Dane Baldwin has spent his career cooking in Milwaukee. In 2017, he and his wife Anna opened The Diplomat, a stylish Lower East Side restaurant serving elevated American fare. In 2022, Baldwin won the James Beard Foundation’s ‘Best Chef Midwest.’ He credits his success to a strong work ethic shaped in his grandparents’ flower shop.
Silvia Barban, born in Northern Italy, trained at “E. Maggia” Stresa Culinary School and worked under Gualtiero Marchesi. She moved to New York in 2012, became Executive Chef at Aita, competed on Top Chef (Season 14), and co-founded Larina Pastificio e Vino. In 2024, she opened Briscola Trattoria in Crown Heights.
Rick Bayless, award-winning chef, cookbook author, and host of Mexico—One Plate at a Time, is known for authentic Mexican cuisine and acclaimed Chicago restaurants. He founded the Frontera Farmer Foundation and Frontera Scholarship, earning honors including the James Beard Awards, the Julia Child Award, and Mexico’s Order of the Aztec Eagle for his culinary and philanthropic contributions.
Nicholas Bazik has spent 15 years running top Philadelphia restaurants, including Fork, The Good King Tavern, and Lacroix at The Rittenhouse. As Culinary Director for 13th Street Kitchens (Kensington Quarters, La Chinesca), his Provenance fare reflects land-sea influences and strong ties with local farmers, artisans, and purveyors.
With over 15 years of experience in food and beverage hospitality, specializing in pastry, there’s nothing Chef Kimberly enjoys more than her work each day. As the Pastry Chef at La Padrona, a fine dining Italian restaurant in Boston, Chef Kimberly continues to refine her skills, bringing her extensive pastry and management expertise to the table.
Franklin Becker is an American chef, restaurateur, author, and dedicated philanthropist. His distinguished career includes roles as Chief Culinary Officer of Hungryroot, Co-Founder/Chef at Little Beet, Culinary Director for Aurify Brands and Chef/Partner at The Hospitality Department where he currently oversees acclaimed New York restaurants Point Seven and Coral Omakase.
Missouri-native Darryl Bell Jr. trained under Chef Thomas Keller at Bouchon, rising to Executive Sous Chef, and later became Chef de Cuisine at Michelin-starred PRESS. He launched Stateline Road Smokehouse, Napa’s first Black-owned restaurant since the 1800s, and built a line of barbecue products rooted in Kansas City traditions, blending Michelin training with decades of experience in smoke and fire.
Born in Hialeah, raised in Little Havana, and trained at some of Miami’s most celebrated restaurants under legendary chefs, Mike is at the forefront of a new generation of South Florida chefs helping the region establish itself as a destination for world-class cuisine and define its culinary voice for the long haul.
Ron is the chef-owner of a world-renowned couture cake studio, celebrated for exquisite specialty cakes. Discovered by Martha Stewart, he rose to media prominence, hosted Sweet Genius, and judged Cake Wars and The Big Bake. A former dancer, he opened his Manhattan studio in 1999 and became a guest master pastry chef-instructor at NYC’s International Culinary Center.
Emma Bengtsson, an innovative and reputable mentor chef, led Aquavit in NYC to two Michelin stars within a year of becoming Executive Chef. She became the first Swedish woman to hold two stars and the second in the U.S. Known for elegant Nordic dishes, she was also granted the prestigious Michelin Mentor Chef Award in 2003.