Chef Team


Our chef team members travel to countries around the world to learn about other cultures through the power of food.


The chefs cook alongside local citizens, learning their culinary traditions and who they are as a people, while also sharing a taste of American culture and cuisine. Upon their return to the U.S., they engage domestic audiences at community events, sharing the food and the stories of the people they met. Participating in engagements all around the country, the chefs connect and communicate what they have learned through the common language of food.

 

Fariyal Abdullahi
Hav & Mar

CDP Chef Eric Adjepong

Eric Adjepong
Food Network’s Wildcard Kitchen

Victor Albisu

Victor Albisu
Taco Bamba

Sunny Anderson Culinary Diplomacy Project

Sunny Anderson
Food Network’s The Kitchen

Cathal Armstrong

Cathal Armstrong
Kaliwa

 

Melissa Araujo
Alma

Nyesha Arrington

Nyesha Arrington
Fox’s Next Level Chef

Kyle Bailey

Kyle Bailey
The Salt Line

Rick Bayless

Rick Bayless
Frontera

Richard Blais

Richard Blais
Fox’s Next Level Chef

 
Bob Blumer

Bob Blumer
Chef & Cookbook Author

Amy Brandwein

Amy Brandwein
Centrolina

Maya Camille Broussard
Justice of Pies

Jeffrey Buben

Jeffrey Buben
Bistro Bis

Time Byres

Tim Byres
Firebrand

 
Peter Callahan

Peter Callahan
Peter Callahan Catering

Maneet Chauhan

Maneet Chauhan
Food Network's Chopped

Esther Choi
Mokbar

Sarah Cole

Sarah Cole
Abadir’s

Giada De Laurentiis Culinary Diplomacy Project

Giada De Laurentiis
Food Network’s Giada Entertains

 
Luigi Diotaiuti

Luigi Diotaiuti
Al Tiramisu

Rocco DiSpirito

Rocco DiSpirito
Chef & TV Personality

Willian Dissen

William Dissen
The Marketplace Restaurant and Lounge

Kirsten Dixon

Kirsten Dixon
Within the Wild

Mandy Dixon

Mandy Dixon
Within the Wild

 
Matthew Dolan

Matthew Dolan
25 Lusk

Scott Drewno

Scott Drewno
Chiko

Maziar Farivar

Maziar Farivar
Peacock Café

Chip Flanagan

Chip Flanagan
Metairie Country Club

Ben Ford

Ben Ford
The Electric Jane

 
Amanda Freitag Culinary Diplomacy Project

Amanda Freitag
Food Network's Chopped

Lorena Garcia

Lorena Garcia
Netflix's Iron Chef:
Quest for an Iron Legend

Duff Goldman Culinary Diplomacy Project

Duff Goldman
Food Network's Ace of Taste

Jerome Grant

Jerome Grant
Mahal Open Fire BBQ

Todd Gray

Todd Gray
Equinox

 
David Guas

David Guas
Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery

Rock Harper

Rock Harper
Queen Mother’s Fried Chicken

Kerry Heffernan

Kerry Heffernan
Grand Banks

Tanya Holland

Tanya Holland
Brown Sugar Kitchen

Robert Irvine

Robert Irvine
Food Network’s
Restaurant: Impossible

 
Frida Johansson

Frida Johansson
Embassy of Sweden

Elizabeth Karmel
Karmel Culinary Consultants

Sam Kass

Sam Kass
Trove

Jim Lahey

Jim Lahey
Sullivan Street Bakery

Mourad Lahlou

Mourad Lahlou
Mourad

 
Danny Lee

Danny Lee
Anju

Jaime Leeds

Jamie Leeds
Hank's Oyster Bar

Adrian Lipscombe

Adrian Lipscombe
Uptowne Café and Bakery

Antonia Lofaso
Dama

Tony Mantuano

Tony Mantuano
Yolan

 
Maria Mazon

Maria Mazon
BOCA

Tory McPhail

Tory McPhail
Parker's Restaurant Group

Spike Mendelsohn

Spike Mendelsohn
PLNT Burger

Mary Sue Milliken

Mary Sue Milliken
Border Grill

Rick Moonen

Rick Moonen
Perry’s Restaurants

 
Larmar J Moore

Lamar J. Moore
Black Chef Table

Daniela Moreira

Daniela Moreira
Call Your Mother

Marc Murphy Culinary Diplomacy Project

Marc Murphy
Food Network's Chopped

Kaz Okochi

Kaz Okochi
KAZ Sushi Bistro

Kwame Onwuachi

Kwame Onwuachi
Tatiana

 
Mario Pagan

Mario Pagan
Mario Pagan Restaurant Group

Guillermo Pernot

Guillermo Pernot
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar

Lauren Radel

Lauren Radel
Porchetta

David Rose
Chef & TV Personality

Frank Ruta

Frank Ruta
Annabelle

 

Aaron Sánchez
Johnny Sánchez + Adobo Cantina

Kevin Sbraga

Kevin Sbraga
Sonny & Sons

Barton Seaver

Barton Seaver
Coastal Culinary Academy

Aarti Sequeira

Aarti Sequeira
TV Personality & Cookbook Author

Pierre Serrao

Pierre Serrao
Ghetto Gastro

 
Reid Shilling

Reid Shilling
Shilling Canning Company

Olumide Shokunbi
Spice Kitchen

Art Smith

Art Smith
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'

Michael Solomonov
Zahav

Vikram Sunderam

Vikram Sunderam
Rasika

 

Marcel Vigneron
The Astor & Lemon Grove

Rey Villalobos

Rey Villalobos
University of Chicago

Bryan Voltaggio

Bryan Voltaggio
Thacher & Rye

Justin Walker

Justin Walker
Walkers Main

Lester Walker

Lester Walker
Ghetto Gastro

 
Eric Ziebold

Eric Ziebold
Kinship & Métier

Andrew Zimmern
Chef & TV Personality