Ethan Stowell is the CEO and Founder of Ethan Stowell Restaurants in Seattle. His highly acclaimed restaurants include Tavolàta, How to Cook a Wolf, Cortina, Staple & Fancy Mercantile, Ballard Pizza Company, Rione XIII, Mkt., Red Cow, Frēlard Pizza Company, Tavolàta Capitol Hill, Wolf located in Nordstrom’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan, as well as Goldfinch Tavern in the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. His food philosophy is all about keeping it simple, using fresh ingredients, and allowing the food to do the talking.

In 2010, Stowell began consulting for the Seattle Mariners. His work with the Mariners helps to bring local products into the stadium for fans to enjoy. Ethan Stowell’s New Italian Kitchen was released in September 2010 from Ten Speed Press.

Stowell was named one of the Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2008 and chosen as a Best New Chef All-Stars in 2013. He was one of the recipients of the 2016 Richard Melman Innovator of the Year Award.

Stowell sits on the Board of Directors of the Woodland Park Zoo and is one of the co-chairs of the United Way of King County 2020 Annual Campaign. Other philanthropic partnerships include Seattle Children’s Hospital, Mary’s Place, and the YWCA.

Deeply devoted to his hometown, Stowell is a fervent advocate committed to seeing that Seattle is recognized nationally as a culinary destination. He lives in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. To learn more, visit www.ethanstowellrestaurants.com.

Chef Josh Delgado started his cooking career in Southern Arizona at the age of 16. Most notably working for Chef Bruce Yim at the then Vin Table restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. Chef Delgado went on to work for the Forest Service during summers in college providing meals for forest fire fight crews as well as working aid to hurricane relief in the SE of the U.S.

In 2007 he moved to Seattle when he took a position at the Barking Frog and eventually becoming the Chef de Cuisine helping lead the kitchen in Woodinville for 7 years. Delgado went on to become the Executive Chef/Director at Alderbrook on the Hood Canal for three years overseeing multiple outlets, focusing on a tide to table cuisine, and helping implement a dining program at the nearby hotel owned Hood Canal Marina.

In 2018 he opened Le Coin in Upper Fremont with friend and business partner Jordan Melnikoff. Chef Delgado, along with a highly talented team continue to hone their contemporary Northwest approach, working largely with local growers and producers. Le Coin has been featured in such publications as USA Today and Eater Seattle.

Melissa Miranda is the owner of Musang, a Filipino restaurant and community space that opened in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood in January 2020.

Growing up on the South Side of Seattle, Mel was fortunate to be surrounded by Filipino American influences in her family and community. Her fondest memories are of watching her Lola cook dinner while sneaking her candies, eager to share her memories of food from the Philippines.

Mel attended culinary school and worked in kitchens in Florence, Italy, before cooking for two years in New York City. After returning to Seattle, she saw that the neighborhoods she had grown up in had changed. The small family businesses and community spaces she loved so much as a child had mostly closed, and there were few places left for Filipino Americans to gather.

While working as a sous chef at Bar Del Corso, Mel got to work developing Musang. It quickly grew from a weekly pop-up to a brick-and-mortar in the heart of Beacon Hill, where the first thing you smell is the sweet and nutty aromas of gently fried garlic which shows up in any number of the dishes that Mel serves. To Mel and many of the diners who come to Musang, this is the aroma of home.

Now in its third year, Musang has become a place that Mel proudly calls “for us, by us.” She works with a team to craft dishes inspired by childhood memories, further diversifying the landscape of contemporary Filipino American cooking.

Owner, Jack Timmons, grew up in Texas and has lived in Seattle for over three decades. In 2012, he attended BBQ Summer Camp at the Meat Sciences department of Texas A&M, then toured many historic barbecue temples of Central Texas. Returning to Seattle, he bought an offset smoker, imported some post oak, mesquite and hickory, and started the Seattle Brisket Experience.

After more than a year of practicing the art of barbecue, and serving old-school, succulent smoked meats to thousands of Northwest BBQ fans at ‘BBQ Raves’, Jack opened his first restaurant 8 years ago in 2014 the South of Downtown (SoDo) area of Seattle – Jack’s BBQ. Now with 7 locations, Jack’s BBQ is the king of Central Texas BBQ in the Northwest.

John Sundstrom is a James Beard Award-winning Seattle chef known for his thoughtful use of foraged and wild ingredients. In 2003, two years after being named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America, Sundstrom opened Lark in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. In late 2014, he relocated Lark to a larger space and opened Slab Sandwiches + Pie in the same building.

In 2013, Sundstrom published his first cookbook, Lark: Cooking Against the Grain, which was awarded an IACP Judges Choice Award. In August of 2016, Sasquatch Books published Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest, a new paperback edition that includes a chapter on favorite larder items. Sundstrom was honored to be a speaker at René Redzepi’s MAD5 Symposium in Copenhagen in the summer of 2016, and in December Southpaw Pizza, Sundstrom’s foray into wood-fired pizza, opened in the original Lark space. To learn more, visit www.larkseattle.com.

Chef Kristi Brown is a renowned culinary artist who has made a significant impact in the food industry over the past 30-plus years. She began her culinary journey at a small café in downtown Seattle, where she discovered her love for cooking and experimenting with flavors. After completing her education at the Seattle Culinary Academy, Chef Kristi founded That Brown Girl Cooks Catering in the mid-1990s, quickly gaining popularity due to her unique culinary style and exceptional service.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Chef Kristi realized the need for a community kitchen that would provide meals for those in need. With her mantra, "Everybody Gotta Eat," she launched a community kitchen that quickly gained recognition and appreciation from the community. This experience not only helped Chef Kristi to continue her passion for cooking but also allowed her to give back to the community.

In the same year, Chef Kristi and her business partner and son, Damon Bomar, opened Communion R&B, a highly acclaimed restaurant located in the heart of the Central District in Seattle. Communion R&B has received accolades from several renowned publications, including Conde Nast and The New York Times. Chef Kristi's unique culinary style, which she calls Seattle Soul, is inspired by the diverse cultures and neighborhoods of Seattle. Her cooking is a reflection of her love for people and her desire to connect with her heritage and legacy.

Chef Kristi's contributions to the food industry have not gone unnoticed. In 2021, she was named one of Seattle Magazine's most influential people and an Emerging Chef Semifinalist for the James Beard Awards. Her passion for cooking, dedication to her community, and unique culinary style continue to inspire and influence aspiring chefs worldwide

Chef and Owner of Local Tide, Victor is a lifelong Seattleite with deep roots in the city’s history. His grandfather, with whom he shares his name, was a public activist and professor of Architecture at the University of Washington. He most notably helped design the Space Needle and led the charge to save Pike Place Market from being torn down. Victor’s goal is to nourish, create community and showcase Seattle’s cuisine and hospitality, in hopes of helping further define Seattle’s food scene.

Chef Maximillian Petty has approached his culinary career much like each dish that he creates: imaginative, purposeful, and without boundaries. With aspirations well beyond his years, Maximillian started cooking at the age of 11 and shortly after, realized that he had a natural skillfulness and interest in cooking as a career. It would combine with his love of art, fascination with technology and his relentless desire to learn.

His fast tracked career has included positions at Jose Andres’ Zaytinya in Washington, D.C.; King Estate Winery in Eugene, Oregon; and Olivia in Austin, Texas, where he became executive chef at age 23. The creativity, dedication and discipline necessary to be an award-winning chef under the age of 30 was further recognized as a semifinalist for James Beard Award Rising Star of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2018. His signature style and applied talent have created a notable chef with a solid reputation for intriguing and imaginative dishes at Eden Hill.

Shubert Ho is co-owner of Feedme Hospitality & Restaurant Group consisting of Shooby Doo Catering, Bar Dojo, Salt & Iron, MARKET Edmonds, SanKai, Edmonds Waterfront Center Events, Potlatch Bistro, Shore Pine Coffee & Gelato, MARKET Seattle, and Seattle Art Museum Exclusive Caterer. As a restaurant survivor of the Great Pause of 2020, Shubert's company Feedme HRG birthed Community Kitchen to serve food insecure children and seniors. Today Feedme HRG employs over 300 team members throughout the Greater Seattle Area and is committed to quality food and service, while creating focused community campaigns that support great causes. More is information is available at www.feedmehrg.com.

Feedme Hospitality & Restaurant Group is a family-owned company that prides itself in providing a cohesive and team-oriented work environment. Our mission? An exceptional experience executed through great food, attentive service, and interesting people!

Nicco Muratore was born and raised in Boston, where he got his start cooking at the restaurants inside the historic Fenway Park. He was introduced to Middle Eastern cuisine by Chef Anna Sortun at Oleana Restaurant and Sofra. After three years at Sortun’s restaurants, Nicco joined the Montagu Kitchen in London’s Grand Hyatt Hotel. Next up was a stint at Danny Meyer’s historic Union Square Café in New York, before he returned to Boston to join Chef Stevan Postal’s team at the newly reopened Commonwealth, where he spent 5 years working his way from Sous Chef to Chef de Cuisine. Nicco joined mamnoon as Chef de Cuisine in the summer of 2019. Since then, he has taken our menu to new heights and became the Executive Chef in 2020. Nicco recently had a win on the cooking show Chopped on Food Network.

Kamala is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality, education and nonprofit management sectors. She’s the co-founder of Seattle’s food-truck-turned-restaurant Marination, a fast casual restaurant group with brick and mortar locations in Columbia City, West Seattle, South Lake Union, T-Mobile Park as well as a corporate catering unit. Kamala has been the investor in several hospitality businesses and a start up baby food business. Kamala serves on the Board of Directors for UPower and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and lives in Seward Park with her son, Kainoa.

Executive Chef Kevin Benner has long been a respected figure in the Pacific Northwest culinary scene. His resume includes honing his skills at Maialino in the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York, followed by leading kitchens at Semiahmoo Resort and Golf Spa in Blaine, Washington and serving as chef de cuisine under Chef Mark Bodinet at Cedarbrook Lodge. He also held the executive chef position at Seattle’s AQUA by El Gaucho.

Immediately prior to joining The Lakehouse, Chef Kevin was executive chef at Cedar + Elm at The Lodge at St. Edward’s Park in Kenmore, WA. While there, he brought his insatiable appetite for seasonality, harvesting and sustainability to his craft. He also expanded his quest for hospitality leadership and culinary know-how and challenged himself and his team to constantly innovate and surprise guests with new and exciting culinary experiences.

Chef Kevin’s culinary journey has been an endless pursuit of knowledge and discovery. Always eager to learn more, he has spent time volunteering and working at organic farms, pastry shops and specialty chocolate shops throughout the country. A trained pastry chef, he has studied and absorbed every cooking textbook he could get his hands on and continuously pushes himself to broaden his abilities and elevate the guest experience.

Outside the kitchen, Chef Kevin is an avid golf enthusiast. When not on the golf course he’s either in the gym, out for a run or trying to keep up with his daughter.

As a kid growing up in Mobile, Alabama, Chef David Van Gelder’s kitchen was a playground full of interesting recipes, and each day was an opportunity to learn from his grandma’s culinary talents. His childhood was spent experimenting with creative recipes and absorbing culinary lessons from family members, leading him to pursue culinary school in Portland, Oregon at the Western Culinary Institute.

After completing his education and training, a family member connected Chef David to a career opportunity on private ship and yacht kitchens. This role shaped his drive and desire to make the guest experience unique and personalized. Having such personal one-on-one time with small groups helped mold his cooking skills, favorite recipes, and his dedication to making each meal an unforgettable experience.

Chef David found his way back to land and became the Executive Chef at Teatro Zizanni, a circus dinner theater experience, creating meals for hundreds of guests each day. He later joined Apulent Events and Catering. As he continued to grow as a chef, David pivoted to quick service meals specifically served in both food trucks and brick and mortar stores as the Chef de Cuisine for Skillet Street Food, a famous eatery in Seattle, Washington.

He credits his career progression and growth to his relationships within the culinary industry; it was paramount for him to create relationships in each of his roles, working with those on his team to cultivate exemplary support and leadership in the kitchen.

Chef David then found his way to the Woodland Park Zoo, a main stay in his personal life as he actively visited with friends and family before joining the Woodland Park Zoo team. He currently shapes the catering and concessions program, making the entire guest experience at the zoo an incredible one. Chef David is thankful to be located in the Pacific Northwest where he has the ability to build menus based on each season, taking advantage of local fresh produce and ingredients. From the summer concert series to new menu designs, he is continually innovating the culinary program at the zoo because there’s always something new and exciting coming around the corner.

Growing up in the coastal town of Anacortes, Washington, Chef Brian’s appreciation for local seafood and produce came early. This certainly shows in his approach to achieving refined simplicity in both food and service. Brian received an A.A. in Culinary Arts and his Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality management. Prior to opening Vendemmia, he had worked and learned in a Two Michelin Star restaurant in France, the James Beard Award winning Delfina in San Francisco, and most recently as Chef at two Ethan Stowell Restaurants; Staple & Fancy Mercantile and Tavolata.