Akhtar Nawab Chef, The EU 235 E 4th St., New York, NY 10009 (212) 254-2900 Raised in Louisville, KY, Akhtar Nawab grew up on his mother’s traditional Indian meals. Currently serving as executive chef at The EU, Akhtar focuses on simple, thoughtful dishes that approach seasonal ingredients with a Mediterranean sensibility. Though he is going to open a new restaurant, he plans to stay on at EU. The new restaurant, Elettaria, which Nawab will open with Noel Cruz, will be on West 8th Street, NY. Belinda Leong Pastry Chef, Gary Danko, San Francisco Belinda Leong’s family manufactures sausages for the Chinese market, so she and her family have history of working with food, but it wasn’t something she necessarily wanted to have a career in when she was younger. She started out studying graphic design at San Francisco City College but then she shifted to culinary interests. She started with savory and then moved on to pastry. In 2001, Gary Danko formally recognized her as the Pastry Chef. Leong also refined her skills with work experience at Daniel, Aureole, Fauchon, and Citrella in New York. Cristeta Comerford White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford was born as Cristeta Pasia in The Philippines and grew up there in the Sampaloc, Manila. She is the first woman who holds the position of the White House Executive Chef. Trained in French classical techniques and specializing in ethnic and American cuisine, Comerford has worked as an Assistant Chef in the White House kitchen since 1995. Hsing Chen Corporate Pastry Chef Hsing Chen is with Jean-Georges Vongerichten as a corporate pastry chef now; she is also a writer who has done pieces for Cocoaroma, a magazine dedicated exclusively to chocolate. Hyung Hung Sous Chef, Guy Savoy, Las Vegas Hyung Hung is from Pittsfield, Mass. Currently he resides in Las Vegas. Born in Vietnam and trained in classic French and Asian cuisine, he believes in cooking from the soul. Hung especially loves seafood because he says there are a million varieties and flavors to combine. He has traveled the world over, and speaks four languages, learning different types of cuisines. He incorporates Asian, French and Spanish influences in his cooking. Juho Lee Executive Chef, Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa, NH Chef Juho Lee brings Asian flavors to the Mountain View Grand Resort in Whitefield, set inside 13,000 acres overlooking the White Mountains. The resort opened in 1865 and has continued to provide service and dining reminiscent of the heyday of the era of the grand hotel. Lee Ann Wong Executive chef The French Culinary Institute, NY Lee Ann Wong is the executive chef of event operations for The French Culinary Institute in New York City. Her passion is pork, and she can do anything with a pig. Her mother was her inspiration. Wong is an American chef and was one of the last four contestants on the first season of Bravo's reality show, Top Chef. She is currently the culinary producer for the third season of Top Chef. She also blogs about the show for Bravo as well as doing a webcast, Top Recipe: The Wong Way to Cook in which she demonstrates how to prepare various winning dishes invented by the program contestants. Magdalena Wong Pastry chef Magdalena Wong was born in Hong Kong and raised in Northern California. After nine years of a successful career in high-tech product marketing in Silicon Valley and New York, she turned to pursue her true passion in the culinary world. After graduating from The Institute of Culinary Education with a degree in Pastry and Baking Arts, she interned and then worked at the renowned, award-winning Gramercy Tavern in New York City. Wong later joined Kyotofu to focus her skills on the art of Japanese dessert, progressing from pastry sous chef to her present role as pastry chef. Ron Bilaro Personal Chef Ron Bilaro is one of the most sought-after personal chefs in Chicago today. Born and raised in the Philippines, he migrated to the US when he was 19 years old. His clientele base is mostly “corporate families” which consist of lawyers, businessmen and TV producers. He cooked for Oprah on her 50th birthday. Sophie and Eric Banh Monsoon 615 19th Avenue E., Seattle, Washington 206/325-2111 Sophie and Eric Banh are Vietnamese sister-brother team. After their childhood in Saigon, Eric and Sophie moved to Canada and then to the United States. In 1999, Eric moved to Seattle to join Sophie in creating Monsoon - their own restaurant that blends fine Vietnamese cuisine with fresh ingredients and traditions of the Pacific Northwest. Eric has expanded his presence in the Seattle food scene, opening “Baguette Box”, a gourmet bistro serving daily sandwiches inspired by French, Italian, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisines.