Major Food Group is headed by the trio of Chef Rich Torrisi, Chef Mario Carbone, and business partner Jeff Zalaznick. In 2010, the two chefs created the “New York Times” three-starred Torrisi Italian Specialties in NYC’s Nolita. Within a year, they’d had partnered with Mr. Zalaznick to create a popular sandwich chain, Parm.

Australian-born chef Shaun Hergatt took the Financial District by storm when his restaurant, SHO Shaun Hergatt at the Setai Hotel, received two Michelin stars and a solid 29 across the board in the Zagat Survey when it opened back in 2009. That same year, he was honored with the spot for “best new restaurant” in New York Magazine and Esquire, and in 2010 New York Times reviewer Sam Sifton awarded him two stars.

From her days as a chef in Berkeley during the 1970s' California food revolution to her tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet - a post held since 1999 - Ruth Reichl has been one of the most significant culinary personalities of the last 30 years.

Peter Hoffman has been the chef-owner of Savoy for 19 years, and of Back Forty since late 2007. He is known for his patronage of the Greenmarket and local farmers, with whom he has created longstanding relationships that reflect in the carefully selected ingredients found in his dishes.

Nathan Myhrvold is the lead author of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, a six-volume, 2,438-page opus released in March 2011. He is also the co-founder and chief executive officer of Intellectual Ventures, a Seattle-based company focused on creating and investing in inventions, and has nearly 250 patents in his name issued or pending.

Michael White grew up in Beloit, Wisconsin. While studying culinary arts at Kendall College, he started his restaurant career at Spiaggia, in Chicago. He worked and studied in Italy for seven years, at restaurants including San Domenico, in Imola. After returning to the U.S., he quickly earned the executive chef position at Fiamma Osteria in New York City in 2002.

Chef Michael Laiskonis began his career as a savory chef at bakeries and restaurants in Detroit, and was named pastry chef of Tribute in 1999, helping the restaurant earn a James Beard Award by 2003. In 2004, he began what would be an eight-year tenure as the executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin in New York City, where he helped the legendary restaurant earn four stars from The New York Times, as well as three Michelin stars

Gramercy Tavern’s Executive Chef Michael Anthony is fortunate for many reasons. Just after Anthony took the reigns, New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni bestowed three stars on the eatery, likening it to the comfort of an old friend. But more recently, his life took a dramatic turn when he experienced emergency open-heart surgery—putting a new perspective on his culinary career among other things.