Honorary Chef Host Committee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

José Andrés

Mike Friedman

David Guas

Emily Luchetti*

Marjorie Meek-Bradley 

Spike Mendelsohn*^

Michel Nischan*#

Hari Pulapaka*#

Art Smith

Sam Talbot*^

Brian Voltaggio** 

Lee Anne Wong*^

Andrew Zimmern 

 

* Boot Camp Alum

^ Top Chef Alum

# CAN Advisory Board Member

 

 

 

José Andrés

Chef/Owner ThinkFoodGroup

 

Named as one of Time’s “100” Most Influential People and awarded “Outstanding Chef” by the James Beard Foundation, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, television personality, humanitarian and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup.  A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and his award-winning group of restaurants that spans 21 concepts throughout the country in Washington, DC, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He is a committed advocate of food and hunger issues and is known for championing the role of chefs in the national debate on food policy. This work has earned him awards and distinctions such as Outstanding American by Choice, awarded by President Barack Obama and the McCall-Pierpaoli humanitarian award. In 2015, he was named EY Master Entrepreneur of the Year in Greater Washington for his leadership and impact on the global business community.

 

 

Mike Friedman,

Executive Chef/Partner, The Red Hen

 

Like many young chefs these days, Michael Friedman’s culinary career developed out of sheer happenstance. Hailing from Westfield, New Jersey, Friedman graduated from Boston University’s College of Communications before tackling his first position in a professional kitchen. He landed a job as a prep cook with a bustling French bistro, Mon Ami Gabi and from then on, he knew a cook’s life was for him. Friedman spent three years with Rich Melman’s Lettuce Entertain You group, rising to sous chef in just eight months before enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

 

 

Friedman used his time wisely while in school, staging at notable restaurants in his off time, including Los Angeles’ Lucques and Morimoto in New York. At Danny Meyer’s The Modern in The Museum of Modern Art, he learned the true meaning of professionalism in the kitchen, and was taught to cook at a very high level with top-notch ingredients. Graduating at the top of his CIA class, he began working for famed Spanish Chef Jose Andres at his powerhouse Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, Zaytinya.

 

After two years as a chef with Chef Andres, Friedman left his mentor to travel the world. Eating through Italy, Greece, Turkey and Northern Africa, Friedman picked up the interesting and exciting nuances of each country. He headed back to the US and spent time staging in some influential kitchens, including San Francisco’s Incanto, Philadelphia’s Vetri and New York’s Scarpetta.

 

Mike returned to DC as Chef de Cuisine of Proof, a wine-centric restaurant specializing in local, seasonal fare. Under the tutelage of Executive Chef Haidar Karoum, Friedman learned to hone his craft and simplify his style to let the ingredients shine.

 

At his first solo venture, Friedman offers his guests at The Red Hen a focused selection of Italian-influenced dishes, interpreted with Mid-Atlantic ingredients – his version of modern comfort food. In The Red Hen’s opening year, it garnered two “RAMMY” awards from The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, including Best New Restaurant and Rising Culinary Star, and Friedman was selected as one of the People’s Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine. The Red Hen also won the 2013 “Restaurant of the Year” award from Eater DC and was awarded three star reviews from both The Washington Post and Washingtonian Magazine.

 

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.

 

Emily Luchetti

Chief Pastry Officer Big Night Restaurant Group (Marlowe, Park Tavern & Cavalier Restaurants)

 

As the CPO for Big Night Restaurant Group Emily is responsible for creating the dessert menus for their 3 restaurants in San Francisco.

 

Emily is the founder of #dessertworthy a social media movement to empower individuals to make healthier lifestyle choices and to be mindful of their dessert and sugar indulgences.

 

After attending culinary school, working in a few restaurants in New York, and staging in France, Emily moved to San Francisco and joined the opening culinary team at Jeremiah Tower’s legendary Stars Restaurant in San Francisco. Three years later she made the switch to the sweet side of the kitchen and has never looked back. She was the pastry chef at Stars for eight years and also co-owned the retail bakery StarBake.

 

Emily was the executive pastry chef at San Francisco’s Farallon from 1997-20014 and Waterbar from 2008-2014.

 

The petite powerhouse is the author of Stars Desserts (HarperCollins, 1991), Four Star Desserts (HarperCollins, 1995), A Passion for Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2003), A Passion for Ice Cream (Chronicle Books, 2006), and The Fearless Baker (Little, Brown and Company, 2011). Her first two books were rereleased as Classic Stars Desserts (Chronicle Books, 2007).

 

In 2007 Emily co-hosted the PBS show-The Holiday Table. Other television appearances include Jacques Pepin’s PBS Essential Pepin. Martha Stewart Living and The Food Network. She is a regular contributor to California Bountiful sponsored by the California Farm Bureau. Over her many years of dessert making her recipes have appeared in Oprah, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Every Day with Rachel Ray, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day, Redbook, More, Family Circle and Good Housekeeping Magazines.

 

Emily’s honors include the 1998 San Francisco Focus Magazine Pastry Chef of the Year, the 2001 Women Chefs & Restaurateurs Golden Whisk Award, the 2003 Food Arts magazine Silver Spoon Award, and the 2004 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. In 2009 The San Francisco Chronicle chose Luchetti as one of 20 Visionary Chefs in the Bay Area and she was inducted into the Culinary Pioneers of America.  In 2012, she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America.

 

From 1994 to 1999, she served as chairperson of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. Emily has served on the James Beard Foundation board of trustees for six years, four years as the chair of the James Beard Awards Committee. She is currently chairperson for the Board of Trustees.  Emily is a Dean at The International Culinary Center in New York and California and also serves as an Oxfam Sister of the Planet. 

 

Marjorie Meek-Bradley

Executive Chef (Ripple, Roofers Union and Jug & Table Restaurants)

 

In her role as Executive Chef at Ripple, Roofers Union, and Jug & Table Marjorie Meek-Bradley brings fresh creativity and broad experience to both concepts. A California native, Meek-Bradley cooks sustainably, using grass fed proteins and organic produce from local farms. Meek-Bradley was nationally recognized as a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Foundation and the Food & Wine Best New Chef awards. Meek-Bradley has served in many top-rated restaurants and her impressive pedigree includes having worked for Thomas Keller, Jose Andres, and Marcus Samuelsson. Meek-Bradley is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and the Women Chefs & Restauranteurs organizations.

 

Hari Pulapaka

Executive Chef & Co-Owner, Cress Restaurant

Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Stetson University

 

Hari Pulapaka is the Executive Chef and Co-Owner of the highly acclaimed Cress Restaurant in DeLand FL. Hari is also a full-time tenured Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Stetson University. Hari lives a full life driven by two full-time professions.

 

As a chef, Hari received a classical culinary degree in 2005 from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, has trained at Canoe in Toronto and opened Cress in 2008 with his wife Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka, who is a podiatric surgeon with her own private practice The DeLand Foot and Leg Center. Jenneffer is also co-owner of Cress and is its Wine Director and General Manager. Cress was recently rated the #1 restaurant in the Greater Orlando area by ZAGAT and one of America’s Top Restaurants. Hari is a four-time (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011) semifinalist for The James Beard Award for Best Chef South and a two-time (2013, 2012) nominee for Food & Wine Magazine’s The People’s Best New Chef. Hari attended the first official James Beard Foundation Boot Camp in Louisville for Policy and Action as one of only 15 chefs nationwide and now serves on the advisory board of CAN (The Chef Action Network) which is supported by the James Beard Foundation. Hari has cooked at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City on four occasions.  Hari & Jenneffer were invited participants in 2013 to serve on the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force. The couple actively supports a wide variety of philanthropic endeavours all across Central Florida and help raise thousands of dollars every year for a variety of food and health related causes. Since the inception and more so now, Hari is passionate about finding ways to improve the regional food system of Central Florida in particular, and the nation, as a whole. Hari is one of the founding members of goFLA (Greater Orlando Food Leaders Alliance), a growing network of chefs, farmers, food writers, and artisans who are dedicated to promoting Central Florida as a dining destination and showcasing the tremendous food bounty of our region. Cress Restaurant has hosted multiple “Lesser Fish” Dinners and continues to champion sustainability issues in Central Florida including maintaining an active Food Waste Program. Cress Restaurant is a restaurant partner of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, one of only a handful in the State of Florida. Hari is also a Certified Executive Chef of The American Culinary Federation and is an Approved Certification Evaluator (ACE). Hari has completed his first book “Dreaming in Spice” which launched on January 29, 2015.

 

As a mathematician, Hari received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from The University of Florida in 1995 under the direction of Professor Andrew Vince, an M.S. in Mathematics under the supervision of Professor James Lawrence at George Mason University, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from St. Xavier’s College at the University of Mumbai. Hari is has published several papers in graph theory, number theory, and problem solving. After holding academic positions at Valdosta State University and a visiting position at Georgia Tech, Hari is in his 16th year at Stetson University and teaches a wide variety of courses in Mathematics at the undergraduate level.

 

Art Smith

Celebrity Chef and Humanitarian

 

Chef Art Smith loves the idea of bringing people together through food. It’s partly what made him the success he is today. He is the executive chef and co-owner of Table fifty-two, Art and Soul, Southern Art and Bourbon Bar, and LYFE Kitchen restaurants.

 

Art Smith has received the culinary profession's highest awards and has cooked for some of the world's most famous celebrities. In 1997, Smith became the personal, day-to-day chef to Oprah Winfrey, a position that lasted ten years. Smith now coordinates and cooks for special events all around the world.

 

Most recently Smith has made several television appearances including ABC’s Lady Gaga Thanksgiving Special, Top Chef, Top Chef Duels, and returned to Top Chef Masters (for the second time), where he quickly became an audience favorite. Smith was also featured in an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where he lent a hand to a deserving family that has devoted their lives to providing meals for the less fortunate members of their community.

 

Smith has made regular television appearances on programs such as Iron Chef America, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, Fox News, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, BBQ Pitmasters, The Talk, The Dr. Oz Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He has appeared on the cover of Parade magazine, and has been featured in Cooking Light magazine. He is a regular contributor to Standup magazine, whose proceeds benefit The Ben Cohen Standup Foundation, which raises awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying.

 

Smith is the author of four award-winning cookbooks: Back to the Table; Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families; and Back to the Family. He contributed recipes and cooking advice to The Spectrum, the newest book by ground-breaking cardiologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Dean Ornish. In May of 2013 his latest cookbook was released, Art Smith’s Healthy Comfort, with a focus on healthy cooking and healthy living, (published by Harper One 2013).

 

Smith is the founder of Common Threads, a non-profit organization teaching low-income children to cook wholesome and affordable meals since 2003. He believes that through hands-on cooking and introducing children to fresh foods we can help prevent childhood obesity, reverse the trend of poor eating habits, and learn about diversity and tolerance through the celebration of our cultural differences and our commonalities.  

 

Smith was honored by Chicago magazine as a Chicagoan of the Year in 2007. That same year, the prestigious James Beard Foundation named him Humanitarian of the Year. In 2008 Chef Art Smith received an Honorary MBA Degree, awarded by the Dedman School of Hospitality at Florida State University.  Smith was inducted into the Chicago Culinary Museums Hall of Fame in 2010. September 30th 2010 was proclaimed by Richard M. Daley, Mayor of The City of Chicago as Chef Art Smith Day in Chicago. May 19, 2012 Chef Art Smith received an Honorary Doctorate of Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University, North Miami Campus.

 

Smith lives in Chicago and Florida with his husband Jesus Salgueiro, their four children Azumy, Zuky, Brando and Angel, and of course three dogs, seven cats, 15 fish and a couple of turtles.

 

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. 

 

Brian Voltaggio

Executive Chef/Owner, VOLT

 

Bryan Voltaggio has become one of the most recognized and influential chefs in contemporary American cooking starting in 2008 with the opening of his flagship VOLT. With VOLT, the seasonally driven restaurant in his hometown of Frederick, MD, Voltaggio has delivered an electric shock of culinary innovation to the Chesapeake region, which he loves for its rich culinary history and access to high-quality ingredients. “I grew up here, so I feel like I have a responsibility to this region,” he says. “With each restaurant I open, I hope to reach new audience and show them that good food and the bounty of what the region has to offer very much go hand in hand.”

 

His cooking style is in service to the local products he uses, and his dedication is evident across all of his projects: VOLT, which expresses local ingredients through the lens of innovative technique; Range in Washington, D.C., which trumpets the artisan food movement by concentrating focus on such elements as bread baking, charcuterie, pizza, and wood-fire cooking; Aggio, in D.C. and Baltimore, which tips its hat to the Mid-Atlantic region’s rich Italian-American heritage; Family Meal in Maryland and Virgina, which serves updates on home-cooked staples, and Lunchbox, a fast-casual sandwich concept.

 

 The chef’s passion for cooking was already cemented at a young age, having grown up in an Italian-American family. He served as sous chef and executive chef at two regional hotel restaurants by the age of 20. Aware of his need for more formal training, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, during which time he also cooked at the highly acclaimed Hamilton Inn in nearby Millerton. He ascended to the top of the fine-dining world during a nine-year run as executive under Charlie Palmer at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C.

 

Voltaggio has been a finalist on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” as well as “Top Chef Masters”—the first contestant to compete on both shows—during which he raised funds for Share Our Strength, a charity he avidly supports throughout the year. The James Beard Foundation Award recognized VOLT in 2009 as a finalist for “Best New Restaurant.”  In 2011, Voltaggio and his brother, Michael Voltaggio of L.A.’s INK, co-authored the cookbook, Volt.INK; his second cookbook, a solo venture, HOME was released early 2015.

 

Even with the recognition that has come with television, cookbook publishing, and restaurant expansion, Voltaggio’s goals for the future remain true to the reason he began cooking as a teenager in the first place. “I love to make people happy,” he says. “I’m measuring success by looking at the opportunities to provide more for my community.” Voltaggio and his wife, Jennifer, live in Frederick with their son, Thacher, and two daughters, Piper and Ever. 

 

Lee Ann Wong

Chef/Partner, Koko Head Cafe, Hale Ohuna  

 

Lee Anne Wong is the chef and owner of Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu, Hawaii. A native of Troy, New York, Wong graduated from the International Culinary Center (ICC), formerly known as the French Culinary Institute, and went on to stage and cook in some of the world’s best kitchens – including The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter’s of Chicago, Nobu, and Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit – as well as playing an integral role in the opening of Jean Georges Vongrichten’s Chinese concept, Restaurant 66. Wong also acted as the Executive Chef of Event Operations at ICC and prominently featured on Season One of Bravo’s Flagship Series “Top Chef” and its spin-off “Top Chef Masters.” Wong has been celebrated for her modern takes on global cooking in publications such as People, Food & Wine, and National Geographic and has also acted as a culinary consultant on the Warner Brothers film “No Reservations,” PBS’ “Chef Story,” Bravo’s “Rocco’s Dinner Party.”

 

In late 2013, Wong moved across the country from New York City to Honolulu where in 2014, she debuted Koko Head Cafe – an island style brunch house in the Kaimuki neighborhood – to popular acclaim, with Wong recognized on the cover of Honolulu Magazine, as well as in Bon Appétit, Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Huffington Post. Wong released her first cookbook, Dumplings All Day Wong, in August 2014 and she is currently preparing to open her second restaurant in Hawaii, Hale Ohuna, a modern Hawaiian noodle bar alongside a sake/whiskey lounge.

 

Andrew Zimmern

Chef, Anthropologist, Social Justice Advocate & Global Thought Leader

 

A three-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher, Andrew Zimmern is universally regarded as one of the most versatile and knowledgeable personalities in the food world. As the creator, executive producer and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise on Travel Channel (including Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre World, Bizarre Foods America and the new Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations), Andrew has explored cultures in more than 150 countries.

 

Motivated by his experiences over the years, Andrew has built a multi-faceted empire that shines the spotlight on impactful ways to think about, create and live with food. He is the founder of two multi-media production companies - Food Works and Intuitive Content. Food Works oversees all his projects to date including the award winning weekly podcast Go Fork Yourself with Andrew Zimmern and Molly Mogren. The newest venture, Intuitive Content, was established in early 2015 and will create long format content for cable and network broadcast.

 

Expanding his global “food-print” in the consumer market, Andrew partnered in 2014 with CHEFS Catalog to design a collection of premium, handcrafted cookware, spices and accessories. Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen, a fast casual concept he launched in 2012, reflects his fascination with food history from around the world. The business has since expanded to include a food truck and locations at various sports complexes, including Minnesota’s Target Field and Viking Stadium, and Kaufman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.

 

Andrew has released three books - The Bizarre Truth, Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World of Food and Andrew Zimmern’s Field Guide to Exceptionally Weird, Wild & Wonderful Foods. In addition to his title as contributing editor, Food & Wine also tapped Andrew as a Chef-in-Residence in 2014, and he continues to work with Delta Sky Magazine as a senior editor. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson College’s Lewis Institute, sits on the board of directors for Services for the Underserved in New York City, The Taste of the NFL, Foodie Tout, and The National Youth Recovery Foundation, and is an honorary board member and Advisor to the Alliance for Coffee Excellence. In his rare downtime, he relaxes at home in Minneapolis, MN. with his wife, son and two uneaten pets.