2023 Women In Culinary - Showcase Booklet (Compass)

The Women in Culinary Program aims to empower our female culinarians through exposure to amazing executive and culinary leaders within the organization, dedicated leadership and development programs, and an annual conference.

This year we recognize and celebrate our incredible female culinarians during our 2023 Women in Culinary showcase that will be hosted at Middleby Innovation Kitchens in Texas.

THE CHEFS

CHEF INNOVATORS

GUEST SPEAKER

SUPPLIER PARTNERS

Chefs THE

Kristine Subido Executive Chef

Chef Kristine Subdio is an award-winning chef well-known for her global approach to cooking, Kristine’s name is synonymous with heavy-hitting restaurants like Mango, Wave and Free Rein but also: mouthwatering Filipino-style chicken at her popular eatery, Pecking Order.

Her career history winds through multiple countries, and several states, where she earned a reputation as one to watch, the prestigious Rising Star Chef award, and the attention and the cover of Food & Wine magazine, top six list Bon Appétit, The Food Network and featured in Unique Eats Cooking Channel. When you trace her story to its start, you find her grandfather’s kitchen where his ability to work fast and efficiently inspired her approach of cooking—one that’s flavored, and masterful.

Today, Chef Subido lives in Albany Park, a neighborhood where the scents and sights of Mexican and Middle Eastern restaurants mix with purveyors of Korean delicacies. She’s uniquely positioned to represent the multicultural flavors of Chicago, the many dishes and approaches to cooking that mix in the Windy City.

Kristela Mendoza Culinary

Director

From humble beginnings to building a world-class food and beverage program at San Francisco’s Chase Center, Culinary Director Kristela Nazario-Mendoza is paving a path of culinary excellence like no other. Fusing heartfelt hospitality with her wealth of knowledge of the best local ingredients, Kristela along with Bon Appétit Management Company is quickly becoming a beacon of brilliance in the sports entertainment industry.

Early on, Kristela was set on pursuing a career in law and political science but decided to pivot to a culinary degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco by simply being inspired by her life back at home in the Philippines. “My family owned (and still do) a bed & breakfast in the Philippines. We cooked a lot as a family and early on in my life I strive to be happy over being accomplishedcooking has led to both.”

Kristela started her culinary career as a midnight grill cook for the Marriott Hotels. Quickly moving up the ranks, she found herself exploring US Virgin Islands as a saucier for Caneel Bay Resort. Once she returned to the United States, Kristela worked as a sushi chef trainer for the Roy’s Restaurant Group, Corporate Executive Chef for North American Breweries, and in 2015, joined the Bon Appétit Management Group where she has curated multiple restaurant concepts. In 2021, Kristela landed the Culinary Director role at the world renown Chase Center, Home of the Golden State Warriors.

Kitami Lentz

Executive Development Chef of Culinary Training and Activation

Kitami is currently the Executive Development Chef of Culinary Training and Activation for Bon Appétit at a large technology company in the Bay Area. Kitami began her tenure with Bon Appétit as a line cook over 9 years ago. Throughout her career within the company she has held roles as Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, and Global Executive Brand Chef.

In these roles, Kitami contributed to key projects and initiatives such as the Yale study on Descriptive Dish Titling for a large technology company, the Large Campus Activation Planning Committee, and the CIA Plant Forward Kitchen Program at a large technology company as curriculum writer, reviewer, and implementation lead. During her days as a unit chef, Kitami saw her team receive the “As Fresh As it Gets” Farm to Table Congressional Recognition in 2015. For her recipe work in plant forward cooking, Kitami is a Menus of Change University Collaborative: Plant Forward Recipe Winner in 2018. The large technology company also awarded Kitami an outstanding user engagement award for her work within cultural cuisines in 2019.

As an African American woman in the F&B world, Kitami has a deep passion for DEI&B. Kitami is co-founder and co-chair of the Black Community Network employee resource group, a member of the Leading Ladies employee resource group, and served as cochair of the Bay Area regional DIAC.

Luisa Cabrera Chef

Chef Luisa Cabrera is from Caracas, Venezuela and has a two great passions for writing and cooking. She graduated from the Andres Bello Catholic University as a journalist and has worked in my profession for more than 10 years, but, in a country without freedom of expression, it was somewhat complicated. She was persecuted and threatened, decided to leave her home country and take refuge in the U.S. with her two children.

Since she was little, Chef Cabrera loved cooking, and her grandmother was the best teacher. It was from her that she learned to season and cook everything from the most exquisite filet mignon to an equally complex tres leches.

In 2011 she gradudated and founded her own catering business, worked in multiple places, including Walt Disney World. She has been working for Canteen for four years, She started as a cook and, little by little, with effort and dedication she has managed to reach the position of Executive Chef. In 2021 she won “Be a star” for the Southeast Division.

Ada Hernandez

Chef Manager & Executive Chef

Ada is currently the Campus Executive Chef with Miami Dade College working at the North Campus with Canteen, Compass Group. In addition, she has worked with Eurest, and Flik, Compass Group since 2011.

The devoted passion for the Hospitality Industry started in the early years of my childhood. My parents owned a family venue where typical dishes of holidays and family recipes were served. The instituted lessons of Quality Service and Quality Food were my learned principles during those early years.

The foundation of my professional career was acquired at The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont and complemented in college where I obtained my degrees in Culinary Arts and Hotel and Restaurant Management respectively.

My accomplishments as a professional as I worked for respectful entities like GUCCI, CHANEL, and proud to have been chosen to be the personal Chef for Mr. Michael Jordan on the many occasions when he was in town for games at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey.

Tatiana Ortiz Chef

Tatiana Ortiz is the executive chef for Plated Catering at New York University. Although she was born in Queens, New York, Tati’s childhood was spent at her family home in Colombia where her passion to cook was inspired by her family’s desire to connect through their food. Moving back to America, Tati began as part of the wait staff at NYU 9 years ago, which lit the flame to discover her culinary career. Witnessing the demand for innovation, when the opportunity presented itself, she joined the catering team. Tati’s skills began to flourish as she played a major role in the execution of the NYU communities high end events.

In 2021 with the catering kitchen closed due to Covid the marketing team decided to highlight Chef Tati and her inspirational career during Women’s History Month for being the first female chef at NYU with Chartwells. This resulted in the development of Tuesday’s with Tati, a popular series of viral videos with more than 65k views showcasing Tati teaching the students how to prepare quick recipes in their residence halls. Her achievements extend far beyond her own as Tati has taken the role of mentor and teacher to anyone with the same burning fire to learn.

Maja Gajic Executive Chef

Maja Gajic, Executive Chef, presents nearly twenty years of culinary leadership and expertise. She joined the University of Texas - Arlington community in July 2020 as Senior Chef Manager but was quickly promoted to Executive Sous Chef due to her immediate impact, passion, and creativity.

Previously, Maja led the premium catering services for the suites at the American Airlines Center with Levy Restaurants. She enjoys working with and growing her team while serving our students, faculty, and staff. As a war refugee from Serbia, Maja has resided in Texas, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, and Bosnia to which she credits her vast culinary knowledge.

Vanessa Nashe Chef Manager

After a decades long career in the travel industry, Chef Vanessa chose to explore her creative passions and study the culinary arts. Upon completion of her studies at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York, NY (formerly Peter Kump’s NY Cooking School) she worked in many areas of the culinary arena - including garde manger, prep cook, and line cook in area restaurants.

Chef Vanessa opted to use her culinary acumen in the catering sector. In 2003 she opened A Delicious Affair Catering in Fairfield County, CT. During her career in the travel industry, she traveled the globe and immersed herself in the various cultures, cuisines and cooking techniques. Chef Vanessa was able to channel those experiences into her catered events. “I enjoy the creativity and flexibility that catering offers. It allows me to use my experiences and knowledge to create unique experiences for each event.”

When Chef Vanessa was presented with the opportunity join Compass Group/Chartwells and to lead a diverse team in the Norwalk Public Schools district, she jumped at the chance. “Sharing my love for food and teaching others makes me happy…the cherry on top is being able to interact with the children each day.”

Chase Sobelman Regional Executive Chef

Chase graduated Culinary School at NY Restaurant School and submerged herself in the NYC restaurant scene in the late 90’s, working for well renowned Chefs at Roy’s NY and the Myriad Restaurant Group at Nobu, Next Door Nobu and Tribeca Grill. She decided that the restaurant schedule was not conducive for raising a family, so she transitioned to the B&I Sector, honing her skills in the corporate world at firms such as Bertelsmann/BMG, JPMC, Lehman Bros., Revlon, Goldman Sachs and Hess Corporation.

Upon moving to CT, she left B&I’s and spent some time in Higher Ed at Yale University where she was exposed and fell in love with feeding students. She has always been passionate about her own children’s nutrition which became the driving force to engage, educate, and excite kids about the story behind the food. Consequently, she decided to move to an even younger audience in K12. She continues to inspire the NE Region in piloting innovation, integrating food trends, and ensuring the health and happiness of our most impressionable market.

Chase is the Regional Executive Chef for New England with Chartwells K12 since August 2019. She is a native New Englander, originally from NYC. She landed in Central Connecticut in 2010, where she lives with her husband, Michael, who is also a Chef.

Leslie DiNapoli

Chef Manager Senior

Leslie is the Sr. Chef Manager at the Achieve Academy at the Golf Performance Center in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She takes care of the nutrition and wellbeing of both the students, coaches, staff and occasionally the members that meander into her kitchen. During the month of March, she joins them in Orlando, Florida when they go on tournament.

She started her career with Compass Group in 2016, where she worked for Eurest National Accounts at IBM Corporate Headquarters in Armonk, New York. After which, she moved on to join the CulinArt Group sector of Compass where she ran the foodservice program at the Guiding Eyes for The Blind Headquarters in Yorktown Heights, New York. There she worked and tailored menus to the individual nutritional & allergen needs of the students. She focused primarily on a plant-centric based menu.

Leslie has been in the culinary industry for over 30 years and is proficient in a wide range of cuisines with a main discipline in Mediterranean cuisine. She also does private catering and hosts cooking classes for those looking to expand their culinary knowledge. She is passionate about athletic nutrition, minimal waste and being fearless in the kitchen – exploring all food flavors, techniques and not stressing over making mistakes.

Victoria Cloud District

Chef

Victoria Cloud is currently the District Chef for Chevron Oil (California, Texas and Louisiana) with Compass Group and been with Compass 15 years.

Chef Victoria’s culinary inspiration originally came from her family, launching her into a 35-year career. She was eager to learn her mother’s techniques to prepare Latin food from scratch, and she learned to grill, smoke meats, and BBQ from her brothers which piqued her curiosity about other types of food.

After earning a degree from the Houston Community College Culinary Arts Program, Chef Victoria began her professional culinary career. She worked 16 years with acclaimed chefs and traveled to learn new techniques with Le Meridian, Doubletree & Hilton Hotels in which she earned her first executive chef position. She began a new 15-year venture with Compass in Corporate Dining Services. She favors Latin, Mediterranean & Creole cuisines. She also has a Pastry degree and shares her love for baking from watching her mother creating scratch desserts and now she creates her own award-winning types of desserts.

Chef Victoria loves teaching, challenging & inspiring others to follow their passion. She also does community volunteering & works with local charities, especially at her daughter’s schools by supporting the Fine Arts programs. She is also a current member of the Compass Group WEN network.

Nyiasia Bratcher

Executive Chef

Nyiasia (Ny) was born and raised in New Jersey. At a very early age, Nyiasia picked three career paths for her life: to become a Ballerina, a Musician, or a Chef. In her teenage years, it was apparent to Nyiasia, her family and friends that a career in Culinary Arts had the strongest calling on her life. Nyiasia worked with a local catering company in her hometown in New Jersey until graduated high school and started the Culinary Arts program at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, PA in 2003.

Upon graduating college in 2005, Nyiasia began to hone her culinary skills and gained knowledge of the hospitality industry by working at the Hyatt Regency in New Jersey as Garde Manger line cook, and moving on to a line cook position at TPC Jasna Polana, a Tournament Players country club in Princeton, New Jersey. There she really learned the art of cooking, and developed a love for fish fabrication and cookery.

Nyiasia relocated to Georgia in 2012, and in 2015 started a successful career with FLIK at The Coca Cola Company in Atlanta. Nyiasia started as the Deli, Panini, and Salad Bar Sous chef and in seven years she has been promoted twice: to Executive Sous Chef in 2017 and to Executive Chef in 2019. Nyiasia teaching-style approach to training and leading her associates has allowed her to be successful in her career, and her passion for cooking allows her to continue on her career path with Compass Group.

Ragin Bryan Executive Chef

Ragin Bryan was born and raised Texas! She grew up in a small town in North East Texas on a dairy farm. This is where she first fell in love with food, following her Nanny around in her kitchen when she was a little girl. She moved away from her hometown to pursue a serious culinary career.

She moved to Dallas and worked in several restaurants while making her way through Culinary School at Art Institute of Dallas. After graduating, she landed at a large catering company in Dallas where she spent 8 years working her way up to Executive Sous Chef. The skills she learned there were invaluable and molded her into the chef she is today.

After leaving the catering company she spent a year helping develop menus and run the kitchen for a meal delivery service. From there, she found Flik Hospitality. Ragin started with the company 5 years ago as Sous Chef in the Fidelity Investments portfolio. Since the she’s moved up the ladder a bit and is currently the Executive Chef at Gartner in Irving, TX. “I feel like I’ve really hit my stride in this role and am loving every second of it! I received the Flik President’s Circle award at the end 2022.”

Marlene

Duke Executive Chef

Marlene is the Executive Chef with Levy Restaurants at the University of Wisconsin Athletics, home of the Wisconsin Badgers, part of the NCAA Big Ten Conference. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts with honors. She has over 13 years of experience in culinary and pastry in restaurants, luxury hotels and sports and entertainment.

During her time as the Executive Pastry Chef at St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City, Marlene worked her first large event at Sundance Film Festival which peaked her curiosity in largescale operations. She then left her pastry focus to accept the position as the Executive Sous Chef at Fiserv Forum for the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

During the pandemic, Marlene became the Director of Dining for Morrison Living at the brand new St. Rita Square. She enhanced the residents’ dining experiences by getting to know them on a personal level and bringing them global dishes to remind them of their previous travel experiences.

Dayanny DelaCruz

VP of Culinary

Executive Chef Dayanny De La Cruz has traveled all across the world to spearhead massive culinary events in hundreds of kitchens, but credits it all to the loving memories of her childhood in her hometown of Nagua, Dominican Republic. Frequenting her grandmother’s kitchen, where Elvira, lovingly known as “Mama Vira” implemented a deep passion and strong work ethic by baking bread, to cooking up rice and beans.

Chef directly manages the multi-million-dollar budget for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, University of Miami Hurricanes, Miami Open Tennis and Formula One. Her team is built by her culture, her belief in diversity, inclusion and acceptance. She leads with firm direction and clear vision.

In 2020 the spotlight of the USA was turned on the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami FL for SuperBowl LIV, where De La Cruz was responsible for the menus of 167 in-stadium suites, 25 concession stands and seven all-inclusive restaurants and clubs. Chef’s team was comprised of over 2,500 employees, 10 mobile kitchens and over 20 supporting executive chefs flown in for the big game.

Chef Dayanny was the first female head chef to lead the culinary program at the NFL’s biggest game as the league celebrated its 100th season.

Cristina Bennett

Regional Executive Chef

Cristina Bennett is a Regional Executive Chef for Morrison Healthcare in Portland, Oregon. She has more than ten years of hospitality industry experience, including restaurants, academic research, and healthcare. She holds two degrees in hospitality management and graduated summa cum laude at Oregon State University.

Before transitioning to healthcare foodservice, Cristina was part of a culinary team that were semi-finalists for three James Beard Awards and received three stars from the New York Times. She has had the opportunity to conduct research for Travel Oregon and, in her native Columbus, Ohio, appeared on the Cooking Channel’s “Eat Street.” She is passionate about sustainability and reducing food disparity.

In her current role, Cristina is leading a push for a more sustainable future and working with Providence Health to become carbon neutral by 2030. Prior to moving to Portland, Cristina was the Executive Chef at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. When she’s not in the kitchen, Cristina can be found in her garden, hiking, or reading. She and her wife are expecting their first child later this year.

Gina Palmacci Corporate Executive Chef

Chef Gina Palmacci is the Corporate Executive Chef for the West with Morrison Living. She joined the Morrison Living family in October 2020. Born and raised in Cambridge MA. and never straying far from the Northeast she made the bold move to expand her job search to include the west coast.

Taking a huge leap of faith, she accepted a position in a sector she never worked in (senior living) and moved to a city (LA) she had never been too, all at the height of the pandemic. Her culinary journey began very early on, inspired by her Italian grand parents and their love and respect for quality, tradition, and the perfect Sunday sauce. After culinary school she began sharpening her skills in some of Boston’s finer restaurants ultimately landing at the iconic Legal Sea Foods. This is where she developed her lifelong love of all thing’s seafood.

Gina transitioned into contract food service several years ago. Landing a position overseeing the free food program for 2000 people at Spotify’s NYC Headquarters in the World Trade Center. It was the first time she ever worked in a kitchen on the 72nd floor!

Victoria Mustacchio

Pastry Sous Chef

Victoria Mustacchio has been the sous chef at L’Avenue since February 2019. She graduated from New York City College of Technology in 2016, majoring in hospitality management with focus on pastry. Before working with Restaurant Associates she was a part of the opening team at Patisserie Chanson. Here, she learned many skills working alongside my pastry chef, Stephanie Oliveira.

Victoria is a dedicated, creative, hardworking individual who is always willing to help others to make sure the job gets done and gets done well. She is always up for a new challenge, no matter what the challenge is. In 2022, she took on a big challenge. working the US Open. Even though she was new to the event she quickly took the rains and successfully led the day-to-day pastry operations.

Her “can do” mentality and desire to learn landed her the Sous Chef position at L’Avenue with no previous experience. Victoria wishes to continue her growth with Restaurnt Associates. She credits their encouragement and support to being a great sous chef.

Stefanie Ellis Executive Chef

Stefanie Ellis began her career right in the very neighborhood that raised her, New England. Growing up in Dover, New Hampshire, Stefanie developed an appreciation for local ingredients and New England fare. To harness her love for cooking, Stefanie attended Johnson & Wales University, where she excelled in baking and had an internship with Marriot Hotels in Burlington, MA..

After her internship, Stefanie decided to stay for another year at the hotel working alongside James Beard Award Winners, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier. Stefanie decided to take her talents to downtown Boston at the W Hotel, where she thrived as the Sous Chef of Market by Jean George. After several years, Stefanie joined Restaurant Associates as the Sous Chef at Bain Capital.

As a seasoned kitchen veteran, Stefanie’s talents were often used throughout the region at key accounts such as Trip Advisor and most recently the American Academy of Arts of Sciences where she leads the kitchen as Executive Chef.

Tahiz Gonzalez Executive Chef

Tahiz Gonzalez is one of the Executive Chefs at Restaurant Associates at a large technology company. Her passion for food goes back to her childhood when she would see her father cook delicious meals on weekends and always made delicious food a priority in the household. When her father didn’t cook they would tour all kinds of restaurants around Mexico City, Mexico; where she is from, which made her appreciate good food at a very early age. It fed her interest to cook and learn more culinary arts.

She got a Double Bachelors Degree in Business Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu in Mexico City and started exploring the fine dining world after graduating. She worked in some of the San Pellegrino 50 best restaurants in the world and Michelin guide acclaimed, Quintonil, The Nomad, and Eleven Madison Park. She ran two restaurants in New York, including Nonna Carola and The Butter Bar. It was recently when came into the corporate world and ever since she’s made sure to be a mentor and inspire other cooks to grow in their careers.

Tahiz is passionate about sustainability and she is constantly trying to influence people on making changes to their lifestyles and making better choices that have an impact on the world.

Jessica Battcher Executive Chef

Jessica is currently working at Providence Senior Living Center in Waco, TX as Executive Chef. She has been employed with Compass Group since Sept 2021. Having graduated from Johnson & Wales University in 2010 with an A.S. in Culinary Arts, she has worked in various kitchens for the past 14 years. Working at Hartford Hospital, UConn State University, and the Two-State YMCA to name a few. Working at the YMCA on and off for 14 years, she was able to cater for board meetings, corporate retreats, outdoor educational programs for underprivileged youth, and high-end wedding for VIP guests.

In what little free time she gets she enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and learning about different cultures. Having traveled many times outside of the USA, it is her dream to do so again in the upcoming years. Hoping to see everything the world has to offer.

Trang Weber

Sr. Corporate Executive Chef

Trang Weber, a classically trained chef in French Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu. Upon graduating, she spent her first 10 years honing her skills in top businesses, hotels, fine dining, and healthcare establishments, before joining the TouchPoint family in 2013, where she experienced a meteoric rise to her current role and position as Senior Corporate Executive Chef.

Trang’s passion for food and processes has been instrumental in elevating the patient dining menu, the development of sectorrecognized concepts for retail, standardization of the Culinary Essentials and playbook, in addition earning her the esteemed, “2019 TouchPoint Culinarian of the Year” award.

Leveraging her passion for excellence, she has successfully used her knowledge, skill, and energetic personality to mentor Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs and frontline culinary team members at both a regional and national level. She has been a fierce advocate to have female representation in the culinary leadership space. Her legacy is built on passion and service, which is easily echoed in the lives of the people she works with.

Nattaporn Assavaboonsathien

Senior Chef Manager

Nattaporn Assavaboonsathien was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. Her parents are first generation Thai with family roots in China. This combined heritage fostered an appreciation for food, family, and coming together to enjoy both at the same time! Her appreciation for food, in particular eating, led to the decision to undertake a career change after graduating with a bachelor’s in marketing.

She relocated to USA to pursue a culinary degree. Thereafter, she had the opportunity to join the Wolfgang Puck team in Atlanta, Georgia as a Garde Manger. She gained experience and confidence as a cook under the mentorship of very talented cooks and chefs. After 5 years of honing her skills there she decided to relocate to the Wolfgang Puck catering kitchen in Dallas, Texas.

She took a brief sojourn from Wolfgang Puck to run a banquet kitchen at a prominent Dallas hotel. This provided crucial management experience for her and in her current role of Senior Chef Manager at the Nasher Sculpture Center. She oversees a brilliant culinary team who executes seasonal menus for the Nasher café along with catered events and pop-up restaurant.

Her 13 years+ experience with Wolfgang Puck & Compass Group has provided the opportunity to collaborate and experience so much with many talented individuals and clients.

Innovators CHEF

Allison Trinkle VP of Culinary Development & Supplier Diversity

Allison is a classically trained chef with over 25 years of experience, spanning fine-dining restaurants, luxury hotels and contract food service. Currently, she is the Vice President of Culinary Development and Supplier Diversity for Chartwells Higher Education.

In this role Allison ensures all Chartwells chefs have opportunities for development and training as well as advancement. Additionally, she ensures an increase in the number of diverse suppliers that celebrate women and minority owned businesses. Allison is the Chartwells liaison for Compass Women in Culinary and hosts bi-monthly calls to empower, engage and celebrate the women chefs of Chartwells.

In her spare time Allison loves to travel internationally, relax on her boat, and entertain family and friends with her wife, Lucy.

Jennifer Cox Vice President of Culinary

Chef Jennifer Cox has a 30-year career in foodservice and hospitality, with a multilayered focus on all business types: restaurants, hotels, sports and entertainment and large-scale events.

Chef Cox began her time with Levy Restaurants in 1998 as the Executive Chef of Montage in San Francisco and played an instrumental role in developing the culinary vision and running the operation of this new Levy venture. The restaurant received critical acclaim and she was invited to cook as a guest chef at the James Beard House in New York.

Chef Cox left Montage in 2001 to continue her path in the culinary landscape with a variety of roles: Chef de Cuisine at Citizen Cake working with Celebrity Chef Elizabeth Falkner; Concept Development Chef for Compass Group; Director of Culinary for Joie de Vivre Hotels.

In 2011, Jennifer returned to Levy as the Vice President of Culinary, developing a culinary vision blending strategy and creativity, bringing the right balance of standardization and customization, and capitalizing on Levy’s restaurateur heritage, applying it to the broad range of Sports and Entertainment operations.

Currently, Chef Cox leads the culinary vision for Levy as the Vice President of Culinary- Central Division and is the Executive Chef and Director of Hospitality in the President’s Suite at the US Open Tennis Tournament. Additionally, she is on the Compass Global Culinary Council.

Einav Gefen

SVP Chef /Innovator

Garnering the reputation as a national leader in foodservice and retail foods, Chef Einav Gefen joined Restaurant Associates in 2021 as Chef/Innovator supporting the company’s continued path of quality, innovation, growth, and purpose.

Gefen comes from Unilever, where she began as Corporate Head Chef in 2008 and moved to Corporate Executive Chef in 2016. While there, she led a team of chefs charged with innovation development, product rejuvenation, consumer activations, and deployment of global projects.

Gefen is an accredited contributor to Art & Cook, published in November 2003, which received illustrious reviews as both a cookbook and an art collection. From 2003-2008 Chef Einav was an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan—where she trained aspiring chefs in all aspects of cooking and presentation. In addition, Gefen has held a TED Talk and competed on the acclaimed Food Network’s “Chopped.”

Simone Byron Owner/Founder

Chef Simone Byron has been in the hospitality industry since her junior year in high school. She fell in love with cooking from an early age, while under the tutelage of her mother and older brother, both culinary enthusiasts. Chef Byron’s family has a deep-rooted history in culinary arts. Her great grandfather was the first African- American caterer in Bronx, NY, and was also the Head Chef for the Black Star Line in the 1800’s. Through hard work and determination, Chef Byron completed her Bachelor’s in Culinary Arts Management from the Art Institute of Atlanta.

Graduating college as a single-mother, Chef Byron was then awarded a marketing internship with Disney Worldwide through the ESPN Zone of Atlanta. She later became a full-time employee and after 4 years with Disney, Chef Byron took on an opportunity with Compass Group. Amazingly she became the youngest catering manager in the company’s southeast region! After 2 years with Compass Group, she was promoted to Chef Manager and awarded manager of the year for exceptional leadership and management.

After 5 years with Compass Group, Chef Byron made a leap of faith into the education field, as a culinary arts instructor in Gwinnett County Public Schools. She managed to grow the program’s enrollment by 300% over a course of 3 years. Chef Byron coached several student culinary competitions and placed 7 times on the state level and twice at the national level.

Calvin Neal SVP of Culinary & Retail

Calvin Neal is a team builder, who is devoted to the success of TouchPoint Support Services’ culinary people and programs. As the company’s Senior Vice President for Culinary and Retail, Calvin is responsible for patient dining, retail cafes and sourcing.

Calvin first entered the world of food and beverage as a dishwasher at age 16. After gigs in some notable hotels and restaurants, Calvin first joined Morrison Healthcare as an assistant manager. Now celebrating more than 30 years with Compass Group, he’s served in every imaginable role in an award-winning rise to his current position. His development of new dining concepts, training and creative motivation programs have won awards and emulation across Compass, as well as industry recognition.

Calvin is known to be a leader who always has a plan, along with a penchant for bringing out the best in his teams. He is devoted to their career advancement and has been a strong proponent of groups such as Women in Culinary and the International Corporate Chefs Association. He’s also leveraged the energy of the business to address food insecurity, with initiatives that deliver meals to underserved populations and Good Spread’s fortified peanut butter to malnourished children. Both programs have influenced kitchens across the country to be mindful of their ability to support the community in new, high-impact ways.

Speakers GUEST

Kimberly

Brock

Brown,

CEPC, CCA, AAC President, American Culinary Federation

Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC, has more than 30 years of the culinary industry experience as a Certified Executive Pastry Chef, culinary instructor, culinary competitor, entrepreneur, author, and TV personality. She is A native of the Chicago area and longtime resident of the Charleston, South Carolina area.

For more than the past three decades, Chef Kimberly has remained an active member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), of which she was elected president in 2021 for a two-year term. Prior to that, she served two two-year terms on the ACF Board as Vice President, Southeastern Region, which was the second largest ACF region representing nine Southeastern states as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Santa Domingo and Jamaica. Chef Kimberly became the first woman chef of color elected to the ACF Board in 2017, and she is the first woman Chef of color and first Pastry Chef to have been elected ACF President in its 94-year history.

The self-published author of “Here I Am!: Chef Kimberly’s Answer to the Question ‘Where Are the Female and Minority Chefs?,’” Chef Kimberly remains dedicated to supporting women, minorities and other members of the culinary community and beyond. She spent 10 years as a guest chef for two local television shows, WCIV (ABC 4) TV’s “Lowcountry Live” and WCSC (CBS 5) TV’s “Coffee With” cooking segment, and she remains a regular speaker at a variety of industry events and conferences.

Pamela Brunson President

Key to the success of the Wolfgang Puck companies is finding talented, top-quality individuals and providing them with the opportunity to build their careers within the organization. Pamela Brunson exemplifies this core goal. In her 30 plus years with the Wolfgang Puck family, she has played an integral role in growing, creating and cultivating the brand.

As President of Wolfgang Puck Catering, Brunson leads brand strategy, growth and performance for the company and its forty-five locations across the country in special events, workplace services, cultural environments, conference, and entertainment segments. Promoted from the role of Chief Creative Officer, Brunson oversaw business development, culture and brand communications.

A California native, Brunson began her career with the company as Chef Wolfgang Puck’s personal assistant at Spago Hollywood in 1985, after graduating from UCLA. She quickly immersed herself in all areas of the restaurant business from management and operations to special events and media relations.

Brunson was given the chance to join the opening team of Puck’s former restaurant Granita in Malibu as General Manager, a position she held for four years. She later returned to Puck’s flagship Spago to assist in the transition of moving the restaurant from its original location in Hollywood to its current home in Beverly Hills.

During this time, Brunson assisted in the development of the restaurant’s catering arm, helping take Spago’s renowned food and hospitality to a new level, by growing the off-premise catering business in Los Angeles.

Aleshia McMath

VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Aleshia McMath, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Compass Group North America, is firmly guided by the belief that “People are our purpose and DEI is our promise.” With an extensive background in Human Resources and management, she provides strategic direction, leadership and advocacy for organization-wide DEI efforts. She partners with leaders across the Compass Group family of 28 companies to drive intentional diverse and inclusive initiatives that inspire associates to “be the difference” within our organization, the communities we serve and the clients we support.

Aleshia is committed to elevating marginalized voices, modeling an inclusive culture, and collaborating with communities and clients for a better future. She is a member of the Johnson and Wales University Leadership Advisory Board, Leadership Council for St. Jude’s, Compass Global Culinary Council and Compass Group Human Rights Working Group. Compass Group USA was named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023 by Newsweek. Compass has also been named to Forbes’ annual Best Employers for Diversity list since 2018.

Ed Brown Chief Executive Officer

For more than 30 years, Chef Ed Brown has cultivated culinary prowess by working in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the world. Serving most recently as President, Brown has assumed the leadership role of Chief Executive Officer for Restaurant Associates.

Ed Brown has been a part of Restaurant Associates throughout most of his career. In 2015, as the company’s Chef | Innovator and SVP, Brown returned to the US OPEN project, where he successfully re-conceptualized ACES by Ed Brown. This premium-level seafood restaurant operates during the 14 days of the annual premier New York event to this day.

It was in 1994 Brown first teamed up with Restaurant Associates when he took over the stoves for The Sea Grill. During his 14 years as Executive Chef, Esquire magazine called The Sea Grill “one of the best restaurants in the world,” and Brown, “perhaps the most impressive talent in his field.”

In 2008, Brown fulfilled his lifelong dream of owning a restaurant and opened Eighty One. The Upper West Side eatery was an immediate hit and earned a highly coveted Michelin star. However, in March 2010, in light of a tumultuous economy, Brown decided to close Eighty One and pursue other opportunities that included a return to Restaurant Associates as the company’s Chef | Innovator.

Brown is a frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Morning Show, a competitor on Iron Chef America, and a judge on Beat Bobby Flay. In addition, Brown is the author of The Modern Seafood Cook, a comprehensive guide to buying and preparing seafood and fish. He has also contributed to other cookbooks, including the updated Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 1997) and Chef Pierre Franey’s 60 Minute Gourmet (Clarkson Potter, 2000).

Innovation KITCHEN

Middleby Innovation Kitchens (the MIK) is 40,000 square feet that features 15 active cooking vignettes and 150 pieces of live Middleby commercial kitchen innovation all under one roof. The MIK where Chef-driven demonstration and Middleby innovation meet. Led by Certified Master Chef Russell Scott, the concept was built for the MIK’s customers and channel partners. It’s a one-stop destination for hands-on learning about the extensive Middleby line of automation, beverage, brewing, cooking, IoT, ventless and refrigeration technologies, just to name a few. Located just 15 minutes from DFW Airport, the MIK is easily accessible.

Click Here to learn more about Middleby Innovation Kitchens.

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