Fueled by passion, grit and a knack for artful innovation, David Burke is one of the best known and most respected chefs in modern American cuisine

with his signature whimsical, boundlessly creative approach to food.  In addition to being an internationally celebrated chef, Burke is: a restaurateur; artist; philanthropist; businessperson; author; educator; art collector; puppeteer; minister; doctor of business administration, honoris causa; and beekeeper.  David Burke Hospitality Management (DBHM) owns, manages, licenses, and consults with restaurants, hotels, clubs, and schools worldwide. Currently, Burke and his DBHM team operate or orchestrate the culinary component of 18 restaurants, a historic event venue and a bakery. They also oversee a growing roster of David Burke branded products, including cookware, bakeware, steak sauce, cutlery, and wine.

Known for his industry insight, culinary accomplishments, business acumen and candid observations, Burke is often a leading contributor to major news sources, such as ABC TV, Forbes, Fox TV, Bloomberg and more. He is also frequently called upon to play the role of event honoree, speaker, and judge.

In the parlance of today’s celebrity driven culture, he is a rock star of the culinary world.

At just 26, Burke’s kitchen mastery won him the executive chef position of New York City’s legendary River Café, where he earned a prestigious three-star review from The New York Times. While at River Café, he became the first (and remains the only) American to win the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur, cementing his status as a leading chef on the global culinary stage. He subsequently won Japan’s Nippon Award for Excellence, and the Robert Mondavi Award of Excellence, all of which earned him a place in James Beard’s  Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.  Burke has been nominated twice for James Beard’s Best Chef and became a familiar face on the popular TV show “Top Chef.“

After opening several restaurants with the founder of the iconic Smith & Wollensky steakhouse brand and, having established a remarkable reputation, Burke set his sights on growing his brand.  The first building block was the highly regarded David Burke & Donatella, which debuted in 2003. He went on to form a hospitality company that owned and operated numerous award-winning restaurants around the country.  It was during this period that Burke gained US patents for several innovations, including his famous Himalayan salt dry aging process for beef.

In the early 1990s, Burke founded DB Global and later, in 2015, DBHM to further expand his footprint and to showcase what had become the culinary, decorative, and operational hallmarks of the David Burke brand.

The early 2020 advent of the Covid-19 pandemic threatened that expansion; however, Burke continued to push forward.  He created the #Feed the Heroes program, which prepared and delivered more than 100,000 meals to frontline workers and charities.

Sheer boredom during the months-long lockdown spurred his hugely popular and hilarious cooking demos “LeftobyDB,” with Lefto, a puppet bearing an uncanny resemblance to Burke with unruly gray hair, large-framed glasses, and chef’s coat. In addition, Burke launched a virtual online cooking demo program, CookinDB IGTV, and employee incentive initiatives tailor-made for Fortune 500 companies like Verizon.

And, rather than retrenching, he opened eight new Burke-branded restaurants in North Carolina, Saudi Arabia, and his home state of New Jersey, where he now has seven restaurant operations and a bakery. Burke’s April 2022 purchase of 89-year-old Dixie Lee Bakery saved it from closure.

In New Jersey, he also established the David Burke Scholarship at Brookdale Community College for which his annual donation of $10,000 pays the tuition for two students every year – one a culinary arts major, the other majoring in hospitality management.

With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, he is focusing on building a national presence for what is now Dixie Lee Bakery by David Burke and establishing Red Horse by David Burke as a burgeoning steakhouse brand.  To those ends, Dixie Lee’s products will soon be sold on Goldbelly and Amazon; South Lawn, NJ’s popular Fox & Falcon became Fox & Falcon by David Burke in Feb. 2023; and, a month later. The second Red Horse by David Burke debuted in White Plains, NY.

In April 2023, Burke took on Cornelius, NC’ s Port City Club as his first lakeside establishment and the 18th in his current restaurant portfolio.

Sang Yoon is the chef and proprietor of the acclaimed gastropub Father’s Office and soon-to-open Helms Bakery in Los Angeles. Yoon began his career in fine dining in Michelin-starred kitchens of Paris, New York, and Los Angeles including work at Chinois on Main and later as executive chef of Michael’s, Santa Monica’s famous dining destination for contemporary California cuisine.

In 2000, Yoon opened his first restaurant, Father’s Office, which became known for initiating the gastropub movement in L.A. Father’s Office is critically acclaimed for its extensive and rotating signature craft brew selection of local and small-batch varieties and has become synonymous with the proprietary “Office Burger” which has been hailed as the country’s best burger by the TODAY show and Esquire magazine.

In 2011, Yoon returned to fine dining with the debut of Lukshon, a modern restaurant dedicated to creative Southeast Asian flavors and was named one of the top 5 restaurants in Los Angeles by food critic Jonathan Gold. This summer, Yoon will resurrect LA’s iconic Helm’s Bakery in its original landmark location with a modern approach including a bakery focusing on classic American favorites as well as a market and restaurant with flavors inspired by Los Angeles’ cultural melting pot.

Check Chef out: @cheftentori

Giuseppe Tentori

Giuseppe Tentori is the Chef and owner of GT Prime, and BOKA CateringGroup.

 When he opened GT Fish & Oyster in March 2011, Chef Giuseppe Tentori redefined the

American seafood restaurant and earned critical recognition both regionally and nationally,

including: three-stars from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, four-stars

from Time Out Chicago, mulitple nominations for “Best Chef: Great Lakes” by the James

Beard Foundation, and the CS Magazine’s “Chef of the Year” award in 2011. Additionally,

after gaining recognition for the hot sauces he was serving in the restaurant, Tentori

introduced GT Hot Sauces to retail in the restaurant, online, and at local retailers.

Most recently, Tentori expanded the GT family with the opening of GT Prime, an innovative

shareable steak concept situated in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. As with his other

concepts, Tentori has placed an emphasis on sourcing from local farmers and using

seasonal ingredients at GT Prime – an innovative pairing that has become a trademark

through all of Tentori’s ventures.

Upon finishing his tenure at Antica Osteria la Rampina in Milan, Chef Giuseppe Tentori,

then 19, came to the United States on invitation from Chef Gabriel Viti to work at his

restaurant in Highland Park, Illinois. He then migrated out west to the Metropolitan in Salt

Lake City, where he was sous chef. After two years at the Metropolitan, he returned to

Chicago and joined Charlie Trotter's, where he spent a total of nine years perfecting his

culinary philosophy in this esteemed kitchen – including two years as chef de cuisine.

Tentori was executive chef at BOKA Restaurant in 2007 and garnered noteworthy praise.

During his reign as executive chef, BOKA received a Michelin-star four years in a row,

making the restaurant a staple in the bustling Chicago dining scene. What’s more, Tentori

was named “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine magazine in 2008 and earned three

nominations for “Best Chef: Great Lakes” by the James Beard Foundation over the course of

his tenure as executive chef. Tentori also currently serves as the executive chef of BOKA

Catering Group, where he dishes up quality cuisine and service at a variety of events.

Check Him out @susurlee

Praised as one of the “Ten Chefs of the Millennium '' by Food & Wine magazine, Susur Lee is still

at the top of his game. Chef Lee has made numerous television appearances on Chopped

Canada, MasterChef Asia, Top Chef Canada, and has been a judge on Wall of Chefs, Top Chef

Masters, and Iron Chef Canada and America. His awards and achievements include: being an

ambassador for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award

by Canada’s 100 Best, and being named the first foreign chef to be granted The Red Chef’s Hat

Award in Qing Dao, China. Chef Lee cooks his signature Southeast Asian & French cuisine at his

flagship restaurant, Lee on King St. West.

For more information about Chef Lee and Lee Restaurant visit www.leerestaurant.com

Check Him out: @chefdlefevre

David LeFevre is a veteran of the Los Angeles dining scene, often credited with transforming the culinary landscape of the South Bay in particular, with a diverse and growing roster of critically acclaimed restaurants. LeFevre is the chef-owner of multiple coastal restaurants along Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, including Manhattan Beach Post (M.B. Post), Fishing with Dynamite (FWD), The Arthur J and RYLA.

 His culinary career spans more than 30 years, having attended the Culinary Institute of America and working at some of the country’s most renowned kitchens, from the legendary American chef Charlie Trotter’s eponymous restaurant in Chicago to cooking in France at celebrated Bernard Loiseau restaurants La Côte d’Or, Restaurant Jean Bardet and Roger Vergé’s Le Moulin de Mougin.

 LeFevre’s globetrotting adventures have also led to cooking in far flung destinations such as Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, the Caribbean and Europe with top hoteliers and restaurateurs.

 During his 6 years as executive chef of Water Grill, downtown L.A.’s seminal seafood restaurant, LeFevre guided the team to being awarded a Michelin star in 2007 and 2008.

 When he opened his very first restaurant, Manhattan Beach Post (M.B. Post) in spring 2011, it marked a return to his roots and a highly personal menu of playful, artisanal dishes coupled with craft cocktails and small production wines – it soon became a beloved neighborhood gem and remains so. His sophomore concept, Fishing with Dynamite, heavily leaned into seafood when it opened in 2013 and became known for its superb oyster bar. In 2015, LeFevre introduced The Arthur J, a modern steakhouse featuring his updated spin on old-school steakhouse favorites.

 In 2020, chef LeFevre launched a catering arm called Local LA Catering, which services venues throughout SoCal, Las Vegas and Texas, with clients ranging from cutting edge space exploration companies, nationally lauded wineries, and NFL franchise branded events.

 His latest and fourth dining concept is a partnership with chefs Ray Hayashi and Cynthia Hetlinger to open RYLA after Hayashi spent nearly a decade as LeFevre’s chef de cuisine and R&D chef. RYLA celebrates coastal California cuisine through an L.A. lens with influences from chef Ray’s Japanese heritage and chef Cynthia’s Taiwanese upbringing. RYLA also marks LeFevre’s fourth Michelin-recognized restaurant.

Accolades/Honors:

▪       1-Michelin Star – Water Grill (2007 and 2008)

▪       Los Angeles Magazine, “Best New Restaurants” – M.B. Post (2011)

▪       James Beard Semi-Finalist for “Best New Restaurant” – M.B. Post (2012)

▪       James Beard Semi-Finalist – Best Chef Pacific (2012, 2013, 2014)

▪       Los Angeles Times’ “101 Best Restaurants” – M.B. Post (2012-2018)

▪       Los Angeles Magazine’s “Best New Restaurants” – Fishing with Dynamite (2013)

▪       Michelin Bib Gourmand – M.B. Post (2019-present)

▪       Michelin Plate – Fishing with Dynamite (2019-present)

▪       Michelin Plate – The Arthur J (2019-present)

▪       Los Angeles Times’ “101 Best Restaurants” – The Arthur J (2019-2021)

▪       Los Angeles Times’ “101 Best Restaurants” – Fishing with Dynamite (2022)

▪       TimeOut LA’s “Best New Restaurants” –  RYLA (2022)

▪       Infatuation LA’s “Best New Restaurants” – RYLA (2022)

▪       Michelin Plate – RYLA (2022)

▪       Los Angeles Magazine’s “Best New Restaurants” – RYLA (2023)

Follow Him: @jacquespepinfoundation Photo Credit: Tom Hopkins

Born in 1935 in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, near Lyon, Pépin always found the kitchen to be a place of both comfort and excitement. He helped in his parents’ restaurant, Le Pélican, and, at age 13, began an apprenticeship at the Grand Hôtel de L’Europe. He subsequently worked in Paris, ultimately serving as personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle.

After moving to the United States in 1959, Pépin first worked at Le Pavillon, an historic French restaurant in New York City. From 1960 to 1970, he was director of research and new development for Howard Johnson’s and developed recipes for the restaurant chain. At the same time, he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Columbia University.

Author of more than 30 books, he published his first cookbook, The Other Half of the Egg, with Helen McCully in 1967, the same year that his only daughter, Claudine was born. Pépin released his seminal text, La Technique, in 1976, and his autobiography, The Apprentice, in 2003. Jacques is also an accomplished artist, which he was able to showcase in his most recent book, The New York Times– bestselling Art of the Chicken. The book celebrates the humble bird through stories, recipes, and art.

Pépin is a former columnist for The New York Times and his articles have appeared in countless food magazines, especially Food & Wine magazine. He is the recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from five American universities, was awarded France’s highest civilian honor, La Légion d’Honneur, in 2004, as well as the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in 1997 and the Mérite Agricole in 1992. He has received 16 James Beard Foundation Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

In 2015, Pépin received the American Public Television’s Lifetime Achievement Award in November and the inaugural Julia Child Award, which was presented to him at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on October 22.

A longtime close friend of Julia Child, he starred with her in a PBS series called “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home,” which won both an Emmy Award and a James Beard Foundation Award in 2001. He has also been executive culinary director for Oceania Cruises since 2003.

For the past 30 years, Pépin has taught in the Culinary Arts Program at Boston University and he served as dean of special programs at the International Culinary Center in New York City. He parlayed his dedication to culinary education into the creation of the Jacques Pépin Foundation, along with his daughter and son-in-law, in 2016. He has called Connecticut home since 1975.

Check him out @josiahcitrin

Josiah Citrin is a culinary expert and veteran of Los Angeles’s gourmet dining scene, with more than 37 years of experience. He is chef and owner of Santa Monica, California’s Mélisse Restaurant.  In December of 2019, Chef Citrin reopened the reimagined Mélisse restaurant as two distinct concepts- Citrin, an ala carte dining experience that won one Michelin Star in 2022-2023, and Mélisse, a 14-seat tasting menu, which won two Michelin Stars from 2021-2023 and previously in 2008-2009.  Citrin is also the chef and owner of nearby Charcoal Venice and the newly opened Charcoal Sunset in West Hollywood, directly across the street from the famous Roxy. Citrin also oversees the food and beverage program at the LINE in Koreatown, as well as the restaurant Openaire situated at the hotel.  Augie’s on Main, Citrin’s fast-casual concept, opened on Main Street in Santa Monica in August 2022.  Citrin has also partnered with chef and friend Hans Röckenwagner for the iconic Sinatra-frequented Dear John’s in Culver City.  In fall of 2022, the team opened up new permanent sister restaurant, Dear Jane’s, in Marina Del Rey.  His culinary philosophy, “In Pursuit of Excellence” sets the standard for all his concepts, whether fine-dining or casual.

Follow her: @meilin21

Born in Guangdong, China, Mei Lin grew up in Dearborn, Michigan working alongside her mother and father at their family-owned and -operated Chinese restaurant; and where she learned the fundamentals of being a well-rounded cook and how to run a restaurant. Mei Lin is a chef and television personality known for her appearances (and victories) on Bravo’s Top Chef: Boston and the fourth season of Food Network’s Tournament of Champions. In 2019, she opened Nightshade, the menu featured a concise point of view, showcasing an elegant elevation of classic Asian dishes. With the culmination of Lin’s personal culinary history on full display, the restaurant garnered rave reviews from Food and Wine and GQ’s 2019 Best New Restaurants lists and 2020 JBF Best Chef California & Best New Restaurant Nominations. In 2021, Lin opened her fast-casual Szechuan Hot Fried Chicken restaurant, Daybird, to critical acclaim.

Marcus Samuelsson is the renowned chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster in Harlem (NYC) and Overtown (Miami); Hav & Mar in Chelsea (NYC); several MARCUS locations including the Bahamas, Newark, and Atlanta; and his newest concept, Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (World Trade Center, NYC) which opened November 2023. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won eight James Beard Foundation Awards. Additionally, Samuelsson has won numerous competition shows including Top Chef Masters and Chopped All-Stars and appears regularly on those franchises as a Judge. He also recently appeared as an Iron Chef on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. Samuelsson is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef and The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food. 

Follow Samuelsson on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @MarcusCooks and on TikTok at @Marcus_Cooks.

Follow Him: @rob_levitt

ABOUT HEAD BUTCHER AND CHEF ROB LEVITT: Acclaimed chef and butcher Rob Levitt first got his feet wet in the culinary world working as a dishwasher while pursuing a degree in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Sparked by his new passion for the restaurant industry, Levitt continued to cultivate his skills at the Culinary Institute of America before landing at the Park Avenue Café in Manhattan. With a desire to move back to the Midwest, Rob relocated to Chicago and worked his way through some of the city’s most popular restaurants including modern Spanish tapas spot, del Toro, Michelin-starred North Pond and acclaimed Italian eatery 312 Chicago before opening his first restaurant Mado, with his wife Allison in 2008. After three years of critical acclaim, the duo took the next step and opened The Butcher & Larder, Chicago’s first local, sustainable, whole animal butcher shop, which has been recognized for excellence in its craft by Food & Wine, GQ, The Travel Channel, The Food Network, The Good Food Awards and more. In 2015, Levitt joined Chicago-based Local Foods, to share knowledge and further expand The Butcher & Larder’s offerings with café, retail and wholesale distribution opportunities. After nearly 20 years mastering his skill and with nine years of butcher experience under his belt, Levitt eventually caught the attention of James Beard Award-winning Chef Paul Kahan, landing the coveted role of head butcher and chef of One Off Hospitality’s beloved Publican Quality Meats. Expanding upon Kahan’s signature "snout to tail” approach to butchery, Levitt captains the culinary program at PQM, creating a seasonal menu featuring rustic soups, gourmet salads, and sandwiches, while mastering an array of natural and organic meat products, house-made sausages and more at Chicago’s critically acclaimed butcher shop, neighborhood café, bakery and gourmet market. 

Follow him here: @nealfraser

Redbird | Vibiana Chef | Owner Neal Fraser

Chef Neal Fraser, owner of multiple restaurant concepts in Los Angeles, started his career in the kitchen at age 20. Fraser touts an impressive resume that includes a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and an honor roll of kitchen credits such as Wolfgang Puck’s Eureka and Spago, Checkers Hotel under Thomas Keller, Joachim Splichal’s Pinot Bistro, Hans Rockenwagner’s Rox, and the highly revered Boxer. Currently, he and his business partner/wife Amy Knoll Fraser own and operate critically acclaimed Redbird and high-volume special events and performing arts venue Vibiana.

Located in downtown Los Angeles, Redbird is Fraser’s flagship where he showcases his signature sensibility of refined yet approachable modern American cuisine, influenced by the city’s multitude of cultures. Carved into one of the city’s most historic architectural gems, inside the former rectory building of Vibiana (the cathedral-turned-event-venue), Redbird is singular, timeless and “blissfully grown-up.” The restaurant has received many accolades including a coveted spot on Los Angeles Times' Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Restaurant List.

Prior to the success of Redbird and Vibiana, Fraser and Knoll Fraser opened two of Los Angeles’ most loved restaurants – critical darling Grace, and ever-beloved, breakfast, lunch and dinner bistro, BLD. A second location for BLD currently operates inside the Los Angeles International Airport.

Fraser has also been catering for over 30 years in and around Los Angeles and across the country with events ranging from intimate dinner parties in private homes to a week-long 3 meal a day Breeder’s Cup event at Santa Anita to open-air dining events with the Outstanding in the Field group, and at Coachella and Burning Man.

At Fraser’s award-winning flagship property Vibiana, which houses his critically acclaimed restaurant Redbird in its rectory building, he and his staff execute over 100 events a year in the former cathedral and over 700 events in the 5 private dining rooms of the rectory building and adjacent garden. This is in addition to regular dinner service seven nights a week and brunch on the weekends in the 140 seat Main Dining Room. Redbird | Vibiana received the Los Angeles Conservancy’s 2019 Preservation Award Chair’s Award. The Chair’s Award is the LA Conservancy’s highest recognition celebrating the persistence, creativity and ultimate success of the revitalization for adaptive reuse of the cathedral, rectory building and surrounding property.

Over the years, both Fraser and Knoll Fraser have been active members in the community, donating time and talent to a variety of charities. Fraser currently resides on the board of LA’s Best. Nine years ago, Fraser and Knoll Fraser co-founded Beefsteak, an annual event benefitting the Los Angeles Food Bank with Simpson’s creator Matt Selman, comedian Eric Wareheim and comedy producer Cort Cass. As an avid cyclist, Fraser is an active participant in Chef’s Cycle, an annual event in support of No Kid Hungry.

Outside of the restaurants, Fraser has logged some hours on the small screen, most notably on Bravo TV's 'Top Chef Masters,’ Fox’s ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ and Food Network's 'Iron Chef America,' on which he won his battle against chef Cat Cora. He also won his battles on Esquire TV's 'Knife Fight,' and Food Network's 'Beat Bobby Flay.’

Fraser and his restaurants have been featured in publications such as Food & Wine, Los Angeles Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Architectural Digest and Eater Los Angeles.