Michelle Carpenter 

Executive Chef/Owner, Zen Sushi and Restaurant Beatrice, Dallas

Michelle Carpenter, born to a Cajun airman and a Japanese mother, is the owner and executive chef of Zen Sushi and Restaurant Beatrice, both located in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. Chef Carpenter has more than 35 years of experience in the service industry and has won numerous awards for both concepts. 

Molly Hawks   
Executive Chef/Owner, Hawks, Sacramento  

Molly Hawks and husband, Chef Michael Fagnoni, are the chefs and owners of the acclaimed Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay, Hawks Provisions + Public House in Sacramento, and the new Moksa Barrel House in Roseville, California. Chef Hawks honed her skills at the California Culinary Academy, specializing in French and Italian cooking techniques embracing an ingredient-driven philosophy.  

Rachel Miller 
Chef de CuExecutive Chef/Owner, Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn, MA isine, Sarma, Somerville 

Rachel Miller fell in love with cooking growing up in Virginia. She moved to Boston and worked her way up in some of the best kitchens, honing French technique and discovering her love of Vietnamese cuisine. In 2019, she opened Nightshade Noodle Bar, a Vietnamese and French-inspired seafood restaurant. Nightshade received the Boston Globe’s second-ever 5-star review, and Chef Miller was named a finalist for the 2023 James Beard award for Outstanding Chef. 

Shannah Primiano
Executive Pastry Chef, Porto, Chicago 

Chef Shannah Primiano, executive pastry chef of Porto in Chicago, is self-taught in her trade through experiences in her career and her passion for pastry. She finds inspiration in using ingredients that favor her savory, surprisingly not-sweet palate, and pushes boundaries of what people expect in desserts.  

Yesenia Castañon  
Chef de Cuisine, Birdsong, San Francisco  

Chef Yesenia Castañon began honing her skills in bakeries and cake shops in San Francisco. In 2010, she attended the California Culinary Academy. Her interest in restaurants led her to Restaurant Gary Danko, followed by a stint at Spruce. Chef Castañon joined the opening team of Birdsong as a pastry assistant and rapidly worked her way to becoming Birdsong’s chef de cuisine.   

Mona Sang 
Executive Chef/Owner, Khmai Fine Dining, Chicago 

Mona Sang, fleeing the genocide in Cambodia in the 1980s, watched her mother struggle to feed the family in their new land by working in a church kitchen, then opening a catering business. Mona Sang continued to develop her culinary skills at Lettuce Entertain You Group, which led her to open Khami Fine Dining in 2022, where mother and daughter share authentic Cambodian flavors. Khmai Fine Dining was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, as well as Eaters Chef and Chicago Eaters best new restaurant in 2022. 

Shachi Mehra 
Executive Chef and Partner, ADYA, Anaheim, CA 

Chef Shachi Mehra, as executive chef and partner of award-winning ADYA restaurant in Anaheim and founder of Spice Girl Sauces, has focused her work in the culinary arts to spread her Indian heritage throughout Southern California, and beyond. Blending Western and Indian cultures to create artful dishes that marry tradition with modernity, Chef Mehra creates innovative and thoughtful foods that balance a variety of flavors and make Indian cuisine appealing to a range of tastes. An ardent supporter of local farmers and sustainable practices, she takes great care in sourcing her ingredients.