Roll Callllll
as presented by Ouita Michel at FEAST 2024
We call them the OGs – They started it all in 2017– with their help, we went from farm to kitchen and now to grocery. We met at a James Beard Bootcamp in 2016 and they’ve been coming to Lexington ever since! Tonight we want to give a special shout out to Abra Berens at Granor Farm who could not get here, but here we go!
She is Pittsburgh’s Chef of the Year EVERY Year – and this year is celebrating the launch of her own restaurant Lillith in 2023. She’s made of pure Steel except her heart – she has a heart of gold. From The Steel City – Jamilka Borges
She’s a five-time James Beard Award Finalist, a fellow member of the US Culinary Corps. Her restaurants Picholine and Centrolina have received award after award including Esquire’s Best Restaurant - From our Capital city Washington, DC – Amy Brandwein
She is a 2023 James Beard Semi-finalist, a Top Chef Star from Season 12, Her Restaurant FoodE is celebrating 13 years of operation. Her smile lights up every room she enters, from America’s most Historic City- Fredericksburg Va. – Chef Joy Crump.
Now alphabetically, our amazing presenting chefs for FEAST 2024:
A Lee Initiative Graduate, with a biotech background; she has a green thumb and fantastic singing voice in the kitchen. The Chef de Cuisine at Holly Hill Inn, our very own – Hannah Arvin
Kentucky’s Favorite Top Chef, and Global Top Chef finalist, Chopped Champion, from the Four Rivers and the great city of Paducah, she is the top banana from the Banana Capital of Kentucky. Chef and restaurateur of her own critically acclaimed place, the freighthouse – sara bradley
She hails from Western Kentucky, she’s been a successful pastry chef for a decade all across the south, but returned home to land at the freight house; she’s the sweetheart of Paducah — Megan Wall Broussard
An award-winning, amazing pastry chef as well as Executive Chef at The Exchange Pub + Kitchen in New Albany, Ind., blending her Lolo’s beautiful Filipino flavors and techniques into traditional Kentucky recipes. Cooking with her this winter at Holly Hill was a lesson in delicious creativity and family traditions – Chef Nokee Bucayu
All the way from Mainstrasse on the mighty banks of the Ohio River, from the great city of Covington, Ky, she’s grown from Chef of Otto’s in Covington to being Vice President of the entire Otto’s group. Bid on her Covington Package in our Silent Auction to taste more of her amazing cuisine. One half of our sweet cousin team – Chef Molly Thompson Costello
A graduate of the Lee Initiative, a fantastic pastry chef and the mastermind behind her first but not her last restaurant – the late, great Kismet, She knows her way around deliciousness – Chef Tonya Mays Cronin
A grandmother with 16 grandchildren, founder and owner of From the Heart Catering and the nonprofit organization Touching From the Heart, helping women with culinary training and recovery, she touches all our hearts with her wonderful food – Chef Angelia Drake
New to FEAST this year, she has set the Lexington food scene on fire with her delicious cooking inspired by Kentucky ingredients and her Ecuadorian roots. From the Amazon to Arkansas and finally to the Bluegrass, she is James Beard Bootcamp Alum and Executive Chef of the Palm and Granddam at The Manchester Hotel – Chef Paula Endura
She is known far and wide for her delicious pies and her big heart. She has her own local TV show, her own cooking studio, and a beautiful little pie wagon. From Vette City, Bowling Green, Ky, it's the Pie Queen – Brie Golliher
An amazing Thai chef who grew up in her family’s Thai restaurant learning her mother’s recipes at the wok stove, she caught the ice cream bug and developed our favorite ice cream company – Crank & Boom Ice Cream – touted by People Magazine and Oprah. Her small batch ice creams have raised $90K in the past three years for deserving non-profit organizations throughout the community – Chef Toa Green
In the Cake Hall of Fame – she is famous for her pistachio cake and her amazing upside-down wedding cakes that literally swing from the chandeliers. She is our Cake Maestra – owning and operating Martine’s Pastries since 1999 – Martine Holtzman
New to FEAST this year, please welcome four-time James Beard nominee, fellow James Beard Bootcamp alum, 2021 Food & Wine best new chef. She grew up in Korea and uses her mother’s family recipes, ancient Korean traditions, and local Michigan ingredients in her inspired seasonal Korean cuisine. From Ann Arbor Michigan, and her restaurant Miss Kim’s – Chef Ji Hye Kim
She is the Boom in Crank N Boom Ice Cream- she’s been a chef for more than 20 years and this week she’s a new grandmother. Director of Production and Fulfillment – Michelle Kovach
Her New York restaurant Kimika blends Italian and Japanese flavors and techniques. Named a best new restaurant by Conde Nast and a James Beard Nominee for best new restaurant; her dishes have been listed as the best bites of New York City by Eater, NYT and Food & Wine Magazine. She’s a chef’s chef with decades of amazing experience across the country and in a myriad of cuisines, new to FEAST this year – please welcome Chef Christine Lau
She came to FoodChain during the pandemic, jumped in with both feet. Now she’s the FoodChain kitchen manager, planning and cooking thousands of meals each week. She's Mom to eight with her wife Kara, and an amazing photographer and creative — Chef Amber Lawrence
Her grandmother's cooking is her North Star, and she mixes up her own gumbo of culinary inspiration with Kentucky, French and Cajun Flavors. She was the culinary mastermind behind Roulay and Lady Remoulade. New To FEAST this year – Chef Kelly Mackey
Without her grace, leadership and steady hand, our little company likely would have foundered during Covid. Each year she has faithfully mixed the cocktails for FEAST. She was our Director of Operations, but now she’s taken a step out on her own to build her own place in Louisville – opening later this year – YachtSea. Leslee Macpherson
Her cooking inspires us all. She’s our Puerto Rican Queen, representing her PR flavors and FoodChain Farm ingredients for 10 years. She’s been my friend for more than 20 years. I feel so privileged to work with her. FoodChain Board Member, from Smithtown Seafood – Chef Agnes Marrero
She’s traveled around the world, cooked with the Tibetan monks. She’s a culinary Instructor at the Maysville Culinary Institute, owns her own food truck, Babz Bistro; and writes a food column for The Maysville Ledger. She’s a culinary Shaman – Chef Babz Goldman Nartowicz
She founded and operates Woke Junk Food Vegan, a concept that makes delicious scratch-made vegan dishes comfortable and delicious for even the most diehard burger lover. Plant-based is her mantra, and If you want to know more, bid on her class in our silent auction! Chef Anetra Polk
The creative force in Crank & Boom’s production team, she’s also developed their line of luxury gourmet chocolate; she is the spark for Crank & Boom’s creative flavors and delicious tastes – Sam Sabad
Just back from Paris where she is building a culinary tour business, a 2022 James Beard Nominee, she’s been on Chopped, on Guys Grocery Games, and Beat Bobby Flay; and opened the amazing Barn8 at Hermitage Farms. She rocks red lipstick like no other – Alison Settle
A former Lee Initiative Mentee, now a new mom, and owner of Luna- her food is locally sourced, beautiful and delicious. you can find her rockin’ her groove in the Grove in downtown Lexington – chef Stephania Sharkey
My sister in culinary crime, she’s changed her community forever – she’s a fifth generation farmer, graduate of the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program; she’s bringing women restaurateurs together throughout Appalachia, owner and operator of The Wrigley Taproom in Corbin, Ky. for the past 9 years – Kristin Smith
She opens her doors to everyone in her town, she’s on the city council, makes one of the best bagels in the county, owner of Night Jar and Native Bagel in Berea – Katie Startzman
She’s kneaded the Steel city into one of her delicious bread doughs and created an amazing dessert menu at Lilith — the sweet yin to her partner Jamilka’s yang — this is her second year presenting at FEAST- from Lillith in Pittsburgh, Penn. – Diane DeStefano
Wellness is a state of mind for this amazing vegan private chef and culinary instructor. Her Vegan soul food inspires and connects us all to the foods that make us strong and healthy in our body, mind and spirit; her vegan soul food is so good, you never look back at the bacon – Jessica Taylor
The sweetheart of FoodChain’s rodeo, she has prepared and provided thousands of meals as a FoodChain partner; as executive chef for Dupree Catering for more than 10 years, she makes cooking for 1000s look like child’s play. Green and sustainable are her middle name and her cousin is Molly Thompson. Identical cousins in every way she’s Jane Thompson
Last in the alphabet, but first in my heart, keeping the university focused on healthy locally grown foods, teaching students how to cook and eat, program manager and Chef of the Food Connection at the University of Kentucky – one of FoodChains dearest sponsors – Tanya Whitehouse
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Hunger is no joke. Chef Ouita Michel went to Houston for a national chefs summit hosted by the James Beard Foundation and came home more determined than ever to fight for food access and justice.
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