Age: 33
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY – currently resides in Hollywood, CA
Profession:: Executive Chef, Ivan Kane's Cafe Was
Culinary Education: AOS, Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, NV
Favorite Recipe: Avocado panna cotta with pickled ramps and tomato
Foodie Fact: Watching his Russian mother and grandmother cooking in preparation for the daily ritual of good food and conversation set Alex on a path towards creative cooking.
Age: 27
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Profession:: Consultant
Culinary Education: Le Cordon Bleu in London
Favorite Recipe: Roasted baby lamb with pomme cocotte persillade
Foodie Fact: Amanda is a gifted butcher with a distinct sense of flavor and style and loves to make any meat on the bone
Age: 39
Hometown: Vero Beach, FL – currently resides in Miami, FL
Profession:: Chef/Owner The Water Club, Talula Restaurant and Creative Tastes Catering
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Recipe: Braised Short Ribs with Homemade Gnocchi
Foodie Fact: In 2003, Andrea and her husband, Frank, opened their own restaurant, Talula, which was named “The Place To Be Now” by The New York Times.
Age: 35
Hometown: Durham, CT
Profession:: Chef/Owner, Xie Xie
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Recipe: Grilled Corn on the Cob with Mayonnaise – with a sweet tea to wash it down.
Foodie Fact: Angelo created the menu for Buddakan, the Stephen Starr hotspot restaurant in NYC.
Age: 32
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Profession:: Chef/Owner, Cha Chah, PM, and Suzy Wong's House of Yum
Culinary Education: Culinary Arts Diploma, Institute of Culinary Education
Favorite Recipe: Anything with peas
Foodie Fact: At his restaurant Suzy Wong's House of Yum, Arnold has been known to appear as Suzy Wong herself to promote his latest concept.
Age: 32
Hometown: Boston, MA – currently resides in New York City
Profession:: Executive Chef, Plein Sud at the Smyth Hotel
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Recipe: Fresh Farm Egg Ravioli with a silky English pea puree, spring onion fondue and crispy pancetta
Foodie Fact: In high school, Ed got an early start on his culinary career working for acclaimed chef Todd English at Olives where he began to hone his knife and pastry skills before helping open Figs in Wellesley, MA.
Age: 33
Hometown: Boston, MA – currently resides in Brooklyn, NY
Profession:: Chef/Owner, Jacqueline Lombard Events
Culinary Education: French Culinary Institute, WSET, The Sommelier Society of America
Favorite Recipe: Summer Corn Risotto with Butter-Poached Lobster, Black Truffles and Green Onions
Foodie Fact: Jacqueline's company, Jacqueline Lombard Events, caters to both private and corporate clients nationwide, including Balenciaga, Glamour, Jil Sander, Miele USA, Osklen, Bergdorf Goodman, Barterhouse Imports, Stella McCartney, Wines of Argentina, ViniPortugal, and Wine Enthusiast Magazine, among many others.
Age: 42
Hometown: Ohio – currently resides in West Bloomfield, MI
Profession:: Chef de Cuisine, The Lark
Culinary Education: Self-Taught
Favorite Recipe: Spiced Spring Cucumbers with Dill
Foodie Fact: John attended the University of Michigan and earned a degree in Engineering before deciding to pursue his culinary dream. He has received two James Beard nominations for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
Age: 33
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA – currently resides in Vail, CO
Profession:: Chef/Owner, Restaurant Killy Liken
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Recipe: Parmesan-mascarpone tortellini with spring vegetables and crispy artichokes
Foodie Fact: A small town girl at heart, Kelly has passed up on offers from heavyweight chefs including Charlie Trotter and Daniel Boulud to stay in Colorado where she feels grounded.
Age: 36
Hometown: Euclid, OH – currently resides in Telluride, CO
Profession:: President/Owner, Passionate Culinary Enterprises LLC; Chef/Partner, G’s Restaurant Group
Culinary Education: Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts
Favorite Recipe: A tomato and mozzarella salad with an onion marmalade
Foodie Fact: An intense and no-nonsense chef, Kenny once split his pants open while cooking a 10-course meal and didn’t even blink an eye.
Age: 31
Hometown: Willingboro, NJ
Profession:: Executive Chef
, Rat’s Restaurant at the Grounds for Sculpture
Culinary Education: BS, Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales in Miami, FL
Favorite Recipe: Asparagus and Morels
Foodie Fact: In 2008, Kevin served as the Culinary Director of Garces Restaurant Group and was named winner of Best Meat Presentation at Bocuse d’Or USA.
Age: 51
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA– currently resides in Highland, NY
Profession:: Assistant Professor at the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Recipe: Anything with peas and asparagus
Foodie Fact: Lynne single-handedly built her catering and consulting business from a party for 10 people into a half a million dollar upscale off premise catering business.
Age: 40
Hometown: Cleveland, OH – currently resides in Las Vegas, NV
Profession:: Executive Chef, Seablue at the MGM Grand
Culinary Education: AOS, California Culinary Academy in San Francisco
Favorite Recipe: Agholitti, a small pasta filled with goat cheese tossed in olive oil and tomato water.
Foodie Fact: Over-the-top and without a filter, Stephen has spent more than 12 years establishing new restaurants nationwide for award-winning chef and restaurateur Michael Mina.
Age: 24
Hometown: Christ Church, Barbados – currently resides in Washington, DC
Profession:: Sous Chef, The Oval Room
Culinary Education: AOS, The Art Institute of New York City
Favorite Recipe: White asparagus soup
Foodie Fact: After graduating from culinary school, Tamesha went on to work at the world famous Jean Georges restaurant in NYC and was honored with gold and silver medals from the American Culinary Federation.
Age: 26
Hometown: Beaumont, TX – currently resides in Dallas
Profession:: Executive Chef, Go Fish Ocean Club
Culinary Education: AOS, The Art Institute of Houston
Favorite Recipe: Spring risotto
Foodie Fact: Tiffany began working in the kitchen when she was 15 at IHOP where she learned speed, and by 17, her leadership skills in the business were evident as she became the youngest person to ever be in management there.
Age: 39
Hometown: Washington D.C. – currently resides in Baltimore, MD
Profession:: Chef/Owner, Prime Steakhouse
Culinary Education: Howard University
Favorite Recipe: Soft Shell Crab Tempura with Virginia Ramps, Morel Mushroom and Garlic Confit Emulsion
Foodie Fact: Timothy spent 12 years working on and off with the late, great chef, Jean-Louis Palladin, first at Jean-Louis in the famed Watergate Hotel, and later as Chef de Cuisine at Palladin in New York City.
Age: 33
Hometown: Shortsville, NY – currently resides in Atlanta, GA
Profession:: Executive Chef, Table 1280
Culinary Education: AOS, Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Recipe: English pea salad
Foodie Fact: Tracey would have her last meal with Stevie Nicks and she would prepare Turkey salad sandwiches and homemade lemonade.
