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Marcus Samuelsson is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, philanthropist and food activist. His most recent restaurant is New York City’s acclaimed Red Rooster Harlem, which opened in December 2010. The restaurant celebrates the roots of American cuisine in one of New York City’s liveliest and most culturally rich neighborhoods. Chef Samuelsson has been featured on Iron Chef, Chopped All-Stars, Top Chef Masters, 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, The Martha Stewart Show, the Today show, and his own television show, The Inner Chef, on Discovery Network.Marcus was recently honored as a guest chef at the White House under the Obama administration, where he planned and executed the administration’s first state dinner for the first family, Prime Minister Singh of India and 400 guests. While he has been honored by the prestigious James Beard Foundation on multiple occasions, including “Rising Star Chef” (1999), “Best Chef: New York City” (2003) and “Best International Cookbook” (2007), Marcus continues to maintain humility with regard to the art of food and his UNICEF endeavors, working toward immunization and curbing malnutrition for children throughout the world.His books include Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine (2003), Discovery Of A Continent: Foods, Flavors, And Inspirations From Africa (2007), New American Table (2009), Yes, Chef: A Memoir (2013), Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook at Home (2014), Make It Messy: My Perfectly Imperfect Life (2015) and The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem (2016).

Since opening his first restaurant, Amada, in 2005, Chef Jose Garces has emerged as an enormous talent and one of the nation’s most gifted chefs and restaurateurs. His eponymous Garces Group operates restaurants in Philadelphia, Pa.; Chicago, Ill.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Palm Springs, Calif.; and Atlantic City, N.J. In addition to his duties as chef-owner, Chef Garces is the author of the stunning cookbooks, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, September 2008) and The Latin Road Home (Lake Isle Press, October 2012). He is a 2009 winner of the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic” award and one of only eight chefs in the country to hold the prestigious title of Iron Chef. He regularly appears on the Food Network hit Iron Chef America, a role he earned after besting nine other competitors on The Next Iron Chef. In addition, Chef Garces is the owner of 40-acre Luna Farm in Bucks County, Pa., where he and his team grow much of the produce for his Philadelphia restaurants. He is also the proprietor of one of the nation’s best-loved food trucks, Guapos Tacos, which is available for private events and can often be found on the streets of his adopted hometown of Philadelphia. “Since opening Amada, my life and career have taken off in directions I could never have anticipated, and it has been an amazing ride,” says Chef Garces. “Each new opportunity has brought a fresh set of challenges, and it has been exhilarating to overcome them and continue to evolve and grow — as a chef, as a hospitality professional and as a person.” Chef Garces’ Philadelphia ventures are each counted among the city’s best bars and restaurants: Amada, an authentic Andalusian tapas bar; Tinto, a wine bar and restaurant inspired by the Basque region of Northern Spain and Southern France; Distrito, a spirited celebration of the vibrant culture and cuisine of Mexico City; Chifa, a Latin-Asian restaurant named after the Peruvian eateries of the same name; Village Whiskey, a classic American bar with more than 80 whiskies and world-class bar snacks; Garces Trading Company, a European-style cafe and gourmet market; and JG Domestic, an ingredient-focused restaurant serving artisanal American food and drink. Also based in Philadelphia are: Guapos Tacos, his mobile truck serving modern Mexican street food; and Garces Catering, a full-service event planning division that designs and executes gatherings ranging from casual business luncheons to dramatic black-tie weddings and everything in between. Chef Garces is also the executive chef at Chicago’s much-praised Catalan restaurant Mercat a la Planxa, where he works in collaboration with Sage Restaurant Group. Both Distrito and Mercat were named to Esquire magazine’s list of “20 Best New Restaurants, 2008.” In the past 12 months, Chef Garces has expanded into a variety of new markets. Most recently, he partnered with Revel, a new beachfront resort in Atlantic City, N.J., to open: Amada, Village Whiskey and Distrito Cantina, a festive margarita bar with a selection of 100 tequilas and Mexican street food from the adjoining Guapos Tacos food truck. Earlier, Chef Garces brought his hospitality and cuisine to the Southwest, opening restaurants in cooperation with Joie de Vivre and The Sydell Group at their new Saguaro hotels in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Palm Springs, Calif. At the Saguaro Scottsdale, Chef Garces operates Distrito; Old Town Whiskey, a bar evocative of frontier drink parlors of old, serving a collection of domestic spirits and artfully crafted cocktails alongside classic American dishes; and Garces Trading Coffee Kiosk, a takeout counter serving his custom-roasted GTC coffees and house-baked goods. At the Saguaro Palm Springs, Chef Garces oversees room service and poolside eats and manages two restaurants: El Jefe, a modern Mexican restaurant and margarita bar with a look and feel inspired by the Wild West, and Tinto. This year, Garces Catering will partner with the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia (Broad and Spruce Streets, www.kimmelcenter.org). Chef Garces will create and execute menus for all special events and concessions for the Kimmel Center, Academy of Music and Merriam Theater, and will also open a full-service restaurant inside the Kimmel Center. Always on the lookout for a new way to bring his food to his guests, Chef Garces authored his first cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, Fall 2008). The strikingly photographed tome focuses on modern recipes through which Chef Garces provides authoritative, much-needed context for the now-ubiquitous flavors and cooking styles of Spain, Mexico and much of South America, exploring the history of these cuisines even as he shapes their future. His second cookbook, The Latin Road Home (Lake Isle Press, October 2012), takes readers on a tour of a variety of Latin cultures through food. An American chef born to Ecuadorian parents and raised in Chicago, Chef Garces began his culinary training in the kitchen of his paternal grandmother. In developing his personal cooking style, something he says is an ongoing pursuit, Jose spent years perfecting different cuisines in top-rated professional kitchens, graduating from Chicago’s Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and going on to work in New York City before moving on to Philadelphia, where he has built an impressive stable of restaurants and resides today with his wife and two children. Known for his wide smile and educational approach to food, Chef Garces has been featured on top TV shows and in prestigious publications including the Today show; Nightline; The New York Times; Travel & Leisure; Bon Appetit; Food & Wine; and The Wall Street Journal. For more information on Chef Jose Garces or any of his restaurants, please visit www.garcesgroup.com and follow them on Twitter: @garcesgroup and @chefjosegarces.

Emmy-winning television host Jeff Corwin has worked for the conservation of endangered species, natural resources, and ecosystems around the globe. Through education and awareness, he believes these vital elements of our planet can be conserved for future generations. Jeff also remains a passionate explorer of human culture especially as it relates to regional cuisine; he believes food is often the glue that cements together a community and culture. As the host of Food Network's primetime series Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin, Jeff embarks on exciting and educational culinary adventures through culturally-diverse lands – meeting the natives, sampling the incredible indigenous foods, and enjoying countless surprises every step of the way. In February 2009, Extreme Cuisine premiered as a one-hour primetime special on Food Network, and it was then picked up for a full series premiering September 17th, 2009. Jeff has a long history in the food industry, working in restaurants since he was 12 years old. From dishwasher to busboy, to prep and line cook, to waiter and bartender, he has worked everywhere from greasy spoons to high-end locales. His family played a major role in sparking Jeff's culinary interests; in fact, his great grandfather owned Maccarelli's – one of the first pizza parlors in the United States. His food passions now focus on sustainable cooking, mushroom foraging, fishing, and oneology. Jeff also hosts of a variety of popular television series seen in 120 countries worldwide including Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin Experience, Corwin's Quest, Spring Watch, Giant Monsters, Realm of the Yeti, Spring Watch USA, and King of the Jungle; Disney's Going Wild with Jeff Corwin; Discovery Networks' Investigation Earth; NBC's Emmy-nominated Jeff Corwin Unleashed; Travel Channel's Into Alaska and Into the American West; and Discovery Health's Pets and People. In 2007, Jeff also co-created and co-hosted CNN's Planet in Peril with Anderson Cooper. In November 2008, Animal Planet premiered The Vanishing Frog, a powerful documentary highlighting Jeff's year-long, global odyssey exploring the mass extinction of the planet's amphibian species. Now in its fifth edition, Jeff's first book, Living on the Edge: Amazing Relationships in the Natural World (Rodale, 2003), focuses on diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants. Through Puffin Books, Jeff is publishing a book series for young readers focusing on wildlife, ecology and conservation under The Jeff Corwin Jr. Explorer Series brand. His new book, 100 Heartbeats: A Journey to Meet Our Planet's Endangered Animals and the Heroes Working to Save Them (Rodale), due out in November 2009, explores the plight of the planet’s most endangered wildlife species. The title of the book refers to the species with 100 or fewer individuals alive in the wild today. Jeff will also host an accompanying two-hour MSNBC documentary entitled Future Earth: 100 Heartbeats, due out November 22, 2009. Jeff established EcoZone in 2002, an interactive museum and environmental education center in Norwell, Mass. (his hometown) to build awareness for the wildlife and ecology unique to the wetlands of southeastern Massachusetts. In 2008, Jeff was named Embassodor of Climate Change and Endangered Species on behalf of the Defenders of Wildlife, one of the United States‘ most prominent conservation organizations. Jeff has B.S. degrees in Biology and Anthropology from Bridgewater State College, a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and an honorary doctorate in Public Education from Bridgewater State College. When not traveling the world, Jeff enjoys life at home off the coast of Massachusetts with his wife, Natasha, and two daughters, Maya Rose and Marina Faye. He and his wife believe it's important to show their daughters where food comes from and to connect them with the resources. At home, they grow about 20% of their food including many fruits, vegetables and herbs. They eat fish that they catch themselves and also have clam beds, mussel beds, and lobster traps. This lifestyle contributes to Jeff's belief in sustainable, locally-grown fare and renewable resources.

For the past 15 years, Chef Tyler Florence (www.tylerflorence.com) has delighted the masses by sharing the sights, sounds and flavors of his unique culinary vision with fans around the world. After graduating from the prestigious culinary program at Johnson & Wales University, Florence tackled the Big Apple where he helmed multiple acclaimed restaurants and established himself as one of New York City’s finest young stars. In New York, he honed his culinary skills under the tutelage of some of the city's premier chefs, including Charlie Palmer at Aureole, Marta Pulini at Mad 61 and Rick Laakonen, ultimately becoming executive chef at Cafeteria. As the buzz about the charismatic young chef’s food picked up steam, a fresh new television network took notice; the rest is history. After more than 14 years as a Food Network star, Florence has taken his food and his wit across the globe, finely tuning what is regarded as one of America’s most important culinary voices. He has starred in such series as How to Boil Water, his cooking show for novices; Food 911, his hugely popular "recipe rescue" show; as well as his signature series, Tyler's Ultimate. Florence has also hosted numerous other Food Network shows and specials, including Planet Food, All American Festivals and My Country, My Kitchen. Tyler is also a regular guest on The Today Show, CNN, The View, The Tonight Show, Oprah, Access Hollywood, Extra, Good Morning America, and more. In July 2008, Tyler opened his first kitchen retail shop, The Tyler Florence Shop, in Mill Valley, Calif. Outposts will also be opening soon at San Francisco International Airport and in Napa. Adjacent to the Napa shop will be Tyler's new restaurant concept, Tyler Florence Rotisserie & Wine. Tyler also released two best-selling cookbooks in October 2008: Stirring the Pot and Dinner at My Place (Meredith Books). He also has three previously released books: Tyler’s Ultimate, Eat This Book and Real Kitchen (Clarkson Potter). In January 2009, Tyler launched his signature lines of steel-clad cookware and titanium cutlery on Home Shopping Network and at major retailers across the United States, including Macy’s, where Tyler is a member of the prestigious Macy’s Culinary Council. Also in 2009, Tyler opened his first signature restaurant, The Empire Plush Room, at the new Hotel Vertigo in San Francisco. In June 2010, Tyler opened his first signature restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, in San Francisco's Financial District and later opened the historic El Paseo in Mill Valley in fall 2010. Tyler lives in Mill Valley, Calif., with his wife, Tolan, and has three children: sons, Miles and Hayden, and daughter, Dorothy.

As an avid home cook and successful spice-shop owner, Janet Johnston brings her bright personality and true passion for spices to Food Network in her show, Spice & Easy. Janet shares her deep knowledge of spices and demonstrates the ease of infusing spices and seasonings into everyday dishes resulting in fantastic flavors. Her approachable techniques and ideas eliminate intimidation and prove that spicing things up is both fun and simple. Janet grew up in Hoffman Estates, Ill., outside of Chicago, with her parents and three siblings. She earned an associate degree in 1990 from William Rainey Harper College. She then moved to the city and studied photography at Columbia College and received her bachelor’s degree in 1993. After graduation, Janet worked for 13 years at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), starting as an executive assistant and working her way to being a manager on the Internet marketing team. In 2000, Janet met her future husband, Mike, who worked in the spice industry. He ignited her passion for spices and cooking, and they moved to Denver in 2004 to realize their dream: open a beautiful spice shop and build a successful business together. They married in August 2006 and opened their second shop in September in Littleton, Colo. They opened a third shop in Boulder, Colo., in July 2008 and a fourth shop in East Denver’s Lowry Town Center in October 2008, which served as a prototype for their new franchise business. The first franchise opened in November 2009 in Colorado Springs with several more in the works. Janet and Mike manage the overall business every day in addition to constantly creating new spice blends and developing approachable recipes for their customers. In August 2008, Savory Spice Shop was featured on the Denver episode of Food Network’s Road Tasted with the Neelys as a standout local business. Since then, Janet and Mike have appeared on episodes of Paula’s Best Dishes and Down Home with the Neelys to cook up some of their favorite spice-filled delights. Besides cooking and eating, Janet enjoys traveling, antiquing, gardening and exercising including yoga. Janet currently resides in Denver, Colo., with her husband, Mike, and their dog, Bounder. Spice & Easy is filmed in Denver — both in their 100-year-old Victorian home as well as in the original Savory Spice Shop.

Growing up in Essex, where his parents run their own highly respected pub/restaurant in Clavering, Jamie Oliver was frequently found helping in the kitchen. At 16, Jamie left school to complete his training at Westminster Catering College. After spending time working in France and at Antonio Carluccio’s Neal Street Restaurant in London, Jamie joined the acclaimed River Café, where he worked for three and a half years alongside Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. In 1997, Jamie was featured in a television documentary about the River Café. Jamie was then offered his own television show, and The Naked Chef was born. The concept was to strip food down to its bare essentials, and Jamie’s hands-on style and general laid-back outlook was like a breath of fresh air, inspiring everyone to cook. The first U.S. show aired in 1999. The Naked Chef book accompanied the television series and became an instant best-seller. A second and third television series was filmed, along with the second and third tie-in books, all published by Hyperion in the United States: The Return of the Naked Chef and Happy Days with the Naked Chef. Jamie spent the autumn of 2001 taking his show on the road; the Happy Days Tour was a huge success with more than 17,000 people packing theatres in the U.K. The tour then travelled to Australia and New Zealand with sold-out crowds in seven cities. In 2001, by personal invitation from Tony Blair, Jamie also cooked for the prime minister of Italy at Downing Street. Jamie wanted to ‘give something back’ to the catering industry, so he opened a training restaurant in 2001 for young people who were not in full-time education or employment. Cameras documented him as he spent the year setting up a training scheme, the restaurant and the charity into which all the profits would be channeled. The series, Jamie’s Kitchen, became one of the biggest hit shows of the year in the U.K. It has now been shown in more than 35 countries and the tie-in book, also called Jamie’s Kitchen, became a runaway success. The triumph of the restaurant was shown when it won Tatler Best Restaurant Award 2003 and the Academy Award of Excellence at the Tio Pepe Carlton London Restaurant Awards the same year. Jamie was awarded an MBE in 2003 for his contribution to the hospitality industry. The Fifteen Foundation charity now owns Fifteen London and continues its work, recently recruiting the sixth year of students for training in London. The first Fifteen franchise opened in Amsterdam in 2004 and subsequent Fifteens have opened in Cornwall, the U.K. and Melbourne, Australia, in 2006. Motivated by the lack of nutrition in U.K. school lunches, Jamie wanted to educate and motivate kids and school administrators to enjoy cooking and eating nutritious lunches. He launched a national campaign called Feed Me Better with an online petition for better school meals that garnered 271,677 signatures. In March 2005, Jamie took the petition to 10 Downing Street where the government pledged an extra $550 million to improve the standard of school meals and to provide training for lunch workers and equipment for schools. More than seven months of hard work and filming culminated in the award-winning series Jamie’s School Dinners, which prompted a public outcry to change the school meals system. A follow-up documentary, Jamie’s Return To School Dinners, aired in the U.K. in September 2006, and the British government further invested in school meals and food education for school children as a result of Jamie’s new findings. Jamie’s Great Italian Escape, a series based on his travels around Italy and his love of Italian food, followed his school movement and was accompanied by his sixth book, Jamie’s Italy. In addition to Jamie’s television programs and books, Jamie works with top U.K. supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, advising them on how to further improve the quality and variety of supermarket food. He has also designed several lines of quality tableware and serveware with Royal Worcester, including the most recent range, Simply Blue. Working with T-Fal, Jamie has launched three lines of cookware called the Jamie Oliver Professional Series, most recently The Italian Series. Jamie has also launched an Italian food range and has a wide range of gift foods, which are distributed internationally. He has also developed a great kitchen gadget called the Flavour ShakerTM, which launched in the U.K. in 2005 and is also being launched internationally. Jamie’s seventh book, Cook With Jamie, was published in October 2007 by Hyperion Books. All of Jamie’s profits from this book are going to the Fifteen Foundation to help more young people start a career in the catering industry. Through 2006 and early 2007, Jamie filmed a series and wrote a book, both called Jamie At Home. He has been successfully growing fruits, vegetables and herbs at his Essex farmhouse since 2004. The book and series, both released in 2008, reflect his new love of gardening organically as well as featuring delicious recipes inspired by the produce of his garden.