak frites restaurant, Béarnaise, which was awarded 2-stars from The Washington Post.
Spike released a cookbook in 2010 called “The Good Stuff Cookbook” that features American comfort food classics and favorites that is just right for the home cook.
Spike is committed to participating in several community and food causes around the country including CARE and DC Central Kitchen. He has been an active participant in national and international food policy initiatives including work for First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's 'Move Initiative' and working with the United State's Department of State. Chef Spike has traveled across the U.S. and internationally as a CARE Chef Ambassador promoting the food economy, education and entrepreneurship.
Sam Talbot
Executive Chef - The Surf Lodge, The Pig and Poet
Sam Talbot is a chef, author, philanthropist and television personality based in Brooklyn, NY. Talbot's genuine approachability, natural charisma and profound knowledge of food and healthy living allow him to float effortlessly between the worlds of food, fashion and entertainment.
Diagnosed at a young age with Type 1 Diabetes, Talbot lives every hour with a deep understanding of the impact of food on life and life on food. This unique perspective has become the driving force in all of his projects and has put him at the forefront of the sustainable living movement, seeking to break down walls between the way we eat and the way we live.
Talbot is the founding Executive Chef of The Surf Lodge in Montauk, NY and during his time there it became a nationally acclaimed culinary destination. He went on to work with Morgans Hotel Group, opening Imperial No. Nine, a chic sustainable seafood restaurant at the Mondrian SoHo, all while championing his philanthropic causes and publishing his first book, The Sweet Lilfe: Diabetes without Boundaries (Rodale). He was a semi-finalist on season 2 of Bravo's Top Chef - was voted "fan favorite" and subsequently named one of People Magazines "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2012.
In 2015, Talbot is launching several exciting ventures that are close to his heart. From a new restaurant in Camden, Maine (The Pig and Poet) to stylish and rugged aprons that pay homage to his grandmother (Sam & Beatrice), Talbot looks forward to expanding his portfolio and exploring new territory while remaining true to his culinary roots. In addition, Talbot recently created the delicious and locally sourced menu for West Village coffee shop and general store, The Elk, and is excited to be one of the founding forces behind Beyond Type 1, a non-profit organization focusing on inspiring the Diabetic community to live their best lives.
Erik Bruner-Yang
Chef and Owner of Toki Underground, Maketto and Honeycomb
Erik Bruner-Yang, a James Beard Foundation Award Rising Star Chef of the Year finalist and Food & Wine finalist for People's Choice Best New Chef Mid-Atlantic, is the chef and owner of Toki Underground, Maketto, and Honeycomb in Washington, DC. Winner of the 2012 DC “Restaurant of the Year” Eater Award and 2014 RAMMY Award for Everyday Casual Restaurant of the Year, Toki Underground continues to be nationally and locally recognized for its creative menu featuring hybrid Taiwanese style ramen, authentic Taiwanese dumplings, and Asianthemed cocktails. In 2014, Bruner-Yang introduced Honeycomb, a local
Asian grocery offering local produce and homemade sauces and ferments located at Union Market. In 2015, Bruner-Yang opened Maketto, a communal marketplace and lifestyle brand combining retail, restaurant and
café located at 1351 H Street NE.
David Guas
TV Host, American Grilled, Travel Channel and Chef/Owner, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery
New Orleans-born TV personality and chef, David Guas, is widely familiar from his frequent appearances on "The Today Show," “The Talk,” “Food Network,” and his role as host and co-judge of Travel Channel’s summer competition series, "American Grilled." With no battle for attention, Guas has garnered national praise in publications like Food & Wine, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Saveur and Bon Appétit for showcasing the soul of the South in his sinfully delicious, Louisiana-style favorites and signature desserts at his neighborhood spot in Arlington, Virginia, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery. And his second Eatery opened at Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, occupying an historic Carriage House on Washington's Capitol Hill commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln. Not with a moment to spare, Guas just completed his second cookbook with Oxmoor House, Grill Nation: 200 Surefire Recipes, Tips, and Techniques to Grill like a Pro, released April 2015. His first cookbook, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style [Taunton Press 2009] was a James Beard Award finalist and was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Dessert Cookbooks.” This hunting, fishing, Harley-riding chef, and father of two sons, is a long-term member of Southern Foodways Alliance; Slow Food USA; Share Our Strength; Chefs for Equality; Real Food for Kids; U.S. State Department and the James Beard Foundation's Culinary Diplomacy Initiative; spokesperson for the National Honey Board; a former board member of Best Buddies in Virginia; and is a founding member of District Hogs, a group of DC-area restaurant professionals who ride motorcycles for fun, adventure, food, and charity.
Robb Duncan
Owener, Dolcezza
The idea for Dolcezza came from a psychedelic trip to the Amazon jungle in 1999. It was there where Robb met Violeta, and, after traveling for 3 months the entire length of the Amazon river and most of the Brasilian coast, they wound up in Violeta’s hometown of Buenos Aires, where Robb had his first encounter with old-world handcrafted gelato. Fast forward 15 years later, 8 retail shops and one 4,000 square foot gelato factory in the Union Market neighborhood and it gives you an idea about the journey that started the whole thing, and, how it never really ended.
In the Kitchen
