SUKI CAMPANO grew up helping her parents at their busy coffee shop in Singapore. After an early career as an event planner, she came to Richmond in 2006. Here, she has been teaching Asian cooking. She has also catered individual dinner parties and various events for the Asian American Society of Central Virginia.

TANYA CAUTHEN is the owner of Belmont Butchery. Certified through the American Culinary Federation, she has worked in Richmond at the Frog and the Redneck, Capers Catering, Patina Grill, Ellwood Thompson’s Natural Market, Edible Garden, and the European Market. She has also helped to open The Red Oak Cafe and Three Monkeys.

MELISSA CHRISTIAN is currently the chef and owner of Savory Choice Catering. Having been involved in the local food scene as a chef, instructor, consultant and volunteer, she now concentrates on catering and food styling. In the past, she has worked as chef at Zeus Gallery Cafe and Chez Foushee.

TIM CLINTON is the Executive Chef at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He has worked in New York City at Flik International-Credit Suisse First Boston. Richmond credits include Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, A Sharper Palate Catering Company, La Grotta, Amici, Millie's, Phillip Morris (through ARAMARK), and Chef’s Warehouse.

MARGARET DOYLE is the owner of Espresso-A-Go-Go, a portable one-woman food cart specializing in coffee and crepes. She picked up her love of crepes in Paris as a young woman, though she later attended the Cooking Academy of Chicago. Her favorite activity is preparing food and drinks with "a splash of showmanship."

BILL FOSTER is the Executive Chef at Zed Cafe. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked at The Frog & The Redneck and Acacia. He then became Event and Prep Chef for A Sharper Palate and did a brief stint as the Governor’s chef. A native of South Carolina, he draws culinary inspiration from his southern roots and his love for fresh, clean food.

JILL GARLOFF is owner and operator of Your Good Taste Personal Chef Service. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, she has worked as an executive chef and food service director for various Fortune 500 companies in Chicago, Atlanta and Richmond.

CHARLES HOLLEY now works for a privately-owned plantation on the James River. He also worked at The Jefferson Hotel’s Le Maire restaurant, and before that, at La Petite France. He is a former member of the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team and winner of the 2004 Virginia Iron Chef Competition. This October, he will compete on a team in the International Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany.

CHRIS MATTERA joined Belmont Butchery when it first opened. He is the former sous-chef of Pomegranate and a 2005 graduate of the Cordon Bleu in Paris. He recently attended a professional course in dry and semi-dry sausage at Iowa State in order to hone his charcuterie skills.

BRIAN MUNFORD is the chef/owner of Patina Grill and a specialist in vegetarian cuisine. He has worked in Richmond at Millie’s, the Zeus Gallery Café, Havana ’59, and A Sharper Palate Catering Company, as well as in Charlottesville at Mono Loco.

CHONG PARK is the owner and manager of Tokyo Market, a Japanese grocery store which recently opened in Carytown. Originally from Korea, she has lived in the U.S. for 22 years. Before she came to Richmond, she owned a Japanese market in Norfolk and taught cooking classes there.

BRUCE ROWLAND is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He is currently the executive chef and owner of Rowland Fine Dining. He got his start working as a chef on three different private yachts, including one owned by Malcolm Forbes. Before coming to Richmond, he served as executive chef at several gourmet restaurants in North and South Carolina.

NICOLE SCHERMERHORN is co-owner of Lavender Fields and A Thyme to Plant Herb Farm. While her husband cultivates the property, she helps customers and manages the farm’s business. Her education mission is to demonstrate the many ways natural herbs can enhance the quality of life.

SALLY SCHMIDT is a Richmond caterer and culinary teacher. Having left the corporate world in 2005, she received her diploma from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and served externships under a sommelier and executive chef in New York City. She currently operates her own catering company, Sallyfood.

JIMMY TSAMOURAS is the new chef/owner of Dot’s Back Inn, a longtime Northside favorite. Born and raised in Richmond, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, then literally cooked his way across America, from New York to Hawaii. After returning home, he worked at the John Marshall Hotel, Barrister’s Café, and Southern Culture.

CAMPBELL TUCKER works at the Ironhorse in Ashland. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he interned at Arnaud’s in New Orleans. He then returned to Virginia and studied under the French Master Chef at Chez Max.