Culinary Council

Liz Alpern is the creator of Queer Soup Night, a global event series highlighting the talent of queer chefs and raising funds for locally-based social justice organizations. She is co-author ofThe Gefilte Manifesto: New Recip…

Chef Michael Anthony is Executive Chef and Partner of Gramercy Tavern and Chef Partner of Waldorf Astoria. Under his leadership, the restaurant has earned a three-star New York Times review (2007) and James Beard Awards for “…

Chef Dorothy Auer is the Head Chef at God's Love We Deliver.

Marika Bender is the General Manager for William Gottlieb Management Co., LLC since 1999, which manages and develops more than 100 family-owned properties in New York City and the Hudson River Valley. Among the family’s prope…

Mark Bittman is the author of more than thirty books, including the How to Cook Everything series, the #1 New York Times bestseller VB6, and Animal, Vegetable, Junk. He wrote for the Times for more than three decades, and bec…

Linda Goode Bryant is the Founder and President of Project EATS, a neighborhood-based project that uses art, urban agriculture, partnerships, and social enterprise to sustainably produce and equitably distribute essential res…

David Burtka is a chef, caterer, and award-winning actor who released his first cookbook, Life is a Party, in April 2019. He earned a BFA from the University of Michigan and studied at the William Esper Studios in New York. T…

Jake Cohen is a two-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, the host of “Jake Makes it Easy” on A+E and a nice Jewish boy from NYC. 

Samah Dada is a cookbook author and founder of her blog, DADAEATS. She has worked full-time in broadcast television at the TODAY Show where she was both the lead production associate, and an on-air food contributor. She is cu…

Amanda Freitag, through her work in professional restaurant kitchens, as a food television personality and now author, Chef Freitag has become more than a chef, she is The Chef Next Door. While the moniker is derived from the…

Acclaimed actor Kyle MacLachlan has brought indelible charm and a quirky sophistication to some of film and television’s most memorable roles. Since 2005, MacLachlan has channeled his strong interest in the world of wine into…

Marguerite Zabar Mariscal is the CEO of Momofuku, where she oversees the brand’s growth across restaurants and Momofuku Goods, a line of restaurant-grade home cooking products. She joined the company in 2011 as an intern, qui…

Natasha Pickowicz is a James Beard award-nominated pastry chef, writer, and activist based in NYC. Most recently, she ran the pastry programs at NYC restaurants Altro Paradiso, Flora Bar, and Flora Coffee. Much of her pastry …

Lauren Radel is a chef and entrepreneur based in New York between NYC and the Catskill Mountains.  Her multi-cultural background of Basque, Peruvian, Russian, and Polish is the foundation of her relationship with food.  Learn…

Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an association serving and representing restaurants and nightlife venues throughout the five boroughs, and the CEO of the Impact Foundation, a …

Mavis-Jay is a chef who believes in sustainably raised ingredients, thoughtfully prepared. She is a social equity advocate that has dedicated her career to fighting for food justice in Black and low-income communities. In 201…

Julia Turshen is a cookbook author, writer, and activist. Julia Turshen is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, writer, and activist. Her work includes her latest book, What Goes with What and a weekly newsletter, as…

Irene Wong is the magic ingredient that big names in food media rely on. An acclaimed director and producer, her food television career began in 1999 at the Food Network where she created and produced highly-rated shows. Six …

Recognized as one of the country’s top pastry chefs, Chef Zac Young is known for his playful takes on American desserts, including the all-in-one Thanksgiving sensation, The PieCaken. After graduating culinary school an…