The Icons

Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell
Creator + Chief Curator

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

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

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

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
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,

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

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

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

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

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

Kamat Newman
Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi (NYC) (she/her/hers) After culinary school, Kamat joined the team at Soho House, where her role required extensive travel throughout the United

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

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.