Outstanding In The Field
Join a seated, four-course, family-style dinner prepared by a roster of regional and international chefs.
Get to know your Chefs
Ilan Hall
Friday, 4/19
Acclaimed Bravo "Top Chef” winner, Ilan Hall, started his culinary odyssey at five, inspired by fried calamari. From Tuscany to the Culinary Institute of America, he crafted his art. A chef, storyteller, and innovator, he also hosts Bravo's "Tournament of Champions,” His restaurants - The Gorbals, Esh and Ramen Hood - are beacons of culinary creativity and communal dining. Amid fame, family remains paramount. With partner Ayame Kawaguchi and son Theo, love, family, and food collide, shaping not just a chef's tale but a father's legacy. In Hall’s story, every dish, every moment is a testament to a life lived in relentless pursuit of great food.
Gabe Kennedy
Saturday, 4/20
Chef Gabe Kennedy, graduate of CIA and Cornell University, who prior to joining as chef partner at Checker Hall in Los Angeles, worked alongside the famed restaurateur David Bouley and held positions at Little Beet/Little Beet Table in New York, Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn and many more. Kennedy is passionate about the power of food as a tool for health, which led him to co-found Plant People, a natural health food company. Named to Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ in 2020, Gabe was an executive chef at Bon Appetit, has appeared on the "Food Network’s "Selena and Chef" and ‘“Chopped,” and won Anthony Bourdain’s competition cooking show, "The Taste.”
Karla Subero Pittol
Sunday, 4/21
Karla Subero Pittol, a Venezuelan-born chef and artist from Los Angeles, resides in Echo Park, CA. While studying Cultural Anthropology & Indigenous food systems at UC Santa Barbara in 2010, she launched her first pop-up. After training in Paris, she returned to LA, specializing in pastry and desserts, blending her palate with her South American heritage. At Chainsaw, her latest venture, she embraces old-school outdoor cooking with open flames and charred produce, infusing her dishes with bold flavors inspired by her roots. Rejecting conventional restaurant norms, Karla curates unique spaces and menus, rooted in her belief that time is irreplaceable.
Javier Plascencia
Friday, 4/12
Tijuana-born chef and entrepreneur, Javier Plascencia studied in San Diego before opening his first restaurant in his hometown. He has become a global ambassador for Baja California cuisine who champions the region’s local products worldwide. Considered one of Mexico’s most important chefs, Plascencia took the ‘Best Chef’ prize in the recent Gastronomic Mexican Guide and ranks on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Latin America list. He runs a string of restaurants that includes Jazamango, Finca Altozano and Animalón, all of which share a philosophy of using local ingredients and supporting the region’s farming communities.
Jo Barrett
Saturday, 4/13
A modest figure Jo Barrett lets others speak of her remarkable culinary journey. Her talents shine at Little Picket a charming restaurant on Victoria’s Surf Coast celebrating local produce. Hailed as a 'game changer' and 'culinary superstar,’ she is Melbourne’s 2024 Age Good Food Guide ‘Chef of The Year’ finalist and a 2021 World's 50 Next "Hospitality Pioneer,” who was who was executive chef at Oakridge Winery in Australia’s Yarra Valley. Featured in the acclaimed documentary "Greenhouse by Joost," she champions sustainability and shares her expertise in workshops and representing Australia internationally. She's a force in the culinary world and her book "Sustain" just hit shelves.
Josh Niland
Saturday, 4/13
Chef Josh Niland has revolutionized how the world handles fish with his ethical and sustainable approach. The multi-award-winning chef owns Saint Peter, Fish Butchery Paddington, Fish Butchery Waterloo, Charcoal Fish, Rose Bay and Petermen, St Leonards with his wife Julie, as well as FYSH at the Edition Hotel in Singapore. His books have won multiple awards, including the James Beard Foundation overall "Book of the Year," the first Australian ever to do so. Josh is the first Australian board member of The Basque Culinary Centre and has recently won the "Best Chef Innovation Award" at the Best Chef Awards and the "Game Changer" award at La Liste.
Burt Bakman
Sunday, 4/14
They say the best barbecue takes time and the story of SLAB is years in the making. It begins deep in the heart of Texas, where Burt Bakman, an immigrant, found his calling to be a pitmaster. A quick business trip to the Lone Star State instead turned into a chance exploration of barbecue at its source, fostering a lifelong obsession in him to perfect the craft. Not a man to settle for second best, Bakman is determined to become one of the greats at smoking meat.
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