6 Questions with Ferrell Alvarez Your Tampa love seems to exceed the normal hometown pride. Why is Tampa so awesome? I think Tampa is so great for multiple facets. In terms of a place to live, we’re close to the ocean, we have the bay and the river. For business, it’s still very affordable and there’s a lot of bloom. It provides a lot of opportunities for young businesspeople to…

Ferrell Alvarez Chef In 2013, a young Ferrell Alvarez opened his first restaurant, Rooster & the Till, in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. Fast forward six short years, and he’s stacked up a James Beard nomination and a slew of Best Restaurant awards from preeminent Florida food, trend and creative publications. But don’t think Ferrell’s spent all his time in one place. In this time, he’s also opened a waterfront…

Gregory Gourdet Chef Portland’s chef all-star has been on the rise for a long time. He’s the former Executive Chef at downtown Portland’s Departure and has worked at a slew of Jean-Gorges restaurants, cooking up everything from French to Thai. Gregory’s true break-out was becoming a finalist on Top Chef in 2015, and returning to the show as a competitor in 2020 and a Top Chef judge in 2021. He is a three-time James Beard…

Kristofor Lofgren Founder and Ceo, Bamboo Sushi Kristofor Lofgren is a creator who genuinely, earnestly and passionately is driving change in the food world. The founder and CEO of Bamboo Sushi in Portland, Oregon, he urges us to “be the change you want to see.”  As the world’s first Marine Stewardship Council-certified sushi restaurant, Bamboo Sushi crafts culinary excellence with sustainability always at top of mind. With Bamboo Sushi, its…

6 Questions with Michael Cimarusti What’s a dish you remember eating in Narraganset growing up? Yeah, definitely fried clams. Even when I was a little kid, I remember people shy away from clams with bellies. But I loved them, and that was the one thing that whenever we went up there, I always wanted. That, and clam cakes. LA fine dining seems so removed from casual New England seafood. What…

6 Questions with Mark Bitterman How did you get the idea for the term 'selmelier?' I’ve been a wine freak my whole life. I actually had a wine cellar when I was in high school. I always loved the connection of things that came out of the ground—the connections of product, and culture and place. It was always fun to tell the stories of these bottles. So, I had this…

6 Questions with Kate Williams How do your restaurants and bar complement each other and express different parts of your personality? Well, Candy Bar is sort of its own and is this swanky, high-end place. Really, it’s just this extravagant room with a 1,300-pound hand-blown glass chandelier from Italy. So, it’s very over-the-top. In terms of food at the restaurants, it’s like two sides of the same coin, I would…

Giorgio Rapicavoli Chef “Miami’s Hottest Chef” is Giorgio Rapicavoli—we’re not pandering, that’s official praise. The young all-star is bringing audacity, cleverness and intrigue to the local food scene with his restaurants, Eating House and Luca Osteria. At just 26, Giorgio won Chopped, made Forbes’ 30 Under 30,” and opened his first restaurant. He’s even received James Beard Award attention as a Best Chef semifinalist twice. But he’ll be the first to tell you he’s…

Meg Galus Pastry Chef Meg Galus oversees the pastry programs of two premier Chicago restaurants. At Michelin-starred Boka, she might delight patrons with a yuzu-coconut angel-food cake or pumpkin mouse; at Somerset, her sought-after desserts include a “sundae-for-two” and a stellar sorbet lineup.  She’s a three-time James Beard Awards finalist, and Jean Banchet “Pastry Chef of the Year”, not to mention the subject of glowing press from Chicago Tribune and the New York…

Mark Bitterman Entrepreneur, Author & Salt Connoisseur A leading expert on craft salt, chocolate and cocktail bitters, Mark Bitterman is a James Beard Award-winning author, food lover and world traveler. His first book, Salted: A Manifesto of the World’s Most Essential Mineral, was so influential it won a James Beard Award. He’s got salt on the brain, enough said. Mark’s worked with everyone in the culinary industry from top chefs to…