Chef Karen Akunowicz is the 2018 James Beard Foundation Award winner for Best Chef: Northeast and the 2020 James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant in America. She is the Chef/Owner of Fox & the Knife Enoteca in South Boston, Fox Pasta Co. and Bar Volpe Ristorante & Pastificio. Chef Karen has been touted “Boston’s Queen of Pasta” Her first restaurant Fox & the knife called an “Instant Classic” by Food & Wine Magazine.

Chef Akunowicz became a fan favorite when she competed on Bravo’s Emmy-nominated show, “Top Chef” season 13 as well as season 17 “All Stars”. She has appeared as a judge on Top Chef Season 16 and Top Chef Canada. Named one of the “21 Badass Women Changing the Food World” by Marie Claire Magazine, she is the Co-Author of the cookbook: Myers+Chang at Home (Houghton Mifflin; 2017).

She has been profiled on CBS Saturday Morning’s “The Dish”, “The Today Show” “The Kelly Clarkson Show”, “Pickler and Ben” and Hallmark’s “Home & Family”. She has been featured in commercials for Orbitz, Martini and Rossi and Zepher Design. Akunowicz has also been in national publications such as The New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, People Magazine, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Forbes and Wall Street Journal Magazine.

In 2019 Chef Karen opened Fox & the Knife, inspired by her time spent living and cooking in Modena, Italy. Fox & the Knife is a casual and contemporary homage to the food, wine, culture and spirit of that city, all presented with a warm welcome in a high energy atmosphere. Fox & the Knife menu highlights Akunowicz’s flair for the soul-satisfying, graceful Italian food that she honed while working in Italy as a pasta maker and Chef of L’Avian Blu Enoteca. At Fox & the Knife, the bold flavors of exceptional ingredients are expressed through both traditional and modern techniques to introduce new versions of beloved classics.

In 2020 Chef Akunowicz created a fresh pasta retail business called Fox Pasta Company that now ships sauces and her handmade pasta Nationwide and is carried in specialty shops in Boston and New York. Her second restaurant “Bar Volpe” opened in 2021 is a restaurant and pastificio (pasta shop) focused on wood-fired Southern Italian cuisine. With a glass encased pasta room in the middle of the dining room and a stunning market and wine bar capping off the sprawling space, Bar Volpe continues the conversation Chef Karen has started about Italian cuisine and culture at Fox & the Knife.

Karen’s second cookbook “Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds” will be published by Norton in the fall of 2023.

One of the nation's top celebrity chefs best known for her television roles on Top Chef Masters & America’s Next Great Restaurant. Chef/Owner of the internationally renowned CHICA brand with restaurants in Las Vegas and South Florida

JJ Johnson is the chef/founder of FIELDTRIP, a globally inspired rice-centric small restaurant chain, and the co-author of Between Heaven and Harlem, winner of the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook. He was born in Long Island on August 1, 1984 and grew up in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania. Growing up, JJ was introduced to cooking and the world of rice by his Afro-Puerto Rican grandmother. Her cooking and passion for rice inspired JJ to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) which resulted in him following his dream of becoming a chef. JJ immersed himself in West African cuisine studying and traveling under Alexander Smalls in Ghana and NYC. During further travels to India, Singapore and Israel, JJ experienced new cooking techniques and noticed rice was at the center of everyone’s culture, a realization that would later inspire FIELDTRIP. At the beginning of his career, JJ worked at Tribeca Grill, The Skytop Lounge, The Smith, the Morgan Stanley dining room and The Cecil. At Tribeca Grill, JJ met Drew Nieporent, a highly respected restaurateur, who became his mentor in the culinary industry. In addition, while working at The Smith, executive chef Brian Ellis guided JJ on running a restaurant, managing costs and crafting great food.

When JJ set out to create his own restaurant, FIELDTRIP, the mantra, “Rice is culture,” guided the menu as he focused on creating different styles of rice bowls inspired by global flavors while using a variety of rice as the base. With such a focus on the rice grain and all the flavor it brings to so many dishes, JJ stresses the importance of sourcing quality rice from sustainable farms across the country. The rice at FIELDTRIP is freshly milled and must be refrigerated, like produce or meat from a butcher shop. The high-quality rice further speaks to JJ’s focus on providing FIELDTRIP guests with heritage, culture and unique flavors and textures that complement each dish.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, JJ saw the community around him struggling to stay afloat and wanted to make a difference. He began donating meals to the local hospital in Harlem to feed nurses, doctors and first responders in the area that were working to keep everyone safe. The outreach then moved to helping neighbors, by providing free meals to those in need. Shortly after, FIELDTRIP began receiving donations from across the country to continue their work and has since donated over 100,000 meals to support the Harlem community and feed frontline workers throughout the pandemic.

In 2019, JJ’s cookbook, Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day, won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook. He has been recognized for his philanthropy efforts and named on the 20 Under 40 list of extraordinary philanthropists by the Observer, Forbes 30 under 30 and Zagat 30 under 30. The New York Times named JJ as one of 16 Black chefs changing food in America. JJ was also highlighted in GQ for his work at Henry at Life Hotel by JJ, citing the establishment as one of the best new restaurants in America.

After making his mark in the restaurant world, JJ turned to television with a passion for teaching home cooks everywhere how to make their food more flavorful and delicious. JJ’s cooking show, Just Eats with Chef JJ, combines his love of cooking with celebrity guests and influencers, streaming every Saturday at 9 PM ET.

As an avid music lover, JJ combines music and food at FIELDTRIP in all his cooking, with two customizable playlists the restaurant’s staff add to, giving the space an inviting and upbeat feel. For JJ, one of the pivotal things he has learned throughout his career is how to best understand the psyche of customers to better cater to what they are looking for as well as introduce them to new bold flavors and ideas with his cooking. JJ hopes to one day write a memoir telling the story of his life, all he has learned and everyone that has helped him along the way.

In his free time, JJ loves to travel and explore how different cultures around the world cook.

A restaurateur and proponent of Indian cuisine with her unique Latin twist, Dey combined her business credentials with her passion for food with Vermilion in Chicago and Vermilion NYC, in Manhattan for 10 years.  To redress the “gastro-ceiling” in the culinary industry, Rohini cofounded the James Beard Foundation Women’s Leadership Program in 2011, chaired it, and was a JBF Trustee for a decade. 

Rohini launched Let’s Talk Womxn in July 2020 and leads this initiative that connects over 400 women restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs across 12 cities to counter the pandemic business crisis and to build scale collaboratively. Within the past year, Rohini is included in the 2021 Top 50 Power List by Nation’s Restaurant News, TimeOut 2021 Women of the Year, ATHENA International 2021 Leadership Award, and featured in The Today Show and Good Morning America for the impact of Let’s Talk Womxn.

Rohini has keynoted women’s parity and leadership forums including for Politico Women Rule, The Global Economic Summit by the US State Dept., TEDx and the NATO Summit. She has a Master’s degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and a Doctorate in Management Science from the University of Texas. Before going entrepreneurial, Rohini worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. managing projects in foreign direct investment. At McKinsey & Co., she led projects with a focus on hi-tech and growth.  Rohini writes policy and business opinions for CNN, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Business and others. She has mentored chefs from Vermilion to compete on Iron Chef, Top Chef, judge Chopped, and open their own businesses. Rohini is a frequent judge on Food Network. Her entrepreneurial journey was profiled on CNBC and Financial Times. Vermilion has been lauded as Best Restaurants by Travel & Leisure, Town & Country, USA Today, Esquire, Chicago magazine, and Bon Appetit.

On a personal level, Rohini has two daughters, is an avid reader, loves dark movies, is a policy wonk, still loves to dine out, thrives on travel, runs daily (Chicago Marathon, Half Ironman), is an amateur chess and squash enthusiast, and has accomplished a personal dream - climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Devita Davison, Executive Director, FoodLab Detroit. FoodLab is a nonprofit organization that fosters the creation of an inclusive and equitable local food economy by providing food entrepreneurs with education, peer-to-peer mentoring, access to market opportunities and exchange of experiences. By primarily focusing on incubating food entrepreneurs from communities of color, FoodLab aims to improve Detroit’s neighborhood social and built environment by democratizing good food and allowing everyone to take part in the development of a local food culture.

In this position since 2014, Devita works to build an ecosystem that provides food entrepreneurs with the resources they need to launch, operate and scale good food businesses that create good jobs and catalyze positive change in their communities. Her overall goal is to create a food economy that acknowledges the importance of food justice, community health, local ownership and sustainability.

Devita Davison was a 2016 TEDxBrum & 2017 TED speaker, her TED Talk on the big stage has been seen over 1 Million times, she is a 2014 UIX Urban Innovator, 2017 Grist Top 50 Leader in sustainability, a Southern Foodway Alliance Smith Fellow, and a 2019 Sustainability Champion by the Detroiter

Four-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee Katie Button is the co-founder and CEO of Asheville, North Carolina’s beloved Cúrate, a collection of restaurants, online marketplace, wine club and culinary journeys designed to create exceptional and experiential access to Spanish culture. Button honed her craft in the kitchens of some of the world’s best chefs, most notably Ferran Adrià and José Andrés, before venturing out to open her own restaurant with husband, Felix Meana, and her family.

Among her many accolades, Chef Katie Button was featured as one of Food & Wine’s 2015 Best New Chefs. Cúrate was named as one of the “40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years” by Food & Wine and one of the “Most Important Restaurants of the Decade” by Esquire. In 2016, Button released her first cookbook, Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen.

Throughout it all, Button continues to challenge the industry standard, steadily building comprehensive benefits to create a sustainable work environment for her living wage-certified restaurant group. She also is an active participant in the James Beard Foundation’s Impact programs and is currently serving on the Independent Restaurant Coalition’s leadership team. In 2021, Button joined the brand-new Magnolia Network, launching From the Source, a series that explores the origins and stories behind different ingredients, along with Techniques for Cooking, as part of the app-based digital Magnolia Workshops.

A native of Dominican Republic, Chef Dayanny was taught from an early age that “hard work pays off.”

The greatest influence in Chef Dayanny’s work ethic and passion for cooking has to be given to her Grandmother. “Mama,” as she was known in the family home, helped Chef “D” understand the cultural and family recipes that would shape her over 20 years of experience with some of the most prestigious chefs and kitchens throughout the world. Standing side by side in the kitchen and washing “Mama’s” dishes has to be the reason Chef “D” has employees working “with her instead of working for her.”

Her hard work philosophy guided her in 2003 to make a career change from Hospitality Management and Tourism to pursue a culinary career. She attended Culinary School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, resulting in being awarded the Director’s Award. She quickly gained recognition as an Executive Chef in Chicago and Minnesota focusing on the NHL Minnesota Wild and Harley Davidson Museum. In 2011, Chef “D” found her way to combine her love for cooking, management of a sports facility culinary operation and nutritional development when she was hired by Levy Restaurant at TD Ameritrade Park, Home of the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

Next stop for this hard working and ambitious Chef was Downtown Miami. She took a position with Levy Restaurants and brought her whole family to Miami, Florida where she became the Executive Sous Chef at the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat. Her attention to detail led to tremendous success in menu development and management in all premium food operation, team dining and special events. The opportunity to partner with well-known Miami Chefs: Ralph Pagano, Richard Sandoval, Michael Lewis and Dena Marino, proved Chef “D” would have a place in the South Florida Culinary scene.

Her expertise in culinary management and development of Farm to Fork menus caught the eye of a nationally known hotel and resort company. Ocean Properties recruited Chef Dayanny to work directly with the Vice President of Food & Beverage and Kitchen Management team while developing menus that showcase the abundant variety of local ingredients and implémentation of all logistic in BOH. With her help Ocean Properties opened 10 new restaurants with concepts and structures unique to the Italian and Spanish market. Again, because her hard work ethic had no limits she was tasked with creating vertical hydroponic vertical farms for all of Ocean Properties boutique hotels. This allowed the hotel restaurant patrons to enjoy menu items that integrated organic and plant based recipes from their in-house gardens.

Being a freelance chef and consultant, corporate executive chef, food and beverage consultant, outstanding member of the American Culinary Fédération, food stylist and recipe consultant for Kroger Latino were all the vehicles to bring her to her position today as the Executive Chef at Hard Rock Stadium. She knew she was at home at this World Class venue with a seating capacity of 67 thousand South Florida sports enthusiasts. With her team at Centerplate Chef “D” is responsible for directly managing a $50 million dollar food and beverage budget for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, University of Miami Hurricanes, Miami Open Tennis 2019 and future home of the NFL’s 2020 Super Bowl. She will be the first to tell you she is only as good as the people in her kitchen, including seven highly trained chefs and numerous kitchen staff. There is no question “Mama” is proud of Chef Dayanny because she has been heard saying, “everyone in my kitchen is my extended family, we are a mix of every nationality you can think of working together to create the best user culinary experience, one event at a time and always as a team.” She will immediately tell you how important her husband and family are and the sacrifices they have made for her to achieve this level of excellence in the culinary profession. Hard work is a good thing and Chef Dayanny’s light shines the brightest when she is doing what she loves: working towards a common goal.

Local Causes and Community Involvement.

Food rescue MIA

Miami Rescue Mission

Lotus House

Prominent Events and Achievements:

FORBES LATAM 2021 MOST CREATIVE

SBLIV FIRST WOMAN IN CHARGE OF CULINARY PROGRAM

Kentucky Derby, Louisville, KY

US Open, Palm Spring CA

Chef Lead for US Tennis Open, New York

NBA All-Star Game, Houston

PGA Championship

Stagiaire Charlie Trotter, Chicago, IL

Stagiaire Tony Mantuano, Chicago, IL

Certified in Nutrition, Vegetarian Trends and Food Service Management

ServSafe Certification, National Restaurant Association

Alcohol Compliance Training, Regulatory Compliance Services

CPR and AED Certified, American Safety and Health Institute

Michael Shemtov is a Charleston, South Carolina based restaurateur with a strong passion for entrepreneurship, and a strong interest in politics. He graduated from the College of Charleston and went into restaurant ownership at age 22 with the opening of Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers in downtown Charleston. Michael later opened three more Mellow Mushroom locations in the Charleston area, and served for two years as the Marketing Director for the parent company of Mellow Mushroom.

In 2011, Michael opened Butcher & Bee Charleston with the simple mission of serving honest-to-goodness sandwiches made with flavors and quality usually reserved for fine dining.

In 2014, he opened The Daily, a modern neighborhood bodega offering coffee, hot breakfast and lunch, and provisions. In 2015, Michael opened his first concept outside of Charleston, Butcher & Bee in East Nashville, and now co-owns a second restaurant in East Nashville called Redheaded Stranger. His project Workshop - a multi-concept culinary incubator opened in Charleston in 2017, has “graduated” over six culinary entrepreneurs out of it’s food hall and into standalone brick & mortar locations.

His passion for politics, current events and world affairs is ever present. He is a regular volunteer for political campaigns and in 2019 became a proud graduate of the James E. Clyburn Political Fellowship program through the South Carolina Democratic Party. He resides in Charleston with his wife Melody and two kids, delightfully nestled into Congressman Clyburn’s district.