Meherwan Irani is the Co-Founder, Chef, and CEO of Chai Pani Restaurant Group, changing perceptions of Indian food in America. Named a Game Changer by Food & Wine and one of Time Magazine’s 31 People Changing the South. Molly Irani, Co-Founder and Chief Hospitality Officer, leads CPRG’s culture, management, and hospitality.
Stephanie Izard, a James Beard Award winner and Iron Chef, is Executive Chef/Partner of Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat, Cabra, Girl & the Goat LA, and Valley Goat. The first woman to win Top Chef, she has earned national acclaim, multiple restaurant openings, and two cookbooks, Girl in the Kitchen and Gather & Graze.
Chef Dan Jacobs, co-owner of Milwaukee’s EsterEv and DanDan, is a 5x James Beard Best Chef Midwest Semi-Finalist and 2024 nominee. He advocated for the $28.6B Restaurant Revitalization Fund, supports the IRC, Main Street Alliance, World Central Kitchen, and No Kid Hungry, and was runner-up on Season 21 of Top Chef.
JJ Johnson, a James Beard Award-winning chef, hosts Just Eats with Chef JJ on CLEO TV and authored The Simple Art of Rice, a NYT Best Cookbook of 2023. He founded FIELDTRIP, a rice-bowl shop with multiple locations. A food justice advocate, he collaborates with Rethink Food, Harlem Grown, and Friends of the Children.
Gene Kato, a James Beard-nominated chef, is Executive Chef/Partner at Momotaro and Itoko. Previously, he founded Japonais and owned Sumi Robata, showcasing his expertise in traditional Japanese grilling. Under his leadership, Momotaro earned critical acclaim and a Michelin Guide mention. He continues to elevate Japanese cuisine with authenticity and innovation.
Chef Gavin Kaysen is the award-winning chef and owner of Soigné Hospitality Group in Minneapolis known for his nationally renowned restaurants and cafés in the Twin Cities as well as his leadership in the culinary profession. Chef Kaysen is the recipient of two James Beard Awards, “Rising Star Chef of the Year 2008” and “Best Chef: Midwest 2018.”
Born in Detroit, planted in Sonoma, Doug brought his midwest work ethic to San Francisco back in 1998. Along the way, he stopped at Cornell University for a degree in Hotel Management and in New York City where he earned his self-described “master’s degree” cooking in some of the finest restaurants in the world.
Chef Christopher Kearse graduated as valedictorian from the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in 2005. After working in top kitchens in America and the UK, he opened Will BYOB in 2012 to rave reviews. Kearse was named “Best New Chef,” a Philadelphia Rising Star, a James Beard semifinalist, and earned 3 Bells for Forsythia in 2019.
Frederic Kieffer trained at L’Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française, Ferrandi, and honed his craft at Taillevent, Le Chiberta, and Lutetia Hotel. He managed catering for The Museum of Natural History, re-opened Windows on the World, and launched l’escale. A farm-to-table advocate, he is Corporate Chef and Partner at multiple Greenwich Hospitality Group restaurants.
Sky Haneul Kim, born in Asan, South Korea, honed her craft in top restaurants nationwide. She blends bold Korean flavors with fresh, local ingredients. A James Beard Semifinalist for “Best Emerging Chef” (2024) and “Best Chef Northeast” (2025), she now showcases her culinary voice at Gift Horse, highlighting Rhode Island’s produce and seafood.