For the past 20 years, Dave Punch has been cooking up a storm in Boston and beyond. He got his start learning the classics at the Nightingale Restaurant in the South End, then sharpened his skills as sous chef with some of Boston’s best — Susan Regis, Amanda Lydon, and Steve Johnson — at Upstairs on the Square and Rendezvous.
Colby Rasavong is the Executive chef of Nashville, Tennessee’s restaurant, Bad Idea. Bringing a wealth of knowledge from acclaimed restaurants across the country, Rasavong’s background and Lao heritage lends to creative dinner and late-night food service for the concept, offering the intricacy of tasting menu experience in a down-to-earth atmosphere.
Stefan Riemer, Pastry Culinary Director at Walt Disney World, was named a Top Ten Pastry Chef by Dessert Professional. Since 1999, he has driven product development, menu planning, training, and mentoring. He also develops pastry menus and leads Amorette’s Patisserie and The Ganachery at Disney Springs.
Born in Illinois and raised in Naples, Florida, Brian’s passion for food began early, evolving from picking strawberries to working in top Chicago restaurants. In 2016, he moved to Nashville to open The Mockingbird. A “Chopped” Season 24 winner, he reconnected with Maneet Chauhan, inspiring their restaurant concept.
Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa of Portugal studied at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, before working abroad in London and Australia. After winning 2005 Chef of the Year in Portugal, he starred in cooking shows before opening Alma, which holds 2 Michelin stars since 2019.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Chef Alexander Sazama brings 18 years of culinary expertise to Benson’s Restaurant Group. He has been instrumental in opening beloved Milwaukee restaurants, including The Bridgewater Modern Grill, The Edison, Onesto, Smoke Shack, and Blue Bat Kitchen.
Jeremy Sewall is the Chef and Partner of Row 34 in Boston’s Seaport, Cambridge’s Kendall Square, Burlington, MA and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Row 34 is a progressive, neighborhood-focused oyster bar that continues the team’s mission of celebrating New England’s rich seafood traditions.
Chef Jess Shadbolt is a British born chef, restaurateur and soon to be cookbook author. Along with her partners she opened King — a restaurant that changes the menu daily — in 2016. In 2018 Jess was one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs. King gained a two-star review from Pete Well’s in The New York Times later that year.
Alon Shaya, born in Israel and raised in Philadelphia, discovered his love for food cooking alongside his mother and grandmother. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, he began his career in Las Vegas before cooking in St. Louis, Italy, and settling in New Orleans in 2001. Since then, he has been honored with five James Beard nominations.
Sahar Siddiqi, Chef de Cuisine at Chai Pani Decatur, specializes in South Asian cuisine with local, seasonal ingredients, fostering community through food. Gabriel Johnson, Executive Chef at Houston’s Atlanta and a Navy veteran, blends Italian influences into his cooking, with a passion for fresh pasta and Southern flavors.