• CarolinedeRoussy_ChateaudelaChaize

    Caroline de Roussy de Sales, Owner, Chateau de la Chaize, Bourgogne France

    March 10th, 2011

    The Marquise, Caroline de Roussy de Sales’s mother, Nicole, inherited this historic estate, in 1967 from her aunt the Marquise de Montaigu. In 1968 Nicole started an important program of restoration of the house, the gardens and the winery. This included scaling back the vineyards’ production by half and installing a gravity flow winery. Since [...]

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    Ken Forrester, Owner, Ken Forrester Vineyards, South Africa

    March 10th, 2011

    In 1993, hospitality industry veteran Ken Forrester and his wife Teresa purchased the historic Scholtzenh of Estate, nestled at the base of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch. Originally established in 1689 as Zandberg, the property is one of the oldest wine farms in the Cape. While Teresa began restoration work on the 1694 Cape Dutch farmhouse which would become the [...]

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  • TheresaH

    Theresa Heredia, Winemaker, Freestone Winery, Freestone Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    Theresa supervises Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production at Freestone under the guidance of Damian Parker, Director of Winemaking. Theresa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and also completed three years of study in the Chemistry and Viticulture/Enology Ph.d program at U.C. Davis. She then worked her first harvest [...]

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  • AustinHope

    Austin Hope, Director of Winemaking, Hope Family Wines, Paso Robles Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    Austin Hope is a winemaker for a new generation. Having spent his childhood among his family’s vines in Paso Robles, he’s right at home talking about grapes, the Paso Robles community and his responsibility as the head of one of the largest family-owned and operated wineries in the area. He is equally at home dishing [...]

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  • GrahamWeerts

    Graham Weerts, Winemaker, Stonestreet Winery, Jackson Family Wines, Sonoma Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    Graham Weerts joined Stonestreet in May, 2004 fresh from Cape Town, South Africa, where he was working as head winemaker at Bellingham Winery. Graham is a native of Newlands, Cape Town. A family background in farming, and his love of food and wine, led Graham to pursue a career in the wine industry. Graham has a degree in Wine [...]

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  • GenevieveJansens

    Genevieve Jannsens, Director of Winemaking, Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    Genevieve Janssens, Director of Winemaking for Robert Mondavi Winery in the Napa Valley, has received one of the industry’s highest honors, being named Wine Enthusiast’s 2010 Winemaker of the Year. These awards recognize excellence in the wine industry, honoring the most notable figures, with a special emphasis on achievements made over the past year. Born [...]

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  • Rinaldi

    Tom Rinaldi, Director of Winemaking, Hewitt Vineyard Estate, Rutherford Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    With more than three decades of Napa Valley winemaking experience, Tom Rinaldi is proud to be the first winemaker to craft a single-vineyard expression for the Hewitt Vineyard Estate. “It’s an exceptional piece of land,” says Rinaldi. “The first time I set foot on it, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.” Rinaldi [...]

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  • ColSolare

    Darel Allwine, Assistant Winemaker, Col Solare Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    For many of us, retirement is a time to pursue hobbies and travel after a long career. For Darel Allwine, retirement from the U.S. Air Force has led to a new calling in the world of wine. Returning to his native Washington state after 20 years traveling the globe for the Air Force’s Air Transport [...]

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  • Thomas_Wrath

    Michael Thomas, Winemaker, Wrath Winery, Soledad Ca.

    March 10th, 2011

    Wrath is the brainchild of co-owner Michael Thomas. Born in Texas, Michael graduated from Duke University and went on to receive a Ph.D. in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Texas at Austin. He has excavated in Italy for the past sixteen years. Michael has taught at Southern Methodist University, the University of [...]

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  • MarkHyman_LlanoEstacado

    Mark Hyman, President, Llano Estacado, Texas

    March 10th, 2011

    Mark Hyman’s challenge as President and C.E.O. is significant, for, despite the indisputable quality of the wines; many people outside of the boundaries of Texas remain unaware of the achievements of Texas’ premium wine industry.  Still, for a professional with his skills, experience, and energy, the challenge of making a quality product accessible to Texas [...]

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  • De Toren

    Emil den Dulk, De Toren, South Africa

    March 10th, 2011

    Emil and Sonette den Dulk left the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg in 1991 to seek the beauty and serenity of the Cape winelands. They stumbled upon what Emil refers to as “a little piece of heaven” in the Polkadraai Hills, with the magnificent Stellenbosch Mountains as backdrop. It was here that they established De Toren Private [...]

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  • AndrewKnowlton

    Andrew Knowlton, Editor, Bon Appetit Restaurant and Drinks

    March 8th, 2011

    Andrew Knowlton is the Restaurant and Drinks Editor at Bon Appétit magazine, where he writes features and monthly columns for both the magazine and the website. His blog, The BA Foodist, was nominated for a 2009 James Beard Award. He has appeared as a judge on The Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef America” and “Iron Chef America.” as well [...]

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    Diana McMillen, Senior Food Editor, Midwest Living

    March 8th, 2011

    Diana McMillen, senior food editor of Midwest Living magazine, oversees all of the food content in this bimonthly, regional publication with a circulation of nearly 1 million. She holds a B.S. in food journalism and an M.A. in Communications. For more than 20 years, McMillen has tasted every recipe that has appeared in the magazine, [...]

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    Jason Dady, Executive Chef & Owner, Jason Dady Restaurants

    February 11th, 2011

    Chef Dady has pioneered an innovative culinary culture in San Antonio and has developed a reputation of top quality, excellence and professionalism in food, service and hospitality through each of his five San Antonio dining establishments. As Executive Chef and Owner of The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills, Bin 555 Restaurant and Wine Bar, Tre [...]

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  • watkins

    Josh Watkins, Executive Chef, The Carillon

    February 11th, 2011

    Executive Chef Josh Watkins brings a new dimension to simplified elegance through a unique combination of ingredients and a blend of contemporary and classical cooking techniques. Though a native Austinite, Watkins went to school at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, a city known for its culinary heritage. Returning to Texas, Watkins first worked [...]

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    David Bull, Executive Chef, Second Bar + Kitchen & Bar Congress

    February 11th, 2011

    Growing up in his family’s restaurant, David Bull learned the inner workings of a kitchen and the role a restaurant plays in the community. These experiences not only showed him his love of cooking, but also taught him that creating lasting memories through taste, smell and the feelings associated with them, connects people to each [...]

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    Paul Qui, Executive Chef, Uchiko

    February 11th, 2011

    Paul Qui’s love of food began as a child with the “sweet smells of freshly baked breads in the mornings and the diverse culture of the Philippines” that he found in the bustling bakery of his family’s grocery store. Qui moved to Springfield, Virginia at the age of ten and then on to Houston to [...]

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  • TysonCole-Brett Buchanan_web

    Tyson Cole, Executive Chef, Uchi & Uchiko

    February 11th, 2011

    Cole became fascinated with sushi in his early twenties while working at an Austin Japanese restaurant.  He dedicated himself to learning every aspect of the cuisine. Demonstrating skill and dexterity with the knife, he quickly worked his way from dishwasher to head sushi chef.  Cole then moved to Austin’s top sushi restaurant, Musashino, where he [...]

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  • CaseyThompson

    Casey Thompson, Executive Chef, Brownstone

    February 11th, 2011

    Food has played a momentous role in Casey Thompson’s life. Coming from two very different families, one influenced from the south and the second from a heavily influenced French cuisine. “I found cooking to be my calling. My start began as a prep cook at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas where I [...]

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    Chef Andy Ricker, Executive Chef, Pok Pok

    February 11th, 2011

    Andy Ricker visited Thailand the first time as a backpacker in 1987 and has since spent several months each year traveling, eating, cooking and studying food culture in Thailand and neighboring countries. He is the owner and executive cook of the award-winning Pok Pok Restaurant in Portland, OR, which opened in 2005, and Whiskey Soda [...]

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    Chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal

    February 11th, 2011

    Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo opened Animal restaurant in June 2008 to widespread acclaim. Since opening, the chef duo has been awarded Food & Wine Best New Chefs of 2009, received a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant, Rising Star Chefs by Star Chefs and Wine List of the Year by GQ Magazine. The [...]

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    Chef Andrew Dwyer, Chef & Author

    February 11th, 2011

    Andrew Dwyer is a well-known Australian adventurer, chef, cookbook author, television presenter and historian. For 25 years, he has lead expeditions into the most remote and wild regions of Outback Australia. Andrew first cooked with fire through necessity in the Outback and soon discovered that the open fire was the ultimate cooking medium, producing temperatures [...]

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  • Rodney Muirhead photo360px

    Chef Rodney Muirhead, Podnah’s Pit Barbecue

    February 11th, 2011

    By the time Rodney Muirhead opened the nationally celebrated Podnah’s Pit Barbecue in late 2006, he had already been smoking Texas-style barbecue in Portland, Oregon for nearly four years. He started his barbecue career as one-half of L.O.W. BBQ, the traveling pit-on-trailer. Eventually in 2006, he opened his own barbecue restaurant. To honor his Texas [...]

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    Jonathan Gelman, Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Operations, The Driskill Hotel

    February 11th, 2011

    For more than 20 years, Chef Jonathan Gelman has cooked at some of the country’s most luxurious hotels, resorts and wineries. As director of culinary operations for The Driskill Hotel, he oversees and directs all of the hotel’s culinary programs, including The Driskill Grill, 1886 Café & Bakery and catering and banquets. Prior to joining [...]

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  • rebecca_web

    Rebecca Rather, Pastry Chef & Proprietor, Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe

    February 11th, 2011

    A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. Rebecca is the author of three cookbooks: The Pastry [...]

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  • ShawnCirkiel_web

    Shawn Cirkiel, Executive Chef & Owner, parkside & the backspace

    February 11th, 2011

    “Treating food right is the most important thing to me,” says Chef Shawn Cirkiel, who has trained in restaurants as noteworthy as Café Boulud, Domaine Chandon and Austin’s very own Uchi. One of Austin’s most recognized chefs, Cirkiel has been invited and cooked twice at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. In 2002, [...]

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    Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef, Public Restaurant and Double Crown

    February 11th, 2011

    Celebrated for his creative, global approach to cooking, Brad Farmerie grew up in a food-loving family. He followed his love for food to Le Cordon Bleu rounding out his education at acclaimed restaurants Coast, Chez Nico, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, and Sugar Club. In 2003, Brad moved back to the U.S. to help conceive [...]

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  • MattLightner

    Matt Lightner, Executive Chef, Castagna Restaurant

    February 11th, 2011

    As the executive chef at Castagna Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, Lightner, 30, reigns over one of Portland’s most esteemed restaurants known for its commitment to locally grown ingredients. Lightner’s creative cooking techniques are already turning heads nationally with his recent selection by Food & Wine Magazine as one of the 2010 Best New Chefs in America. [...]

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  • Book Review The Hamburger

    Josh Ozersky, Writer & Meat Enthusiast

    February 8th, 2011

    Josh Ozersky writes about food for Time Magazine with his celebrated column, Taste of America. He is the author of The Hamburger: A History (2008), Meet Me In Manhattan: A Carnivore’s Guide to New York City (2003) and the forthcoming Colonel Sanders and the American Dream (2012). He received a James Beard Award for writing [...]

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    Kyle MacLachlan Actor/Proprietor, Pursued by Bear, Walla Walla, WA

    February 7th, 2011

    Actor and long time appreciator of wine, Kyle MacLachlan joined forces with Eric Dunham and the team at Dunham Cellars in 2005 intending to create something special. Originally encouraged by his wife and a close wine-maker friend, Kyle made his dream of making wine a reality when a chance phone call with Eric Dunham led [...]

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