Wilo Benet, Pikayo, Puerto Rico
Demonstration: The Evolution of the Puerto Rican Menu

Author of Puerto Rico True Flavors, Wilo Benet writes of his mastery of Puerto Rican cooking.  Chef Wilo Benet’s flagship project, the Pikayo restaurant, has set standards and raised the level of luxury in fine dining in Puerto Rico.  Pikayo has been featured in some of the most prestigious travel and food publications internationally, such as The New York Times, Conde Naste Traveler and Gourmet.

Christine L. Bergmark, Ph.D.

Dr. Bergmark is the Executive Director of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission.  In addition to creating the “So. Maryland, So Good” and the award-winning “Southern Maryland Trails: Earth, Art, Imagination” campaigns, Dr. Bergmark has produced a documentary, and developed an innovative “Kids Cook” program designed to educate and excite children and their families about the long term benefits of good health, tasty, fresh foods, and supporting local farms. She is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering all aspects of the Southern Maryland tobacco transition program for the State of Maryland. Dr. Bergmark also owns and manages a 104-acre organic farm with her husband in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. 

Barbara and Jeff Black

The Blacks, with partner, Jon Linck, own and operate Addie's, Black Market Bistro, Black's Bar and Kitchen and BlackSalt Restaurant and Fish Market. While each restaurant has its own distinct style, all share a common commitment to great food and quality service. All of the restaurants support the sustainability of farms and waters, humane and healthy raising of animals and fish, and environmentally sound practices regarding energy, recycling and conservation.  

James Boyce, Studio, Montage Resort & Spa, Laguna Beach, California
Lecture: California Organics – The Past, Present and Future

This 20-year industry veteran launched his culinary career at New York's venerable Le Cirque, where he worked for six years under the tutelage of Daniel Boulud. Throughout his career, Boyce has consistently accrued the industry's top awards, accolades and respect. He has appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show”, ABC’s “The Tony Danza Show” and “Good Day LA” and has been featured in numerous publications, including Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Bon Appétit, Santé, House Beautiful, The Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Men's Health, Runner’s World, Cookie, Coastal Living, Riviera, Coast, OC Magazine, Relish, Food Arts and Nation's Restaurant News. He has also appeared in the PBS television series "How To Cook Everything: Bittman Takes On America's Chefs" (2005) and the PBS series “At The Chef’s Table” (2004) and has been featured in the “Food & Wine Annual Cookbook.”

Aulie Bunyarataphan, Bangkok Joe's, Washington, D.C.

Bunyarataphan is the chef/owner of Bangkok Joe’s and T.H.A.I. restaurants located in the Washington metropolitan area.  Aulie thrives on creating new dishes to introduce to the area, based on Old World recipes and Thai street food that she adapts for American palates—balancing sweet, hot and salty tastes.  Aulie incorporates the freshest local produce and meats into her signature creations, presented like a work of art using height, color and texture. 

Sharon Charny, CBP, CTC
Wine Tasting: The “Popcork” Experience™ Gone Green: Exploring Organic Food & Wine Pairings

Charny is a 20-year veteran of the food and wine industry.  She holds an accredited chef’s degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, graduating at the top of her class and is a Past President of the Baltimore Chapter of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). Charny has held numerous positions throughout the food and beverage industry, including Restaurant Manager, Chef, and Director of Catering, for the Marriott Corporation, the Highlands Inn & Resort and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco. She has been working for The Charmer Sunbelt Group (CSG) one of the nation's leading distributors of spirits, fine wines, beers and bottled water for 15 years and is currently the Regional Director of National Accounts.

Starr Cornwall, Cheesemonger, Sapphire Pantry, California
Lecture: The History of Cheese and its Value in Our Community

As the cheesemonger for Sapphire Pantry, Starr Cornwall shares her in-depth knowledge and enthusiasm for artisan cheeses. She is in charge of the gourmet shop’s international cheese vault – personally sourcing, hand-selecting and cutting over 100 different cheeses. With quite a following in Orange County, Cornwall was most recently maitre d’fromage at Montage Resort & Spa, creating the popular interactive cheese gallery at The Loft. Cornwall is teamed up with Sapphire Laguna’s owner/chef Azmin Ghahreman, cultivating relationships with artisan cheesemakers all over the United States and beyond in order to bring rare, hard-to-find, lesser-known cheeses to the Pantry.

A resident of San Clemente, she has been featured in publications such as Better Homes & Gardens, Riviera, Coast Magazine, Cheesaholics Anonymous, Wine Spectator and Santé, among others. She is newly married with two sons, and continues to eat and read voraciously about cheese.

Steve Ells, Founder, CEO & Chairman

Steve Ells is a 1990 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Following that, he spent two years working at Stars restaurant in San Francisco. Inspired by the tacquerias in that city’s Mission District, Ells began developing the idea for Chipotle Mexican Grill. In 1993, Ells returned home to Colorado and opened the first Chipotle restaurant near the campus of the University of Denver. Since then, the quick gourmet burrito joint has expanded nationwide and now has more than 600 restaurants in more than 30 cities across the country. The entrepreneurial spirit of Ells and his dedication to quality food and ingredients have prompted praise from many, including the New York Times, which proclaimed that Chipotle provides “a chance to witness – and taste – a shift in American fast-food.”

Sally Fallon
Lecture: A Campaign for Raw Milk: The Health, Safety and Economic Benefits of Nature’s Perfect Food

Sally Fallon is the author of the best-selling Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges the Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and of Eat Fat Lose Fat (both titles with Mary G. Enig, PhD). She serves as president of The Weston A. Price Foundation and is the founder of A Campaign for Real Milk.

Rocky Fino
Lecture: Will Mix for Sex: Classic Cocktails to Set the Mood

Rocky Fino is a nationally recognized, award-winning author of Will Cook for Sex—A Guy’s Guide to Cooking and Will Mix for Sex—21 Classic Cocktails to Set the Mood.  Although not a trained chef, Rocky has made his impact showing everyday people that they can improve their relationship and their lives with a little effort in the kitchen.  Rocky says his simple approach to food preparation is designed to get people into the kitchen where they can discover their cooking talents, then use them to rev up romance. 

Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach
Wine Tasting: The Art of Blind Tasting Old World vs. New World Wines

Certified in Viticulture and Vinification from the American Sommelier Association, Laurie Forster trained with Coach U., the country’s leading life coaching program and is a member of the Society of Wine Educators as well as the International Coach Federation.  Known as The Wine Coach®, Laurie is both a wine educator and personal development coach.  Laurie conducts corporate and private wine education seminars, as well as hosts a weekly wine broadcasts on WBAL 1090AM and WCEI 96.7.

Michael Green, Liquid Assets Consulting Group
Wine Tasting: Wine: What’s Hot?

Michael Green has the unique ability to talk business with the language of wine. With his company, Liquid Assets Consulting Group, Michael’s wine-and-dine wizardry takes many forms, including designing customized corporate dinners and directing tasting programs for conferences.

Harnessing the power of the epicurean experience, Michael articulates a company’s mission through the exploration of food and wine, making him a favorite talent for Fortune 500 companies nationwide who look to create memorable, brand-building events. In addition, Michael is the wine and spirits consultant for Gourmet magazine.

Matt Gennuso
Share Our Strength panel: What is Sustainable Agriculture Exactly?

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Gennuso spent a year honing his craft in Holland. He returned to the U.S. and cooked alongside the best chefs on both coasts, including Paul Bertolli of Oliveto, in Oakland, California and Tom Colicchio of Gramercy Tavern, in New York City, before settling in at the acclaimed Hamersley’s Bistro, in Boston, Massachusetts. After a stint at Prezza, in Boston’s North End, Gennuso was ready for his own restaurant, where he could fulfill his vision for a menu replete with dishes made from the freshest meats and fish, local farm-grown seasonal produce, and artisan-made foods.

Expectations were high for Gennuso and his wife, Kristin, when they took over East Side favorite Chez Pascal in the spring of 2003. Chez Pascal is ranked among the elite of Providence’s finest restaurants, and is a favorite of this Renaissance city's artists, politicians and business leaders.

Gennuso and his restaurant have also garnered national recognition in the pages of Food & Wine Magazine, among others, and was recently included on Boston Magazine's "Top Restaurants 2007" list. He has twice cooked at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City, is an annual participant at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and a guest chef with Holland America Cruise Lines Food and Wine cruises.

Chez Pascal is located at:
960 Hope Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02906  
(401) 421-4422. www.chez-pascal.com

Brett Grohsgal

Grohsgal, an organic farmer and chef, plants and manages approximately 220 genelines (produce) and 100 genelines (cut flowers) annually. He has developed some of the most freeze-hardy greens varieties available anywhere. Currently, Grohsgal is developing new tomato cultivars that are resistant to pathogens, are high yielding, and have the outstanding flavors of heirloom tomatoes.

David Guas

David Guas' entrepreneurial career has taken flight with damgoodsweet consulting group, llc.  After ten years as the Executive Pastry Chef of Acadiana, Ceiba, DC Coast, and TenPenh restaurants in Washington, D.C., Guas exchanged his longtime corporate role and is now a private pastry consultant to restaurants around the country, specialty caterer, TV personality and dessert cookbook author in the D.C. metropolitan area.  During his years with Passion Food Hospitality, Guas’ desserts were recognized and praised by such publications as Food & Wine, Chocolatier, Santé, Cooking Light, Food Arts, Where Washington, Restaurant Digest, Restaurant Business, National Culinary Review, and Nation’s Restaurant News.  In September 2003, Bon Appétit featured Guas as one of eight “Dessert Stars” in the country.  In 2004, the fourth year he was nominated, Guas was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.  He is listed in The International Who’s Who of Chefs, and has appeared regularly on The Today Show, demonstrating his expertise on national television.  Of Guas’ sweets, the restaurant critic of The Washington Post writes, “I have yet to find a single dessert I can say no to,” and the critic of Washingtonian magazine states emphatically that Guas’ desserts are “worth saving room for.”  Very sweet, indeed.

Heidi Hanson and Chris Warner

Chefs A’ Field, a Warner Hanson Television production seen nationally on PBS, PBS-HD and Create, is a series which features nationally-known chefs and focuses on their relationship with local farmers, fisherman, and others, to create the most fresh, delicious cuisine possible while maintaining respect for the land and the oceans.  Winner of two James Beard Awards and two CINE Golden Eagles as well as a Gold Hugo and the Gold Medal from The New York Festivals, Chefs A’ Field is in its fourth season.

Mary Ann Jung

Mary Ann Jung of History Alive! presents Julia Child-Queen of Cuisine.  The show pays tribute to the incredible energy, passion, and sense of playfulness with which Julia Child approached her greatest loves—her husband and her cooking. 

Mary Ann Jung is an award-winning actress who has appeared on CNN and Good Morning America. 

Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito, Baked, Brooklyn, NY
Demonstration: Making Peanut Butter Crispy Bars with
Malted Milk Shots

Matt Lewis’ chocolate addiction started an early age with his mother’s influence and her  “Chocolate as Dinner” and “Chocolate as Breakfast” philosophy.  Matt opened Chocolate Bar in New York City and published the Chocolate Bar cookbook.  He sold Chocolate Bar in 2004 and shortly thereafter opened Baked with Renato Poliafito. Both appear regularly on “The Today Show” and on the “Martha Show”.  Their cakes, pies, brownies, cookies and more are clean, new, delicious versions of favorites of the past.

John McClement, Keens Steakhouse, New York City
Demonstration: Pairing Steak and Wine

McClement is the Wine Director for All Weather Management restaurant group, which includes Keens Steakhouse, the Noho Star, Temple Bar and Elephant & Castle in New York; Eccolo in Berkeley, CA and Elephant & Castle in Dublin, Ireland.

Director of the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center, Miller has worked there since its opening in 2000. As Director, Susan teaches baking classes, oversees the creation of classroom curriculum and operations, and schedules classes and guest instructors. She is also a co-author of King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. She enjoys baking everything from artisan breads to cakes and says what she loves about baking is the combination of its strict structure and the opportunities for creativity once a person masters the basics.

Gabriele Rausse

Born in Italy, Rausse, relocated to Virginia about 20 years ago.  Mr. Rausse has been single-handedly credited with revolutionizing the Virginia wine industry, having revived Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello grapes and lending his expertise in winemaking and the art of blending to local wineries. Mr. Rausse has been called the father of viticulture in Virginia. Some say he picked up where Jefferson left off. In addition to working in the Central Virginia region, consulting with several local vineyards, Mr. Rausse is also the Associate Director of Gardens and Grounds at Monticello and runs his own boutique winery, Gabriele Rausse Winery.

Michel Richard

Chosen by the James Beard Foundation as Outstanding Chef 2007, and Outstanding Wine Service 2007, Michel Richard exemplifies the art of cuisine and a love of his profession. His style is light, fresh and intelligent, with witty presentations and texture. Michel was a pioneer in French/California cuisine, before moving to Washington, DC, where Michel Richard Citronelle became his flagship restaurant. Richard knew he wanted to be a chef when he first glimpsed a restaurant kitchen at the age of eight.  “The white hats, aprons, and all of the food – I fell in love.”  His fate was decided. 

Michel's creativity can be seen in prestigious culinary publications such as Food & Wine, Food Arts, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and has been featured in the Washington Post, Washingtonian, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Times, among many others.  Constantly engaged in something new, Michel released his second book, Happy in the Kitchen, published by Artisan in 2006, and has opened a new restaurant, Central Michel Richard, in downtown Washington, D.C. 

Chef Rock

Chef Rock is the winner of the third season of Hell’s Kitchen, the TV reality series. Currently, he is Head Chef at Terra Verde Green Valley Ranch Resort in Henderson, Nevada.  Rock's resume also includes stints at Café Calliope in the Embassy Suites Hotel, Alexandra, VA, and as Sous Chef at Planet Hollywood, Washington, D.C.  By age 21, Rock was Sous Chef at Bet On Jazz restaurant in Washington, D.C. Rock joined B. Smith's Union Station in 1999 as Sous Chef and was promoted to Executive Chef. Rahman is 31 and lives in Henderson, Nevada with his wife and their 2 children.

Bill Rodgers, Keens Steakhouse, New York City

Chef Richard Sandoval, Modern Mexican Restaurants-New York/Denver/D.C./San Francisco

This episode In Search of Avocados at La Mesa Alta Farm in Michoacán, Mexico, is filmed amidst the scenic volcanoes and villages of Central Mexico, famed American chef and his son Gian Carlo ventured to the chef’s birthplace to find the indigenous ingredients that inspired a budding four-star chef several decades ago.  Their travels take them through ancient villages and dramatic landscapes; they even saddle up for a horse ride to the top of a volcano for an understanding of where this region gets its rich soil.  Back down in the valley where the lush green canopy of the avocado cools the air, they get their hands on “green gold,” aka the Hass avocado.  Some of the trees are over 300 years old, and young Gian Carlo doesn’t hesitate to climb them for a better view and an opportunity to snack on the delicious fruit.  Back on solid ground, Chef Sandoval samples the avocado for inspiration and offers unique recipe ideas.  Throughout this story, the natural beauty of Mexico shines on father and son as they celebrate the folklore, gastronomy and traditions of this majestic region.

Suvir Saran is the author of two widely acclaimed cookbooks, American Masala: 125 New Classics From My Home Kitchen (2007) and Indian Home Cooking (2004). Saran established new standards for Indian food in America when he teamed up with tandoor master Hemant Mathur to create the authentic flavors of Indian home cooking at the restaurant Dévi in New York City, for which they earned a Michelin star rating. In Spring 2008, he is introducing a collection of porcelain dinnerware and kitchenware made by Wade Ceramics Ltd. Saran is a contributing authority to Food Arts magazine and teaches food professionals and home cooks around the country. When he is not traveling, he enjoys working on his American Masala Farm in upstate New York. For more information, please visit www.suvir.com.

Ned Sayre

Ned Sayre and his family raise Angus cattle on their Waffle Hill Farm in Harford County, MD.  They are also members of Deer Creek Beef; a partnership of several local farms formed to direct market their beef to a growing suburban populace.  Deer Creek Beef markets their premium quality, dry aged beef through local farmers markets, selected retail outlets and several local restaurants.  The locally born and raised cattle are given no implants or medicated feed additives, and the farms follow specific guidelines for animal care and handling, to ensure their customers are comfortable with where their beef comes from.  The member farms, all multi-generational family businesses, are committed to sound environmental stewardship and agricultural land preservation.

Bill Telepan, Telepan Restaurant, New York, NY; Ronnybrook Farm, Ancramdale, NY

Bill Telepan garners reviews that rave about the “clarity and focus of his food…elegant without gimmickry” (Gourmet) and that commend his cuisine for “[putting] its faith in fundamental virtues; its freshness, the pureness of punch of the flavors; the skill with which it’s been cooked” (The New York Times)—so it is no surprise that a trip to the farm happens regularly.  Accompanied by his daughter, as he often is, Chef Telepan heads out on a milking adventure with farmer Ron Osofsky in upstate New York.  “Hopelessly out of date, and proud of it,” says Ron while milking and making milk products the way his family has for three generations, in small batches, delivered at peak freshness, pasteurized and hormone-free.

Jeff Tunks

This episode ventures north to Iceland which has the cleanest air, water and food just about anywhere.  Fishing the pristine fjords of the Northeast coast, Chef Tunks reeled in huge cod and chatted with Icelandic fisherman about their heritage, environment and prospects for a sustainable future.  He travels across the glaciers to the wild pastureland for another pure Icelandic ingredient: lamb.  On horseback, Chef Tunks helped with the annual sheep roundup—an event that has gone on since the original Vikings first move to the island some 1100 years ago.

Washington Wine Academy

Founded in 1999, the Washington Wine Academy is a nonprofit organization with the sole purpose of providing first-class educational wine events for the Washington, D.C. area.  Generally, the Academy hosts private events and public educational events that combine socializing with wine education in a fun, approachable environment.  The man behind the Washington Wine Academy is President and Founder, Jim Barker, whose fascination with wine is as extensive as his experience in staging interesting events. 

Jay Youmans

Jay Youmans MW is owner of Rock Creek Wine Merchants, co-publisher of the International Wine Review, and an instructor for the Washington Wine Academy and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Robert Wiedmaier, Marcel's Restaurant/Beck’s Brasserie, Washington, D.C.

The rockfish, known by most as the striped bass, was virtually extinct 15 years ago, when many felt the Chesapeake Bay could no longer sustain its ecosystem.  But as we learn on this fishing voyage with one of Washington, D.C.’s most acclaimed chefs, the rockfish has become an environmental success story, and the bay is in recovery.  Chef Wiedmaier, his two sons, Beck, age 3, and Marcel, age 7, along with their 7-year old friend Lars, haul in a healthy catch as the boys spend the day on this beautiful bay.  As they catch and release the bass, marine biologist Jim Chambers is on hand to explain the bay’s ecosystem and describe what makes the rockfish recovery so special.  And of course, no “story” is complete without a few big ones, caught by the young fisherman to take home for dinner.

Matthew Weingarten, Inside Park at St. Bart's, New York City

Matthew Weingarten, Executive Chef, Inside Park at St. Bart’s, New York City is a longtime supporter of local farmlands, sustainable culinary practices and responsibly sourced ingredients. Weingarten has always strived to create menus that reflect a sense of place and time. At Inside Park at St. Bart’s, Weingarten’s artisanal approach to cooking is highlighted by his passion for culinary traditions and lost culinary arts of curing, pickling, preserving and “whole animal cooking” – all of which help to better sustain our culinary and cultural knowledge for future generations. 

Previously, he was the chef de cuisine at the Savoy Restaurant in New York City and worked under legendary Chef Larry Forgione at An American Place.  He graduated with a Blue Ribbon from the Institute of Culinary Education. 

Eric Ziebold, CityZen, Washington, D.C.

Eric Ziebold opened CityZen, the AAA Five Diamond in September 2004, the signature dining restaurant at Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. CityZen was named “Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year” by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and Robb Report named CityZen one of “America’s Finest Dining Restaurants” in March 2007. Both The Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine awarded CityZen four stars and was credited for offering “one of the five top meals of the year” by USA Today in December 2006.  Additionally, Esquire listed CityZen as one of “America’s best new restaurants” in November 2005.

Before being named one of “America’s Best New Chefs 2005” by Food and Wine, Ziebold had served at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, in Yountville, California, since 1996, most recently as chef de cuisine, a post he assumed in 1999.  He assisted in the creation of Per Se, Thomas Keller’s New York restaurant, and helped in the reopening of The French Laundry in May before joining Mandarin Oriental in June.  A graduate with honors of the Culinary Institute of America, Ziebold was part of the class of 1994.