Category: Tastemakers

Get To Know Chris McDade and Natalie Grindstaff

Chris McDade & Natalie Grindstaff Chef, Sommelier Chris McDade and Natalie Grindstaff share many things: a home, a son, and an eternal love for food and wine. Chris is the author of the cookbook, The Magic of Tinned Fish, and a passionate advocate for eating sustainable canned seafood. “It’s hard to get more convenient and sustainable than fish you can throw in your pocket and eat anytime.” He also makes plates…

Get To Know Mark Estee

Mark Estee Chef & Restaurateur With a larger-than-life personality, it’s only fitting that Mark Estee is celebrity chef to “The Biggest Little City in the World,” a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef, as well as the newest Food Network star. A staple of the northern Nevada culinary scene, Mark is a pioneer in the local food movement. “Our job is to buy great products and not eff them…

Get To Know Charles Bililies and Tony Cervone

Charles Bililies & Tony Cervone For Charles Bililies, founder and CEO, and Tony Cervone, chef and partner, at San Francisco’s Souvla, the best approach to life is to find what you love—and then just do it really, really well. For this dynamic duo, that’s souvlaki: grilled skewered meats roasted and dripping to perfection, and served with casually elegant California flair. What started as a passion project has turned into a brand…

Get To Know Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray Winemaker The trip that changed everything for Andrew? Traveling through France’s Rhône Valley with his parents, and falling in love with winemaking as a teenager. He quickly left his UC Berkeley paleontology studies behind to pursue a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis’ renowned wine program. By his early twenties, he had founded his own eponymous winery in California’s Santa Ynez Valley, so similar to the…

Get To Know Zach Pollack

Zach Pollack Chef Anyone who’s met Zach Pollack will tell you he’s obsessed with Italian tradition. And if you’ve eaten at one of his award-winning restaurants in Los Angeles, you know that with obsession comes perfection and a really delicious plate of pasta. That passion and expertise has earned him Los Angeles Magazine’s “Top 10 Best New Restaurants,” a spot on Forbes’ “30 Under 30,”  and a nomination for the James Beard Foundation’s “Rising…

6 Questions with Charles Bililies & Tony Cervone

6 Questions with Charles Bililies & Tony Cervone Souvla’s motto is 'Make it nice and be nice.' what's the backstory? CHARLES: We look to this phrase as a constant reference point. Coming out of Michelin three-star restaurants like I did, there was always this relentless pursuit of perfection, which is great in many ways but comes with a very heavy human toll. When we set out to create Souvla, we…

Get To Know Lisa Donovan

Lisa Donovan Chef, Author There are a few things we know for certain about Lisa Donovan: she’s a fierce advocate for women’s rights, she can wax poetic over the nuances of Mexican corn varietals, and she knows how to make a mean buttermilk chess pie. Lisa is one of the top pastry chefs in the South, kneading and baking the night’s best courses at some of Nashvilles hottest restaurants. Lisa…

Argentina with Modern Adventure

Argentina with John Manion November 6 – 12, 2023 If you have a taste for world-class wine, good food and vibrant culture, join us as we hike, dine and drink in the rich history and landscapes, from Mendoza to Uco Valley to Buenos Aires. Meet chefs and winemakers, and artists in their studios. You’re in the company of award-winning Chef John Manion, a master of South American cooking and owner…

6 Questions with Lisa Donovan

6 Questions with Lisa Donovan How has your family background shaped your cooking? My mother's family is of Indigenous and Mexican descent, and a lot of my early writing was about rediscovering and honoring the women in my family. I think back on the simplicity of the kitchen I grew up in—always these pots of beans and very simple tortillas that my grandmother would make on the skillet. My father’s…

6 Questions with Zach Pollack

6 Questions with Zach Pollack You went to Italy to study to be an architect. Fast forward: you're an acclaimed chef known for your Italian fare. How did that happen? The switch from architecture to cooking was more seamless than you might think. They’re both creative fields, but they also require a lot of left brain thinking, a lot of rules, and a lot of boundaries. I’ve found I need…