George Motz
George Motz is a well-traveled chef, author, award-winning filmmaker, and photographer. He has also been called the 'foremost authority on hamburgers' by The New York Times, and ‘America's biggest burger name' by Eater LA. In the spring of 2004, Motz completed Hamburger America, his second documentary film, which he shot, produced, edited, and directed. The film was nominated in 2006 for a James Beard Award, and in 2011, was recognized by the US National Archives as an integral part of American food history. The film's success led to a state-by-state guide to hamburgers, also titled Hamburger America, a State-by-State Guide to Great Burger Joints. And in 2016, Abrams Books released his first cookbook, The Great American Burger Book, fully updated in May 2023. George can be seen on his show Burger Scholar Sessions on Complex Media's First We Feast.
When not working on his upcoming children's book, George can also be found spreading the word of burger around the globe through workshops, consultations, and burger pop-ups. He recently opened his dream restaurant, Hamburger America, in the Soho neighborhood of NYC, which was awarded 2-stars by Pete Wells in the New York Times.
Hector Garate
Hector Garate is the owner and pitmaster behind Palmira Barbecue, where he blends wood-fired technique, whole animal-cookery, and the nostalgic flavors of his Puerto Rican roots.
Hector Garate grew up in Puerto Rico, where bold flavors, practical technique, and a deep respect for food were part of everyday life. That foundation still drives his cooking. As a teenager, he moved with his family to North Carolina, then New York, eventually landing in Charleston, SC. In the early days of the pandemic, his wife gave him an offset smoker, an unexpected gift that sparked a full-blown obsession. What began as backyard experimentation quickly evolved into something more serious.
Justin Pichetrungsi
Justin Pichetrungsi, chef and owner of Anajak Thai restaurant in Los Angeles, recently received the James Beard Award for Best Chef California 2023 and was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2022. After growing up in Anajak, the restaurant that his parents opened in 1981, Justin spent more than a decade in entertainment at Disney and as an professor at the prestigious ArtCenter College of Design. In 2019, Justin returned to helm the Anajak kitchen, carrying on the legacy of the chef, his father Ricky, cooking the dishes that the neighborhood family restaurant was known for. Along the way he added his own ideas– the popular Thai Taco Tuesday, developing an extensive wine program, and the Omakase tasting menu experience to showcase the flavors of Thailand interpreted for the modern Los Angeles culinary landscape. Anajak Thai has also been named LA Times Restaurant of the Year, was included in the New York Times America’s Best Restaurants list, and received a Michelin Plate Honor three years in a row. Currently Justin can also be seen judging on Top Chef and braving some heat on First We Feast’s Heat Eaters and F*ck That’s Delicious with Action Bronson.
Ana Castro
Ana Castro was raised in Mexico City by her grandmother. In her grandmother’s kitchen, Ana’s curiosity awoke, not only about food’s sourcing and preparation, but also about the healing properties that a meal cooked with love and passion can bring to those who share a table. Inspired, Ana pursued a formal culinary education and then spread her wings. She has travelled and cooked around the world, from India to Denmark and New York to New Orleans. Since laying down roots in Louisiana, Ana has worked her way up from line cook to sous chef to executive chef. In 2021, Ana opened Lengua Madre with a desire to showcase Mexican cuisine through her lived experience. Under her leadership, Lengua Madre was a semifinalist for the 2022 James Beard Foundation Award’s “Best New Restaurant,” was included in The New York Times’ 2021 “Best Restaurant’s in America” and Bon Appetit’s “50 Best New Restaurants” in 2022. She was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2022 and went on to become a 2023 finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: South.” In July 2024, Ana started the next chapter of career as a first-time owner, alongside her best friend and sister Lydia Castro, with the opening of ACAMAYA, a contemporary Mexican mariscos restaurant that features dishes rooted in Mexican flavors and technique while celebrating the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico. Since opening, ACAMAYA has been named one of "America's Best Restaurants" 2024 by The New York Times and one of Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants in America, 2024.” Ana was named a “Best Chef South” semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard Awards.
Rick Martinez
Chef Rick Martinez is a celebrated Mexican-American chef, author, food personality, and recipe developer, who regularly contributes to The New York Times. Known for his vibrant, effervescent personality and innovative cooking style, Rick has received numerous accolades for his debut cookbook, Mi Cocina, including the prestigious James Beard Award for International Cooking, as well as two IACP awards for Best International Cookbook and Book of the Year in 2023. Born and raised in Austin, TX, and now based in Mazatlán, Mexico, Rick spent decades in advertising before following his dream of working with food. Rick graduated from the French Culinary Institute and worked under Dan Kluger at ABC Kitchen before working at Bon Appetit as a senior food editor. Years later, he discovered his true passion—to challenge misconceptions about Mexican cuisine. Through his work and cookbooks, he now showcases the vibrancy and diversity of Mexican food, highlighting its rich cultural heritage and how easily it can be incorporated into everyday cooking. Most recently Rick launched Sazón, his new Substack, which gives folks a front-row seat (and backstage pass) to the Mexican kitchen, with recipes and stories from his kitchen.
Katie Button
Katie Button is a five-time James Beard Foundation award nominated chef, cookbook author, media personality, and founder of Asheville-based restaurant Cúrate. The restaurant group also includes Events by Cúrate, an online marketplace called Cúrate at Home, a wine club, and culinary tour company called Cúrate Trips, designed to connect people with the Spanish experience.
Katie earned a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, but her passion for food and travel ultimately guided her towards a career in the food world. Though immersed in the industry at a young age, she ultimately honed her craft in the kitchens of some of the world's best chefs, most notably Ferran Adrià and José Andrés. This experience guided her to her own success as a restaurateur, Button Meana Group founder, and Cúrate lifestyle brands.
Today, Button Meana Group houses Katie Button Media and Magnolia Network’s From The Source, a series exploring the origins and stories behind different ingredients. Katie’s bread and butter, however, are the Button Meana Group-owned Cúrate Brands: Events by Cúrate, Cúrate at Home, Cúrate Trips, and Cúrate Wine Club, as well as her restaurant, Cúrate Bar de Tapas, which won the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Hospitality award in 2022. In 2016, Katie also released her first cookbook, Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen.
Katie aims to challenge the industry standard, steadily building comprehensive benefits to create a sustainable work environment for her living wage-certified restaurant group.
Nancy Silverton
Nancy Silverton is the co-owner of the Mozza Restaurant Group which consists of eight locations worldwide, with flagship locations in California: Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, Mozza2Go, and chi SPACCA in Los Angeles. Other locations in the United States include Osteria Mozza DC in collaboration with restaurateur Stephen Starr and Osteria Mozza Lanai, located in the Four Seasons Resort Lanai. Her international locations include Osteria Mozza Singapore and Mozza Cabo in Los Cabos, Mexico. In 2025, Nancy opened Max & Helen’s in Los Angeles in collaboration with television writer and food personality Phil Rosenthal. In 2026, she is scheduled to open Spacca Tutto in collaboration with Rick Caruso in the Pacific Palisades.
Nancy is a 5-times James Beard Award Winning Chef. Most recently, she has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2026 James Beard Foundation awards. She was the recipient of the “Outstanding Pastry Chef” Award in 1991 and received the honor of “Outstanding Chef” in 2014. That same year, she was also listed as one of the Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink by both Fortune and Food & Wine magazines. She was also recognized as Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chef in 1990.
In 2017, Nancy was profiled in an episode of Netflix’s award-winning docuseries Chef’s Table. She was also featured in the G.O.A.T. series on Masterclass that premiered in 2023. She often appears as a guest judge on Tournament of Champions and other Food Network programs. Nancy also serves on the Culinary Council for HexClad Cookware.
Nancy is the author of eleven cookbooks, including Desserts (1986), Breads from La Brea Bakery (1996), Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book (2005), Twist of the Wrist (2007), The Mozza Cookbook (2011), Mozza at Home (2016), and chi SPACCA (2020). Her most recent cookbook entitled The Cookie That Changed My Life was released in 2023 and was included in the New York Time’s Bestseller List.
Nancy is an active participant in fundraising for charitable causes including the Los Angeles Food Bank, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and No Kid Hungry.
Shuai Wang
Shuai Wang is the owner and executive chef of Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ, restaurants that source as locally and sustainably as possible and are proudly located in North Charleston, South Carolina. His restaurants have been featured on the cover of Bon Appetite, won Eater Best new BBQ restaurant 2024 and Bon Appetite’s Best New Restaurant 2025 and he was named a Star Chef Best Restaurateur. Most recently, Shuai was nominated as a 2024/25 South Carolina Chef Ambassador and is a founding member of Charleston’s first AAPI organization. He was also a Season 22 finalist on the Bravo show, Top Chef.
Justin Chapple
Justin Chapple is the Culinary Director-at-Large of FOOD & WINE. He is the host of their video series, Mad Genius Tips, for which he was nominated twice for a prestigious James Beard Award. Justin is the author of Just Cook It! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018) and Mad Genius Tips (Oxmoore House, November 2016). He has been featured in Food & Wine, People, O, The Oprah Magazine, Rachel Ray In Season, and Real Simple magazines, among others. He has appeared on NBC’s Today show, Good Morning America, Live with Kelly & Ryan, and Food Network’s The Kitchen, among others. Originally from California, Justin moved to New York City in 2003. He’s a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. Justin joined Food & Wine in 2010.
Mike Lata
Mike Lata is Chef/Co-Owner of FIG and The Ordinary in Charleston, SC. He took home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2009 and was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2017 and 2018. The restaurants have also received their own accolades: FIG won JBF’s Outstanding Wine Program Awards in 2018 and was nominated for the foundation’s Outstanding Restaurant Award in 2019 and 2020. The Ordinary was a JBF finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2013. Additionally, GQ and Esquire named The Ordinary one of the top new restaurants of 2013.
A native of Western Massachusetts, Mike started his culinary career at an early age, working in kitchens in Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta, and France before landing in Charleston in 1998. He is a hands-on, self-taught chef who is relentless in his pursuit of the freshest products, which constantly inspire and define his work. Mike’s mission is to create bright, satisfying food that is both uncomplicated and elegant, all the while paying respect to the efforts and traditions of his family of purveyors and the Lowcountry. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to support local farmers and fishermen has cemented his position as a champion of Charleston’s flourishing culinary renaissance.
Mike’s food, philosophy, and contributions to the Charleston community have earned him recognition on a national platform, including coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Esquire, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, The New York Times and many more. He has been featured in several television appearances, including Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” Bravo’s Top Chef, PBS’s Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking, The Today Show, and ABC’s “Nightline Platelist,” which described his food as “so good it will buckle your knees.”