The Icons 2024

Chef Jahlea Henry

Chef Jahlea Henry

Ten Restaurant, Toronto (she / her / hers) Jahlea Henry is an Indo-Jamaican Canadian chef whose approach to her work is informed by her affinity

chef montana houston

Chef Montana Houston

Restaurant Aleksander, Philly (he / him / his) A South Jersey native, Montana Houston, was raised predominantly by a single mother and his sister. As

Chef Masako Morishita

Chef Masako Morishita

Perry’s Restaurant, D.C. (she / her / hers) Masako Morishita grew up in her family’s nearly 100-year-old restaurant and bar in Kobe, Japan. Her first

Chef Carlos Portela

Chef Carlos Portela

Orujo, San Juan (he / him / his) From his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Chef Carlos Portela founded his life project, Orujo Taller, where

chef emilie van dyke

Chef Emilie Van Dyke

Californios, San Francisco (she / they) In 2016, Emilie Van Dyke joined the team at Bar Agricole, stayed on for about a year, then staged

Chef Lawrence Weeks

Chef Lawrence Weeks

North of Bourbon + Ensō, Louisville (he / him / his) Lawrence Weeks was raised in Louisville. He began cooking when he was a child

WINE

Arni Cabatingan

Arni Cabatingan

Atomix, NYC (she / her / hers) Arni Cabatingan is a second-generation Filipino American. She developed a deep appreciation for the vibrant energy of dining

SPIRITS

Andre Sykes

Andre Sykes

Alpino + Black on Both Sides LLC, Detroit (he / him / his) A true agent of hospitality. Andre believes that working hard, especially when

The Icons 2023

chef khaled albanna

Chef Khaled Albanna

Calliope Restaurant, Chattanooga (he/him/his) After spending his childhood in the kitchen alongside his mother in Amman, Jordan, Chef Khaled Albanna acquired invaluable and unattainable cooking

bernard bennett

Chef Bernard Bennett

Okàn (Bluffton) (he / him / his) Bernard’s love of food began when his mother taught him to cook with vegetables grown in his grandmother’s

chef romann dumorne

Chef Romann Dumorne

Northern Union (Ogunquit) (he/him/his) Romann worked his way up the ranks of the kitchen in a small restaurant in upstate New York before landing an

courtney evans

Chef Courtney Evans

Leah & Louise (Charlotte) (she/her/hers) Chef Evans hails from Columbia, SC. Her love of food was initially rooted in her curiosity about the chemical reactions

luis guevara

Chef Luis Guevara

Carmel (Atlanta) (he / him / his) Born in Acapulco, Mexico and transplanted to Atlanta at three years old, Luis grew up in the restaurant

Zarah Khan

Chef Zarah Khan

Rustic Canyon (Santa Monica) (she/her/hers) Chef Zarah’s educational background in Environmental Science and Forestry led her to a deeper exploration of the stories behind the

James Linabury

Chef James Linabary

Audrey / June (Nashville) (he / him / his) James is the pastry sous chef at multiple-award-winning and acclaimed Chef Sean Brock’s Flagship restaurant Audrey

Kim Mok

Chef Kim Mok

Boka (Chicago) (she/her/hers) Chef Kim’s life has been defined and shaped by food. She is a second-generation Chinese-American and spent many childhood weekends and summers

chef yoonjung oh

Chef Yoonjung Oh

Jungsik (NYC) (she/her/hers) Being born and honing her pastry skills in Seoul, Korea, Chef Yoonjung found her way into The Culinary Institute of America in

Justin Pioche

Chef Justin Pioche

Pioche Food Group (Upper Fruitland, NM) (he/him/his) Justin Pioche is an Ashihii Dine’ who is born for the Bit’ahnii people (Navajo Nation) and the owner

Faye "Poon" Poonsiripukdeekul

Chef Faye Poonsiripukdeekul

Bacchanalia / W.H. Stiles Fish Camp (Atlanta) (she / her / hers) Faye “Poon” Poonsiripukdeekul’s career has been defined by her commitment to investing in

tre sanderson

Chef Tre Sanderson

Hotel X, Baro, Vela, (Toronto) (he/him/his) Sanderson has over a decade of culinary experience working in some of Toronto’s hottest restaurants. Being a first-generation Canadian

chef christopher vega

Chef Christopher Vega

La Pícara (San Juan) (he/him/his) Upon graduating from culinary school, Christopher began working at Condado Vanderbilt Hotel under one of Puerto Rico’s most lauded chefs,

rasika venkatesa

Chef Rasika Venkatesa

Mourad (San Francisco) (she/her/hers) Her fondest memories are growing up in Chennai, India and cooking with her biggest inspiration, her grandmother Mythily Ramachandran. At a

Lateisha Wilson

Chef Lateisha Wilson

Matador Room at The Miami Beach Edition (Miami Beach) (she/her/hers) Chef Lateisha gravitated toward cooking from a young age and always sensed that she was

WINE

alisha blackwell calvert

Alisha Blackwell-Calvert, CSW

Cinder House at Four Seasons (St. Louis) (she/her/hers) Alisha is currently an Advanced Sommelier and is studying to sit for the Master Sommelier examination. When

Cassandra Felix

Cassandra Felix

Daniel (NYC) (she/her/hers) Cassandra began her career at The Breakers Palm Beach in 2010 while studying Dance and Fine Arts at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

SPIRITS

alexis brown

Alexis Brown

LVMH and Serving Life Behind Bars, Chicago (she/her/hers) Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Alexis noticed the lack of diversity in her profession

Carlos Marquez Hernandez

Carlos Marquez Hernandez

Carlos Marquez Hernandez (he/him/his) Originally from Mexico City, Carlos has been working in the restaurant industry for about ten years. He worked his way up

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