Celebrity Guests
From the Big Easy…
Chef John Besh
Acclaimed chef John Besh has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans, with 6 successful restaurants: American Sector, August, Besh Steak, Lüke, Domenica, and La Provence. His talent and drive have earned Besh critical kudos from the outset of his career: in 1999, Food & Wine named him one of the “Top 10 Best New Chefs in America.” In 2003, Gourmet magazine included August in its “Guide to America’s Best Restaurants,” and in 2006, it cited August as one of America’s Top 50 Restaurants. Besh won the James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006, and in 2007, Zagat Guide rated August #1 in New Orleans for both food and service. He has appeared on Food Network, CNN, NBC’S Today Show, and was featured in an episode of Iconoclasts with Wynton Marsalis on the Sundance Channel.
Besh grew up hunting and fishing in Southern Louisiana, learning the essentials of Louisiana’s rich culinary traditions. He received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, and followed that with further culinary exploration and training in Germany’s Black Forest, where he had his first exposure to truly localized cuisine, and in the south of France, where the region’s flavorful stews and roasts informed his understanding of his native Creole cuisine. Besh’s appreciation for local ingredients and local cuisine has only increased since Hurricane Katrina, as he considers these essential to the survival of the peoples and cultural heritage of New Orleans.
Besh has been actively involved in efforts locally and nationally to raise funds for hurricane survivors. He has also served as an energetic spokesman for the Louisiana Seafood Council, as well as a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance; a Board Member of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum; and is active in a state promotional program created by Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, who tapped the chef to prepare meals with the media in an effort to showcase the cuisine of Louisiana.
In Americas’s oldest fine dining city, this boy from the bayou has built a thriving restaurant group. Each venture reflects his broad-ranging culinary passions, benefits from his dedication to local products, and – though his palate has taken him around the world – celebrates the multi-faceted cuisine of his beloved southern Louisiana.
Lorin Gaudin
Lorin Gaudin has passion for all things foodish, writing, talking and feasting on New Orleans’ delicious dishes & drink. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre from Loyola New Orleans and a culinary diploma from The Ritz-Escoffier in Paris, she parlayed her education to become a Food Writer/Reporter for local television (WVUE- Fox8), covering New Orleans’ amazing chefs, restaurants, food and dining scene.
Lorin is also a contributing food writer/editor for The New York Post Travel Section, Where Magazine, Where Y’At, New Orleans Living Magazine and Culinary Concierge Magazine. She is “New Orleans Fine Dining Examiner” for Examiner.com and hosts a weekly one-hour food/dining radio show, “Five-Oh-Fork,” airing on WBOK-1230AM. She has presented/hosted seminars for Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, IACP, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and appeared on the national television shows “After Hours with Daniel Boulud,” “Restaurant 101,” and “Food Wars.”
Typically a po-boy is in her hand when a cocktail isn’t.”
Donald Link
Herbsaint, Cochon, Butcher, and Calcasieu
Inspired by the Cajun and southern cooking of his grandparents, Louisiana native Chef Donald Link began his professional cooking career at 15 years old. Recognized as one of New Orleans’ preeminent chefs, Chef Link has peppered the streets of the Warehouse District of New Orleans with several restaurants over the course of 10 years: Herbsaint Link’s contemporary take on the French-American “bistro”; Cochon where Link offers true Cajun and southern cooking featuring the foods and cooking techniques he grew up preparing and eating; Cochon Butcher a tribute to old world butcher and charcuterie shops also serving a bar menu, sandwiches, wine and creative cocktails; and Calcasieu, a private event facility that takes its name from one of the parishes in the Acadiana region of southwest Louisiana.
Link’s flagship restaurant Herbsaint earned him a James Beard award in 2007 for Best Chef South. Gourmet Magazine has listed Herbsaint as one of the top 50 restaurants in America, and this year Herbsaint was inducted into the Nations Restaurant News Hall of Fame. Cochon was nominated in 2007 for Best New Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation; and was also listed in The New York Times as “one of the top 3 restaurants that count.”
The James Beard Foundation honored Link’s first cookbook– Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link’s Louisiana (Clarkson Potter) with their top award for Best American Cookbook. Released in 2009, Real Cajun is a collection of family recipes that Link has honed and perfected while honoring the authenticity of the Cajun people.
Susan Spicer
Susan Spicer began her cooking career in New Orleans as an apprentice to Chef Daniel Bonnot at the Louis XVI Restaurant in 1979. After a 4-month “stage” with Chef Roland Durand (Meilleur Oeuvrier de France) at the Hotel Sofitel in Paris in 1982, she returned to New Orleans to open the 60-seat bistro “Savoir Faire” in the St. Charles Hotel as Chef de Cuisine. In 1985, she traveled extensively in California and Europe for 6 months, returning to work in the kitchen at the New Orleans Meridien Hotel’s “Henri” (consultant chef, Marc Haeberlin of l’Auberge de I’ill).
In 1986 she left to open the tiny “Bistro at Maison de Ville” in the Hotel Maison deVille. After nearly four years as chef, she formed a partnership with Regina Keever and in the spring of 1990 opened Bayona in a beautiful, 200-year-old cottage in the French Quarter. With solid support from local diners and critics, Bayona soon earned national attention and has been featured in numerous publications from Food and Wine, Saveur, and Food Arts, to Travel & Leisure, Bon Appetit, The New York Times and more.
From 1997 through 1999, Susan owned and operated Spice, Inc., a specialty food market with take-out food, cooking classes and artisan bakery. This developed into Wild Flour Breads, which she currently co-owns with partner Sandy Whann.
In October of 2000, Susan and three partners opened Herbsaint, a casual award winning contemporary bistro-style restaurant in the Warehouse District of New Orleans. In 2008, she sold her partnership to Donald Link, but continues to be a regular patron at the bar.
Susan has been the guest chef at The James Beard House, The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, the Lanesborough in London, Cunard and Crystal Cruise Lines, as well as appearing on local and national television, including an appearance on the finale of the popular Bravo series Top Chef in 2009. She regularly contributes her talents to numerous charity events, such as co-chairing the New Orleans chapter of Share Our Strength’s annual “Taste of the Nation” for more than 15 years and has represented New Orleans at the Superbowl hunger-relief fundraiser “Taste of the NFL” ( with one exception, 2010-the year the Saints won the Superbowl!!!) since it’s inaugural year. In May 1993 she was the recipient of the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southeast Region and, in 1995 was chosen for the Mondavi Culinary Excellence Award. Bayona was featured as one of Restaurants and Institutions 1996 Ivy Award Winners, as well as being named to Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame in 1998. One of the 1989 recipients of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs award, Chef Spicer was inducted in the summer of 2008 into the magazine’s Best New Chef Hall of Fame. In March 2009, the John Folse Culinary Institute honored Chef Spicer with the Lafcadio Hearn Award given to “…culinary professionals who have had a long term positive influence on the cuisine and culture of Louisiana and the nation…” In addition Bayona received “5 Beans,” the highest rating from the New Orleans Times- Picayune., Since 1995, Bayona has been listed in the Zagat Guide for New Orleans as one of the top 5 restaurants in the city, receiving a rating of 28 points out of 30, and has repeatedly received 4 stars from Mobile Star Awards, one of two restaurants to receive this rating in New Orleans. In May 2010, Susan was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America..
Susan’s first book, entitled Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer’s New Orleans, was released nationwide by Knopf in late October 2007. In the spring of 2008 Crescent City Cooking was recognized by the International Association of Culinary Professionals with a nomination for Best American Cookbook, and was awarded Best New Cookbook by New Orleans Magazine. Chef Spicer’s book was also included in Food & Wine’s 2008 Best of the Best, a collection of recipes selected from their top 25 cookbooks of the year.
Her latest project is the opening of MONDO, a casual, family style restaurant due to open May of 2010 in Chef Spicer’s neighborhood of Lakeview, where she has lived for 20 years.
Visiting the Big Easy…
Paula Deen
She is the quintessential American success story, a best-selling author and a television show host, a tastemaker to the stars and to the everyday housewife and family. She is Paula Deen, a down-home, strong willed mom who overcame personal tragedy, long odds, financial and physical challenges to carve one of the most effective and wide ranging entertainment brands that exists today. A brand that is idyllic, inspiring, fun and very much American.
For all her success, the Albany, Georgia native has remained very grounded, in part due to her down home Southern upbringing. She married her high school sweetheart, became a young mom to two sons, and appeared to be living the life she desired, before a series of tragedies, from the death of her parents and the failure of her marriage to a prolonged battle with agoraphobia changed the course of her life forever.
However out of those changes came the success that laid the foundation for the Paula Deen of today, someone who inspires millions through her regular appearances on Oprah, cooks for world leaders, is a best-selling author, and is seen concurrently on four shows running on The Food Network.
The one constant in Deen’s life has always been cooking. It was a staple of her young upbringing, and when times became difficult it was what she knew and could turn back to. In June of 1989, with a $200 budget and the help of sons Jamie and Bobby, she became “The Bag Lady,” creating a home-based meal delivery service in Savannah, Georgia that started the rise. From there, Deen moved to preparing meals at a Savannah Best Western, and followed that five years later by opening her first restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in Savannah.
The popularity of the restaurant led Deen into publishing. Her 1997 cookbook, The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook, gave her growing fan base the opportunity to try Deen’s recipes at home for the first time, and led to her first appearance on QVC, which took the brand from regional to national and began a stretch of consecutive New York Times best selling cookbooks. The growth continued unabated, and in 1999 USA Today food critic Jerry Shriver named The Lady and Sons International Meal of the year.
Deen’s success in publishing, where she has sold over eight million books, then translated into the magazine world, and Cooking With Paula Deen, her monthly title, launched shortly thereafter, growing to a circulation of over one million.
Not to be outdone with print and restaurant success, the Deen brand then moved to television. “Paula’s Home Cooking” premiered on The Food Network in November of 2002, to huge audience success, and spawned her second show, “Paula’s Party” in 2006. Today Deen has four shows running concurrently on the Food Network, including the latest, “Paula’s Best Dishes, which launched in 2008
The next evolution of the brand took place in March of 2008, when Meter Corp launched the line of Paula Deen signature cookware, bakeware, kitchen tools and accessories both online and at retail, continuing the immersion experience for the brand with consumers.
In 2009, the Deen brand underwent further expansion with an added group of quality strategic partners. Wal-mart launched a new, exclusive line of affordable baked goods, while Smithfield, Kaleen, Nitches, Meyer, Universal, B. Lloyd’s, GOBO, Harrah’s, Quality foods, International Greeting and Cooking.com also began new or expanded partnerships in a host of categories. A compete digital relaunch, the expansion of special edition publications featuring both herself and her brand partners also came into play, making sure the Paula Deen name stayed fresh, relevant, and timely with a growing and more diverse consumer.
Even with the continued expansion, and more planned on a global level in 2010, Paula Deen has remained true to her fans, viewers and readers that look to her name for style, taste and inspiration in the kitchen and the home, all reflective of an climate where quality does not have to be sacrificed due to a challenging economy.
Ron Duprat
Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 6 Contestant.
While spending twenty-seven days traveling to America, covering over seven hundred nautical miles on a boat from Haiti, Ron Duprat’s culinary interest began. Duprat utilized survival skills and created innovative dishes learned from his Haitian grandmother. Duprat’s zeal for cooking originated as a means of channeling this passion as a way out of poverty.
His interest in all aspects of the culinary arts spurred Duprat to develop his own cuisine through years of traveling around the world and learning about different cultural cuisines. Chef Duprat created menus for dignitaries, Heads of State, and has collaborated with many great Chefs.
In Chef Ron’s words… “Some of my earliest memories of cooking were alongside my grandmother in Haiti and, after the journey to the United States, I remember cooking the fish we caught to survive. We would cook fresh produce from my father’s gardens while simmering sauces with seasonal herbs that still conjure my memories of my grandmother. These unique tastes, smells and feelings, that were created, were senses that could not be taught in a sterile classroom, but could only be learned by immersion. This comes with one’s territory, as food is not only designed to nourish us, but leave us with life-long memories.”
Ziggy “The Wine Gal” Eschliman
Ziggy Eschliman, known to most simply as The Wine Gal or The Contessa of Cocktails, is among America’s most enthusiastic, authoritative and entertaining libation experts. For over 20 years, Ziggy has set and reported trends in all things to imbibe. Her radio shows are broadcast throughout wine country and are available on the internet. As a leading American speaker, consultant, and wine writer, with personal experience extending from the hills of Tuscany to the streets of New Orleans, Ziggy is a driving force behind a national movement toward making wine hip, fun and accessible. As Ziggy plainly puts it, “…wine has been around for centuries; the mystery is so over. It’s time to get past the stuffiness and clichés. They’re simply a turn off to many would-be wine drinkers.”
While wine is Ziggy’s stock in trade, her expertise isn’t limited to wine. She also leads seminars on vodka, tequila, rum and a variety of spirits. As a wine and spirits educator, her diverse group of clients include: Gourmet Magazine, the American Cancer Society, Relish Culinary School, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience and Sinclair Communications.
Most recently, she added a new credit to her list of accolades: Rock Star Sommelier and personal sommelier for the legendary band, JOURNEY. “Rock-n-roll and wine strike a natural chord and musicians create harmony for wine enthusiasts everywhere,” says Ziggy.
Ziggy took a well traveled path to wine education, custom crafting her expertise by tasting, reading and traveling wine regions throughout Europe and the United States. A former financial advisor, her first foray into wine came in the mid-1980’-s, when she became a private wine consultant to business executives. Then in the 1990′-s, as a partner in Tantalus Winery in Sonoma Valley, Ziggy drove all phases of the business; sales, marketing, distribution, vineyard development, harvest management, winemaking and customer education. This intimate connection to wine led her to develop what she calls her “terroir-driven passion.” Her vast knowledge of and bubbling enthusiasm for wine and the enjoyment of it is unwavering and contagious.
Eventually, the desire to share wine led to her first radio shows, the daily “On Tour,” which promotes wine country events, and the weekly “Wine Wednesday,” an extended broadcast that includes wine industry scoop, reviews, travel and a “Wine of the Week.” Both air on Sonoma County’s KRSH “The Krush- 95.9fm” and KNOB “Bob-96.7fm”, which are owned by Sinclair Communications.
Her insider status gives Ziggy access to prominent winemakers and industry luminaries. Notable interviews have included Gina Gallo, Spencer Christian of ABC News, Joel Peterson-President and Founder of Ravenswood Winery, Merry Edwards, Kate MacMurray, Daryl Groom, Dan Kosta-Kosta Browne, rock star Jonathan Cain and actress Jane Seymour.
In addition to her award-winning radio shows, Ziggy is a dynamic guest speaker and presenter. Her credits include American Women in Radio and Television, Gourmet Magazine-Gourmet Wine Cellar, New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, Cinema Epicuria Film Festival, Santa Rosa Junior College, and “Dueling Palates” with Narsai David and John Avery. Ziggy serves as a wine judge, has spoke on numerous wine panels and has judged in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. She is also a popular resource for other media and is frequently quoted in epicurean and lifestyle publications.
Ziggy resides in Sonoma Wine Country. In her spare time, she volunteers for the YWCA, Children’s Village and Music In Schools.
Michael Green
Michael Green is a world-renowned wine and spirits consultant and educator. For the past 25 years Michael has worked in the wine and spirits trade as an educator, importer, writer, consultant and retailer, including 19 years as Gourmet Magazine’s exclusive Wine & Spirits consultant. Green is the creator Wine Down, one of New York’s premier wine tasting parties. Additionally, he has been a guest on Food Network’s Emeril Live and Cooking Live as well as CBS Marketwatch, NPR and Clear Channel radio. He has been featured in many national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times-Picayune, Business Week, U.S. News and World Report and House Beautiful.
Michael specializes in wine and spirits seminars, marketing, brand building, and trade liaison support. Over the years he has worked with such varied clients as Kahlua, British Airways, Tanqueray, David Yurman, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Rado, Mikimoto, American Century, Windjammer Cruises, Fireman’s Fund, Beringer Blass Wine Estates, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Montblanc, Saks, Chanel, Crate and Barrel, Lexus, Swiss Winegrowers Association, Virginia Department of Agriculture, Wines of Chile, Wines from Spain and Food & Wines from France.
Green is a passionate and insightful speaker and trainer. He has co-created, and has presented at wine and food festivals, conferences, and charity auctions around the world. These events include: The Gourmet Institute, Boca Raton Wine and Food Weekend, The Arizona Biltmore Wine and Food Classic, The Tennessee Williams Festival, The Bermuda Culinary Festival, L’Ete de Vin, Taste of the Hudson Valley and the New Orleans Wine and Food Festival.
Signature speaking engagements have included “Inside the Psyche of America’s Top Wine List Creators” at the World Vinifera Conference, “The Social History of the American Cocktail” with former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes, and “Tennessee Sips” at the Tennessee Williams Festival where the personalities of Williams’ characters were paired with wines.
He has been the featured guest on the web chat sponsored by the National Restaurant Association, “Building a Better Wine List.” Green was invited to speak at the NBC Celebrity Golf Championship and last season Green sailed to Alaska to debut the Gourmet Wine Accreditation Program for Crystal Cruises.
Michael has consulted with many of NYC’s top restaurants. His work has included wine list development and staff training. Clients have included the three-star rated Oceana and Molyvos, as well as Christer’s and Empire Restaurant. An enthusiastic educator, Michael speaks about wine at prestigious cooking schools around the country, including The Culinary Institute of America, Macy’s De Gustibus, Adventures in Cooking, The Institute of Culinary Education, The Kitchen Shoppe, and Toscana Saporita, the Tuscan cooking school, where he has been in residence.
He has also contributed wine notes to Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, which was nominated for a James Beard Award. Michael is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, the New York Association of Cooking Teachers and has been inducted into the Ordre de la Chaine. He is a proud graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts and is a Phi Beta Kappa Graduate of the University of Virginia. He resides in New York City.
Anne Kearney
“Food of Love” is Chef Anne Kearney’s motto, and it says it all, keeping the chef and her staff ever mindful of their mission to create culinary excellence in every dish that is placed before a guest.
For Kearney, the words are held close to her heart. Her passion for culinary perfection and the “sense of place” she feels in the kitchen, will always be the cornerstones of her dedication to her chosen career.
Fresh out of the Greater Cincinnati Culinary Art Academy in 1988, Kearney went to New Orleans to work under the late Chef John Neal at the acclaimed Bistro at the Maison de Ville Hotel. When Neal left to open Peristyle in late 1991, he took Kearney along as his Sous chef. Kearney credits Neal for her tutelage in classic French cooking techniques, as well as perfecting her own palate and prompting her discovery of new tastes and the depths of flavor.
“His passion for his work was so real, it was almost tangible,” says Kearney. “I will always hold with me the image of John hovering over a tiny pot that held what would become a perfect pink pea risotto. He would stir and taste, stir and taste, until it was absolutely perfect.”
In 1992, Kearney took leave of Peristyle for a three-year tenure with superstar chef Emeril Lagasse. Kearney spent most of the first two years sweating it out on the Emeril’s restaurant cook line, working at the frenetic pace only an institution of that caliber could command. Then she moved behind the scenes to advance her restaurant knowledge, researching and formulating recipes for Lagasse’s television program Essence of Emeril, in addition to developing and testing recipes for his cookbook Lousiana: Real and Rustic. However, her passion for hands-on food preparation remained, and she sought an opportunity to return to work in the kitchen.
“My favorite station was the food bar,” Kearney recalls. “There I understood who I was cooking for: I stood directly in front of the guests while preparing their meals. It really put me in touch with customer orientation and the human aspect of the business.” Kearney is also mindful of the “front of the house” lessons she gleaned from Lagasse. “Chef Emeril is a consummate businessman who not only offered me challenging opportunities as a cook, but also introduced me to a whole new perspective of the restaurant industry beyond cooking.”
Kearney purchased Peristyle shortly after the April, 1995 death of John Neal. Though she made the menu her own immediately upon taking over the helm, she is ever mindful to incorporate chef Neal’s legacies whenever possible: from cuisine (“Respect for the food and proper preparation from start to finish was expected all the time. Nothing marginal was accepted.”) to the dining experience itself (“We seated 62 people by design. It was our intent to create an intimate dining experience. This is important to the staff and even more important to our guests. I was able to experiment with recipes, work with the cooks on the line, and visit the guests.”).
Kearney is one of five chefs honored in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 with a James Beard Foundation “Southeast Regional Best Chef” nomination. Chef Kearney was awarded the title of “Best Chef Southeast” in 2002.
In 1998, Kearney married Thomas Sand, Jr. He became not only her life partner, but her business partner as well. Together they share a vision for the future that guides them through the day-to-day decisions they make. “We enjoy what we are doing,” Kearney remarks. “As a child, my father encouraged me to follow my heart when it came to choosing a career. It was wise counsel.”
In June, 2004, Anne and Tom sold Peristyle, and returned to their home town of Dayton, Ohio to be near family and take a break from day-to-day operations. Moving “down the food chain” a bit, they established Two Small Tomatoes, their all-natural garden on the Kearney family farm. Here, they explored the whole cycle of “seed to harvest”. Beginning with tomatoes, the plan was to provide the freshest produce available for their next restaurant.
The new restaurant they envisioned has taken shape as Rue Dumaine, in the South Dayton suburb of Washington Township, Ohio. An experience in casual fine dining, the ambiance includes subtle southern accents brought up from New Orleans, such as wrought iron railings and ceiling fans over the patio. Years of studies, cooking on the line, assisting stellar chefs, and her private trials and errors, have matured Chef Anne’s cuisine into an Americanized version of classically-styled French Provençal fare. Ultimately, however, wherever she is cooking, the cuisine reflects her motto: “Food of Love”.
Jamie Lauren
Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 5 Contestant Jamie Lauren’s interest in the culinary arts started at a relatively young age, when she spent evenings in the kitchen cooking with her parents, although at the time she had no idea of becoming a chef. From these humble beginnings mixing meatloaf and frying chicken cutlets in Manhattan, she rose to become one of San Francisco Chronicle’s “Rising-Star Chefs” in 2005.
As an honors graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Lauren has had the opportunity to work with many celebrity chefs in the past, including: Anita Lo of Annisa, New York City; Lance Dean Valesquez of Bendean in San Francisco; and Jean-Michel Bouvier, from L’Essential, Chambéery, France. She credits all these chefs for teaching her how to meld exotic flavors and ingredients.
Growing up in New York City, Lauren’s affinity for bright and flavorful cuisine originated with family dinners at some of Manhattan’s best neighborhood restaurants. She held this particular type of food in high regard and at Absinthe Lauren is finally able to recreate it with fresh local ingredients in a way she’s been dreaming of since she started cooking professionally.
Assuming the Executive Chef position at Absinthe in July 2007 was a natural progression in Lauren’s culinary career. Best described as American-influenced French and Northern Italian, Absinthe’s menu echoes Lauren’s commitment to organic, locally grown, seasonal ingredients. Her menu highlights a number of unique dishes that are elevated by her cultured background and grounded in her dedication to making each dish memorable. She explains that her cuisine “looks good and tastes good, but it’s not so refined that you find yourself afraid to touch it. It’s accessible, meaning people are excited to try the dishes on the menu. And a lot of love goes into each dish.”
Lauren has received both local and national praise for elevating the cuisine at Absinthe including being named as Restaurant Hospitality’s “Rising Star Chef 2008″ and selected as the sole Bay Area “Cheftestant” on season 5 of Bravo’s award-winning show “Top Chef” which aired in 2009. Lauren lives in San Francisco and, when not at Absinthe, enjoys dining out with friends all around the Bay Area.
Chef Jeff McInnis
Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 5 Contestant
Jeffrey McInnis was born in 1978 in Niceville, Florida (yes, that is a real city in the Florida Panhandle). He grew up fishing and surfing with his brother and by age 14,was working on local boats and cleaning the catches of the day. By 16, McInnis was peeling shrimp, cleaning squid and cutting fish for The Marina Café, where he got his start cooking on the line. After graduating from high school, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina to attend Johnson and Wales University. While in school, he worked at Atlanticville Restaurant outside of Charleston.
McInnis traveled and worked at various restaurants after graduating from culinary school. He began as Sous Chef at Asolare in St. John in the Virgin Islands, a Caribbean-Asian restaurant. Next, in San Francisco, Chef McInnis worked at the fine dining Asian-French restaurant, Azie. There, he earned a promotion to Sous Chef and learned Japanese cuisine from the sushi chefs while polishing his French techniques. When he moved to rural Virginia, he worked at Keswick Hall, an exclusive 5-star hotel owned by The Orient Express. McInnis moved back to Florida in 2004 where he worked with the famed Chef Norman Van Aken at Norman’s.
In 2006 he became Chef de Cuisine of The DiLido Beach Club at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach. Since joining the Ritz-Carlton, Chef McInnis has traveled to North Africa and Europe where he studied other cultures’ food and techniques, history, family values, and religion. Chef McInnis applies this gathered knowledge by creating innovative, interesting dishes influenced by his experiences.
At DiLido he uses local ingredients to create Southern Mediterranean and North African-inspired cuisine and, best of all, it’s all served right on the beach. McInnis’ dishes are light and fun: melon-cucumber salad is topped with heirloom tomato gelee and a yogurt sorbet that slowly melts into a dressing; while a lemon and apricot roast chicken with Sardinian couscous explodes with bright flavors and lively spice.
McInnis’ favorite tool is his liquid nitrogen tank, which provide a burst of cool to the dishes served in his beachside dining area. Chef McInnis is committed to giving back to the Miami Community. He leads the Ritz Carlton’s sponsorship of culinary fundraising events for organizations like The March of Dimes, Children’s Homes Society, and Taste of the Nation. He also supports FIU, a local university, every year at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival.
Gary Negbaur
Pianist/singer/songwriter Gary Negbaur has been described as “up there with Harry Connick Jr.” (The Tennessean) and compared to Randy Newman and Mose Allison. He has toured across the U.S., Europe and Australia wowing audiences with his heartfelt and often humorous originals along with his innovative arrangements of standards. His recordings include a CD of original music (Let me explain) as well as a critically acclaimed solo album of standards (Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat) and a children’s CD (Max’s Family Band).
In addition to performing, Gary has written music for theater, film and dance. His interactive wine-tasting musical, Wine Lovers, (co-written with Michael Green and Travis Kramer) reopens in New Orleans this summer with tours to follow. Librarians in Love, a one-act musical (co-written with Tony-nominee John Cariani) ran at the NYC Fringe Festival. He contributed music to the feature film An American Summer. Erev Shel Shoshanim (his composition based on an Israeli folk song) was performed by the Parparim Dance Ensemble in New York City, Portland, Maine and in Karmiel, Israel. One of his songs, Red Pontiac, was featured on NPR’s “Car Talk.”
Gary’s work continues to be informed by the education he received at Harvard University (where he received the David McCord Prize for unusual creative talent and a Magna Cum Laude B.A.) and the Berklee College of Music (where he was a merit scholarship recipient).
Hosea Rosenberg
Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 5 Winner Hosea Rosenberg, originally from Taos, New Mexico, was always good at math. After graduating 3rd in his class at Taos High School, he moved to Boulder, CO to study at the University of Colorado. His dream was to be an astronomer. During his years as a Colorado Buffalo, Hosea worked in local kitchens to pay his way through school. In 1997, he was awarded a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Physics. After graduation, he spent some time traveling and it was then he realized he was spending more time thinking about food than about math.
Hosea’s first restaurant job was as a dishwasher at the Apple Tree Restaurant in Taos. Since then he has worked his way up the ranks, from prep cook to line cook and finally to chef. Past positions include working for Wolfgang Puck, Kevin Taylor, Sean Yontz and Dave Query. His first Chef position was at Dandelion Restaurant in Boulder in 2001.
Hosea first joined the Big Red F Restaurant Group as Sous Chef at Zolo Southwestern Grill before moving to Jax Fish House Boulder in January, 2004. During his tenure at Jax, Hosea has won numerous awards and accolades: Best Chef of Denver International Wine Festival (2006, 2007); seven-time, undefeated winner of the Flatiron Chef Competition; Guest Chef at the James Beard House (2007); and most recently named winner of Bravo’s Top Chef Season 5. Jax Fish House has also been named Best Seafood Restaurant in the Denver/Boulder area since opening in 1994.
Hosea is active in many local and national charitable organizations. He proudly represents and supports the Boulder County AIDS Project, Share Our Strength, Chefs Up Front, March of Dimes, Colorado Music Festival, Operation Frontline, and the American Cancer Society, among others.
Hosea works closely with many of the local farmers and ranchers in Colorado. He supports sustainable agriculture, conservation, and buys local and organic whenever possible. The seafood he buys is sustainable and on “green” lists. Jax is PACE certified, on the Colorado Proud list, uses 100% Wind Energy and practices composting, recycling, and water conservation.
When Hosea isn’t in the kitchen you can find him enjoying what the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico have to offer. He is an avid skier, mountain biker, fly fisherman, and all-around outdoor enthusiast.
Chef Aarón Sánchez
The co-star of Food Network’s hit series, Chefs vs. City, Aarón is the owner and executive chef of restaurants Paladar and Centrico, both located in New York City. The son of celebrated Mexican cooking authority Zarela Martinez, Aarón’s passion, commitment and skills have placed him among the country’s leading contemporary Latin Chefs.
Aarón began his career with the Food Network as co-host of Melting Pot, where he introduced a national audience to his technique and creativity with contemporary interpretations of classic Latino cuisine. Today Aarón stars on multiple Food Network shows including: Chefs vs. City, Chopped, Best Thing I Ever Ate, Next Iron Chef, and more.
In February 2001, Aarón teamed up with Eamon Furlong to open Paladar, a pan-Latin inspiration on the Lower East Side. Funky but chic, Paladar incorporates the vibrant energy of the neighborhood with the relaxed intimacy and warmth of a Cuban Paladar. In its first year, Paladar won Time Out New York’s 2001 Award for Best New Lower East Side Restaurant and Best Latin American Restaurant in their 2002 Eating and Drinking Guide.
In 2004, Aarón opened up Centrico with renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent of the Myriad Restaurant Group (Nobu, Tribeca Grill, etc.). With the new restaurant, Aarón goes back to his roots to cook the Mexican food of his childhood with a fresh interpretation.
In 2005 Aarón was nominated as the “Rising Star Chef of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation. The same year he was named one of People Magazine and People En Espanol’s (the country’s #1 Latin Magazine) 50 Most Beautiful People.
Aarón is a restaurateur, television personality, consultant, spokesperson and author. His first book, La Comida del Barrio, was published in May 2003. His next book is due out in 2010. Aarón makes international appearances conducting cooking demos and speaking, where her shares his knowledge and passion for cooking and Latin cuisine/culture with thousands of admirers throughout the year.
Aaron began his culinary career at the prestigious Johnson & Wales.
When he’s not in the kitchen or shooting his TV shows Aarón spends most of his time with his family, playing basketball and traveling the world exploring different and interesting cultures.
William Sherer
William Sherer, a Master Sommelier with experience from coast to coast, is currently honing his craft at Aureole, Charlie Palmer’s Las Vegas restaurant at Mandalay Bay resort. With its Grand Award Wine-tower andEWinebook, William saw the invitation to work in Las Vegas as a special opportunity.
Sherer sees the harmony of food and wine as the essence of a Sommelier’s role, “To take flavors and textures of cuisine and be able to combine that with an array of wine flavors and styles is what inspires me.” The Aureole experience is all about that with bold American cuisine paired with 2800 global wine selections ranging in style within each region, “It is like a painter that has more colors on the palette to work with,” declares William. During his first year at Aureole in 2006, William won the prestigious James Beard Award for “Best wine service in America” on a first time ballot.
Like the precious few in the world of wine who have truly “mastered” their craft, Sherer is in demand and has a long list of accomplishments in his field. The approach Sherer took to develop his career was similar to the way a cook develops into an executive Chef, “I took different types of wine positions in the way that a chef would learn farming, butchering or pastry,” Sherer explains. Directly after getting hooked on wine in the mid 80s, Sherer worked in the Bay area at a variety of establishments; a formal dining restaurant, a combination restaurant and wine shop, a champagne jazz bar and a specialized retail wine store. In 1995, he opened Monterey, California’s Montrio, which was soon honored with Esquire’s annual award for the best new restaurant in the United States. Michael Bauer in his S.F. Chronicle restaurant review glowed about the wine selection and said, “Save yourself the angst, close your eyes and point.” Following that coup, Sherer traveled back to San Francisco to transform the wine program at a local favorite, Moose’s Restaurant. Shortly then after, Sherer passed the Master Sommelier Examination and became just the 37th individual in the US to do so. In 1999 Sherer followed his wine passion to a position as Wine Director for Michael Mina’s famed Aqua Restaurant, a yearly top five pick in Zagat’s Restaurant Survey Guide. While there he assisted with the development of many of Michael’s new restaurant concepts.
From there, Sherer headed east to New York City where he was offered a new challenge as opening Wine Director of a new flagship Ritz-Carlton on Central Park. “Their commitment to creating a world class wine list was unparalleled,” he recalls, “It truly allowed me satisfy the desires of a global clientele with a list of 1600 expressive, cutting-edge wine from around the world.”
Sherer’s success in New York brought him to Charlie Palmer’s attention, and the world famous chef and restaurateur invited him to join the team at his Las Vegas Aureole in 2005. In an effort to develop and give back to the food and beverage community, Sherer began to mentor and develop other Sommeliers in the large pool of talented local Sommeliers. He conducts a bi-weekly blind wine tasting group to develop wine palates and recently developed a popular Sommelier cook-off and wine-pairing competition featuring local Sommeliers, Chefs and Restaurant Critics.
Most recently, William created a wine label specializing in indigenous Spanish grape varieties grown in California called Iberian Remix.