Hudson Valley Chefs Celebrate Jacques Pépin

In 2020 Brian opened The Break Room at Greylock Works in North Adams, MA, transforming an old mill into a locally sourced restaurant that drew over 300,000 visitors. After closing in 2024, he focused on catering and a private dining club. Previously, as Vice President of Culinary Development for Main Street Hospitality Group, he oversaw The Red Lion Inn, Main Street Catering, Seeds Market Café at Hancock Shaker Village, and Eat on North.

At The Red Lion Inn, Brian built strong relationships with regional farmers, purchasing more than $700K in local foods annually. A CIA graduate, he served on the boards of the Norman Rockwell Museum, Railroad Street Youth Project, and Berkshire Grown, promoting local farming and community.

A James Beard Foundation member, Brian curated Berkshire dinners at the Beard House, presented a solo dinner in 2014, and cooked at Outstanding in the Field. He won Boston’s American Lamb Jam and has appeared at major festivals in Nantucket, Newport, and New York. He co-authored a Farm to Table Cookbook and has been featured in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and more.

Kevin joined Union Square Events in 2021 as the Director of Culinary and Executive Chef. Leading the team at the New York Marriott Marquis, Kevin’s leadership and innovation, culinary presentation, and balance of foods and flavors, sets the venue as a premiere destination for corporate events, galas, tourism and visitors year-round.

Kevin is a valued team leader at Union Square Events and brings menu development, vendor partnership, employee growth, kitchen design consulting and project management to the venue, while balancing the needs of the various kitchens, dining rooms and hotel restaurants.

Kevin earned his Degree from Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts Institute. He continues to pursue relevant industry coursework at The Culinary Institute of America in New York and California and is an active member of the American Culinary Federation, Les Amis d’ Escoffier Society, Food and Beverage Association of America, and the National Ice Carving Association.

Born and raised in Portland, Maine, food has always been major part of Chef David’s life. Inspiration came from his two grandmothers, who were exceptional cooks, one a true Maine Downeaster, the other from Abruzzi, Italy.

He grew up in the restaurant business working at his father’s two restaurants, a hotel and local eatery until attending culinary school in 1987. His professional career began in Boston over 30 years ago where he spent 13 years at the Four Seasons Hotel as Executive Chef, and Chef de Cuisine of the nationally acclaimed restaurant Aujourd’hui. He then opened the Four Seasons, San Francisco and worked with renowned chefs, restaurateurs, and hoteliers during his tenure.

Back to Boston, Blessing partnered with Columbus Restaurant Group working at Sorellina and Mistral then on to open L’Andana in Burlington, MA as Executive Chef. He then spent two years at Whole Foods Market as a Regional Prepared Foods Coordinator.

In 2010 Blessing became Vice President Culinary Arts + Development for Longwood Venues + Destinations, New England’s premier private event company. Chef David oversees the culinary program for Longwood’s five properties in Boston, Brookline, and Newport, Rhode Island. His cooking is seasonal, product driven and highlights the local bounty of New England and beyond.

Chef Brandon Collins grew up in Fairborn, Ohio, where food brought family together. After graduating high school, he pursued his passion at the Culinary Institute of America. Graduating in September 2001, he moved back to Cincinnati, where he took over different kitchens for two years before returning to the Hudson Valley.

As the Executive Sous Chef at Valley Restaurant at the Garrison, he worked to oversee numerous food outlets, which included a quick serve grill, a banquet event space, and a restaurant. After nine years at the Garrison, Brandon moved on to the Roundhouse at Beacon Falls, where he oversaw the construction of a fine dining restaurant, an outdoor patio space, a speak easy bar, and a 350 seat event space. While at the Roundhouse, they were named one of the best new restaurants in the Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley Magazine, received a worth it rating from the New York Times, and he sat on the board for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.

After three years at the helm of the Roundhouse, he moved on to take a job at Sodexo as Executive Chef at Pitch, which was Unilever’s personal care division’s co-creation space. After working closely with the company, he decided to take a position as Corporate Chef Northeast and Maille mustard sommelier, later becoming the Corporate Executive Chef, which is his current title. Here he manages a team of eleven chefs from across the United States and Canada and influences new product decisions and direction. He is responsible for the global recipe strategy and enablement, sits on the global core culinary team, and is a core member of the Trends squad for Unilever Food Solutions.

He currently sits on the Menus of Change Business Leadership Council, the board of TDC Culinary, and the board of Culinology at Bergen County Technical Schools.

Bianca Concepcion is the Executive Chef of Fossil Farms, where she champions cooking with all-natural, sustainably sourced products. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Bianca spent years honing her craft in New York City’s renowned West Village and Flatiron District kitchens. Her culinary style blends classical technique with a modern, approachable sensibility, creating dishes that celebrate exceptional ingredients, sustainability, and memorable dining experiences

Mike Diago is an award winning food writer with work in Best American Food Writing, Eater, Saveur, Punch, The Bittman Project, and other publications. He also hosts wood fired farm style cookouts—paellas, barbacoas, seafood boils—around the Hudson Valley and at his home in Beacon, NY.

Chason Forehand is the Founder behind HR-4U INC., a trailblazing nonprofit committed to economic justice. Through bold advocacy and their groundbreaking Transformation Kitchen™ program, HR-4U INC. champions living wages and workforce dignity for marginalized communities turning opportunity into lasting impact. “They don’t just flip eggs, they flip lives.”

As the Head of Culinary at Guckenheimer, Rick Green’s 30 year career in the food and beverage industry includes earning a coveted externship at a Michelin Three Star-rated restaurant, owning a B2C catering business, and Guckenheimer’s Director of Culinary Development where he has led the f.i.t. Kitchen (Food Innovation Test Kitchen).

He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts from the globally recognized Johnson and Wales University. Beyond this expertise, Rick is well respected with the organization’s clients and teams as an innovator, plant-forward ambassador and sustainability advocate.

Lewis Sheridan Hughes is a chef, activist, and community organizer whose work blends food, history, and justice. He is the great great great grandson of Wilson Bruce Evans and Sarah Jane Leary Evans, abolitionists who defied the Fugitive Slave Act, and the namesake of Lewis Sheridan Leary, who gave his life with John Brown at Harpers Ferry. Their courage grounds his vision of food as both education and nourishment.

A culinary graduate with more than two decades of experience, Hughes is the chef owner of Hughes Hill Catering in Beacon, New York. His cooking is rooted in the Southern and Midwestern foodways of his ancestors and shaped by respect for terroir, the land and climate that define ingredients, and the shared techniques that connect cultures.

He leads the Beacon’s Backyard Free Breakfast Program and serves on the boards of John Brown Lives! and the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society, continuing his family’s legacy through food and community.

I started out as a server in a small steakhouse in New Jersey working my way to bartender then kitchen. After a few years I decided to attend culinary school in NYC. When I finished school and my Externship at Felidia, I worked for Jody Williams when she was at Giogioni, then to V Steakhouse for Jean Georges.

It was when I landed a job for an amazing Chef in Sussex County I learned to think outside the box and play with my food. Chef Andre DeWaal expanded my culinary world and really taught me the skills I needed to propel my career forward.

After leaving Andre and running 2 kitchens of my own, I found myself at Fossil Farms as a Chef, Food Truck Chef and Center of the Plate Specialist.

John Karangis is the Executive Chef and Vice President of Culinary Innovation at Shake Shack where he oversees culinary innovation, leading the team in dynamic, thoughtful and strategic menu development. Shake Shack currently has over 600 locations in 19 countries and growing rapidly.

Karangis joins Shake Shack after several years as Executive Chef for Union Square Events, the Catering and Venue Hospitality business of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. During his time there, Karangis helmed culinary efforts across all facets of the business – from intimate in-home dining experiences to 3,000 plus plated multi-course dinners, developing new concepts for sports and retail venues, modernizing in-flight dining experiences with Delta, cultivating chef collaborations and leading teams at numerous locations.

Karangis spent the early days of his career working in established restaurants in Paris France, San Francisco CA and in NYC in the kitchens of Danny Meyer’s acclaimed Union Square Café and Gramercy Tavern.

Executive Chef Michael Kedala was born surrounded by food, quite literally. His first home was situated on the edge of a corn field in Sussex County, NJ, where produce thrives, providing all the essential ingredients for quality cuisine.

Chef Mike first stepped into a restaurant kitchen at age thirteen and never looked back. Since then, his artistry in the culinary world and passion for food have been forever evolving, taking inspiration from the people and cultures he has immersed himself in.

His passion and obsession for food gave him the chance to continue his culinary studies in the mountains of Acqualagna, Italy, and on the streets of Thailand. Here, Chef Mike crafted his cooking style around the travel, work, and daily life he experienced. Rather than tying himself to one cuisine, he prides himself on cooking with what’s around him, letting the ingredients speak for themselves.

Chef Mike is dedicated to building a food program and kitchen culture that can grow with all Guckenheimer locations – a program that will continue progressing with a creative and diverse team, a healthy and inviting culture, and an environment where you can “leave work for lunch” without actually leaving work

Originally from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Chef Nicholas’s culinary journey began at the age of five when he started cooking alongside his grandmothers on a step stool, before he could even reach the stove. His mother, a chef as well, instilled a passion in him to cook for others. This led to his first cooking job at age 13, working alongside his mother at the restaurant she ran.

With a few years of cooking professionally under his belt. He enrolled in the local culinary program where he met his first mentor Chef Corle, where they molded him even further into a chef and helped build a solid foundation. Shortly after graduation, he began working for a CIA alumni, Chef Gipe, in Hershey, where he furthered his career. Always wanting to learn something new everyday, he decided to attend The Culinary Institute of America with the support of Chef Gipe. In 2010, he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and was ready to dive into his career.

Over the years, he worked for some great restaurants and mentors from New York City to the Hudson Valley. He was fortunate to work for Tom Colicchio at Colicchio & Sons, Chefs Club by Food & Wine, and Gunter Seeger at his farm-to-table Michelin Star restaurant in NYC. He learned to balance the NYC chef life with many Hudson Valley restaurants. Global Palate, The Roundhouse and Valley Restaurant are some places that nurtured my passion for farm-to-table cuisine. My mentor Brandon Collins, taught me how to cook with the seasons, respecting the incredible bounty of fresh ingredients and taking advantage of them at their peak.

Always wanting to push himself, he took his career to 3 Michelin Star Restaurant, Noma in Copenhagen, which many consider one of the world’s top restaurants. After his time at Noma, Nicholas came back to New York and ran his own business Farm2ChefsTable that focused on creating dinner experiences that offered hyper local seasonal tasting menus throughout the Hudson Valley in New York.

Hari Nayak is a renowned Indian chef, author, and culinary director at Café Spice, where he brings modern flair to authentic Indian cuisine. Widely recognized as one of the most acclaimed Indian chefs today, Hari has authored several celebrated cookbooks and built an international reputation for his innovative yet approachable style.

His culinary journey spans partnerships with Four Seasons Hotels and acclaimed restaurants in Bangkok, Dubai, and Malaysia. With a passion for storytelling through food, Hari continues to shape the global perception of Indian cuisine.

Colleen Orlando, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in San Francisco, brings over 15 years of bakery and café leadership experience. In 2020, she and her partner, Rian, moved across the country and opened Little Loaf Bakeshop together in early 2022. The all-vegan bakery specializes in croissant and danish, cakes, cupcakes, and both breakfast and lunch fare.

After starting in an incubator kitchen in Poughkeepsie, Little Loaf has grown into a full-scale bakery and café in New Paltz, NY. Little Loaf is proud to be a woman & LGBTQ+ owned business.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Pauline has been in the food and hospitality industry for over 26 years.

With extensive experience in the world of catering and Events, she also works as a food stylist and ghost writer and is well known for her table scapes. In the last decade she has taken an interest in the traditional and the lost foods of Africa in a modern Kitchen, this led to her publishing her first cook book, Africa Eats which highlights simple, great tasting foods from the continent of Africa.

Chef Tim has been cooking and managing restaurants since the late Seventies, working his way through kitchens in New Haven, Boston and Miami, both on shore and on Cruise ships.

He worked with Bob Kinkaid at The Harvest Restaurant in Harvard Square, then onto Nantucket to run 21 Federal. From there he went to the Napa Valley to work with Michael Chirello at Tra Vigne and Hiro Sone at Terra, eventually becoming Executive Chef at Kimball’s East in Emeryville, a world renown Jazz Supper Club. Moving back to the east coast in 1994 Tim was the Concept Chef behind the very successful Not Your Average Joe’s Restaurant Group, garnering “Concept of the Year” and “Hot Concept of Tomorrow” from Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant & Hospitality. Tim returned to Connecticut in 2000 to open Sherlock’s in Old Lyme where he was one of the first restaurants to feature a “Local” menu, from June through October a “50 Mile Menu” was always featured.

Joining Sodexo in 2005 where he worked for over ten years, he traveled across the country opening new accounts and new concepts, and was part of the team that cooked at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburg in 2009

Tim has been invited to cook at the James Beard House on two occasions, the first in 1999 with Not Your Average Joe’s and again in 2003 with Sherlock’s. Tim has been with the Culinary Team at the Nantucket Wine Festival since 2001.

Retiring in 2022 Tim started Forest Floor Foragers, supplying local restaurants with wild mushrooms, Ramps, greens and a variety of foraged items, also producing Handmade Soaps, Jellies and Mugolio.

Cliff Roy is a senior culinary and marketing manager at Sodexo. He has been happily cooking good food with good people across America for over 25 years.

Brooke Vosika, a renowned culinary expert and owner of Sawkill Creek Botanicals in Woodstock, New York, boasts an impressive background as a former executive chef of The Four Seasons corporation. With a remarkable tenure exceeding 32 years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Brooke has honed his craft and established kitchen brigades in six 5-star hotels across prominent cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, and Washington D.C.

Throughout his illustrious career, he has garnered prestigious accolades from institutions like the Bocuse D’Or, The James Beard Foundation, Condé Nast, New York Magazine, The Improper Bostonian Magazine, and Boston Magazine.

Presently, Brooke serves as a sought-after consulting chef and kitchen designer in the Hudson Valley and Berkshires region, showcasing his passion for innovation and culinary excellence. An avid wine collector and vintner, he thrives on creating refreshing gastronomic concepts that resonate with discerning palates and evoke culinary delight.

Restaurants and hospitality are in our blood. While these industries have given us more than we could have ever imagined, they are also where our addictions began and grew. While we found sobriety before it was too late, many of our talented peers are not so fortunate.

We have seen far too many good people lose themselves, their careers, and sometimes even their lives to alcohol and drug abuse. We were compelled to act when Ben Murray, a friend and colleague, took his life in 2016 because of his addiction. We could no longer stand by and watch tragedies strike around us – we needed to try to help. Through the pain of this loss, Ben’s Friends was created.

Our mission is a simple one: to help those who are struggling find freedom from the bondage of their addictions. We do this every day by creating a community of sober chefs, line cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, managers, and more who are committed to helping others find the support that they need.

With nearly 70 years of combined sobriety between us, we are proof that you can live a full, rich, rewarding, and sober life while working in restaurants and hospitality. We hope you will join us.

Cassidy is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, vocalist, actress and screenwriter. As a recording artist for Atlantic Records, Cassidy was the first artist selected by mega-corporation Starbucks for their newly-formed Starbucks Hear Music Label — a landmark partnership deal that led to her music being featured and sold in Starbucks stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, resulting in platinum sales.

She has toured with musical legends including, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Allman’s, Rob Thomas and has appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine, Tonight Show, Today Show and several of VH1’s original programming.

Cassidy was featured in The Gap’s campaign collaboration with Archbishop Desmond TuTu’s, Wisdom Project and also appeared in a national print and television campaign for 7 Jeans. Her songs and vocals appear on high-profile artist’s albums including; Demi Lovato, Rob Thomas, O.A.R. and several of Nick Perri’s solo projects. She can also be heard in films and on television.

Cassidy has also appeared in several independent films. Receiving nominations and awards in the Best Actress and Best Romantic Comedy categories by festival judges around the world.

She most recently completed a three-year contract singing the music of Carol King with Symphony Orchestras across North America.

Scott Daunt is the owner of Daunt’s Farm, LLC in Modena, NY. After a 34-year career and a life-changing accident, Scott embraced his true purpose—farming. What began as part-time work has grown into his full-time passion.

Daunt’s Farm now provides fresh produce, flowers, and a year-round mushroom harvest to chefs, restaurants, and the local community. Scott is dedicated to sustainable, locally grown food and finds joy in sharing his harvest with others.

Curious Elixirs are booze-free craft cocktails infused with adaptogens to help you unwind. We think life without booze should be a little more delicious and we’re on a mission to transform how we drink by making the world’s most delicious non-alc beverages with the highest quality ingredients. Our flavors crafted for the adventurous, and we proudly use organic juices, herbs, spices, roots, barks, and botanicals to make your mouth dance.

Ben Del Coro’s career in food spans 30+ years, having worked in restaurant kitchens throughout New Jersey, New York City and New Mexico before joining Fossil Farms as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He also founded and manages the Sparta Farmers Market, New Jersey’s premier farmers market.

Having had his roots in Appalachia from Maine to New Jersey, he has spent decades studying and eating the food of Appalachia. He has a unique perspective on the intersections of local and global food supply chains and offers insight into how we can make better choices in our daily lives that have a broad impact on the environment, localized economy, and our health.

Stuart Farr is the owner of Hudson Valley Hops & Grains, a 400 acre USDA certified organic farm in Columbia county, New York. Using a biological approach and regenerative practices, the farm grows food grade wheat, rye, barley, sunflowers, canola, camelina, buckwheat and black beans in rotation with multiple cover crops. Sunflower, canola and camelina oils are produced on-farm using an expeller press with no added heat and no additives.

John Guillemette is the founder and driving force behind G2 Hospitality Solutions. With over 20 years in concept development, he brings deep expertise, creativity, and passion to every project.

His culinary journey began at age 15 with an apprenticeship at Cliff Walk Manor in Rhode Island, followed by training at Johnson & Wales University and a coveted role opening restaurants at Disneyland Paris. There, John discovered his passion for experience design—anticipating guest needs, crafting tailored solutions, and delivering memorable dining concepts.

John went on to leadership roles with Aramark and Sodexo, where he developed branded concepts, led multimillion-dollar design projects, and built food service programs for clients across industries.

In 2024, John launched G2 to focus on strategic advisory work that drives impact. He blends the precision of a chef, the creativity of a Disney Imagineer, and the strategic vision of an executive.

Joe Jurgielewicz & Son Ltd. (JJS), America’s Tastiest Duck, is a family-owned and operated business with a rich history dating back to 1933. Starting on Long Island, NY, and now based in Hamburg, PA, the Jurgielewicz family has been dedicated to raising the highest quality Pekin ducks for generations.

Their vertically integrated approach, overseen by veterinarians Dr. Joe (founder/CEO) and Dr. Jim (President), ensures top-quality and animal welfare from hatching to distribution. This commitment results in ducks with the perfect meat-to-fat ratio, making them the preferred choice of renowned chefs and establishments worldwide, including Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Marc Forgione, Wolfgang Puck, Tao Group (Hakkasan), Four Seasons Hotels, Wynn Resorts, Marriott International, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and many more.

Rachael Markow is the director of Flavor Forte, a communications and marketing firm that knows hungry audiences. Drawing on her experience in professional kitchens, farms, and catering companies from Texas to New York, Rachael gets food businesses on the map and helps them flourish.

Tiny Greens Farm is a woman-owned, veteran family micro-farm producing sustainable and soil-grown microgreens in East Fishkill, New York. We provide a high-quality and hyper-local product to our neighborhood and the surrounding community we call home.

Nicole Harris is a Certified Clinician in Whole Food Nutrition and Owner/Operator of Tiny Greens Farm.

A veteran’s wife and mom of two, she is passionate in helping her community achieve health, happiness and joy through a nourishing diet and lifestyle.