chefs

Ted Allen, Food and Wine Ambassador for Discover Wine with Robert Mondavi
Rodelio Aglibot, Sunda New Asian
Jerome Bacle, Courtright's Restaurant
Jimmy Bannos, Heaven On Seven and The Purple Pig
Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig
Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill/Topolobampo/XOCO
Fabrice Bouet, Lockwood at the Palmer House Hilton
Graham Elliot Bowles, graham elliot
Alexander Brunacci, Franks 'N' Dawgs
Frank Brunacci, Sixteen
George Bumbaris, Prairie Grass Café/ Prairie Fire
Niall Campbell, Firefly Grill
Gregory Carso, Metropolitan Club
Michael Cisternino, Tavern at the Park
John Coletta, Quartino
Federico Comacchio, Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush
Judy Contino, Bittersweet Pastry Shop and Cafe
Cat Cora, Bon Appétit
Chris Curren, Blue 13 Restaurant & Bar
Jesse DeGuzman, Sunda New Asian
Radhika Desai, English
Federico Destro, Ristorante Luca
Stephen Dunne, Paramount
Dirk Flanigan, The Gage/ Henri
Jo-Marie Frigo, Nonna Santi's Biscotti
Klaus Fritsch, Morton’s The Steakhouse
Dirk and Terry Fucik, Dirk's Fish and Gourmet Shop
Meg Galus, Café des Architectes at Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
Gale Gand, Tru
Jose Garces, Mercat a la Planxa
Luigi Garcia, RIVA Restaurant
John Gatsos, Tavern on Rush
Carlos Gaytan, Mexique
James Gottwald, Rockit Bar & Grill
Eliva Granados, Francesca's Restaurants
Laurent Gras, L20
Koren Grieveson, Avec
Mark Grosz, Oceanique
Stephen Henry, Lockwood at the Palmer House Hilton
Kevin Hickey, Four Seasons Hotel
John Hogan, Keefer’s
Sandra Holl, Floriole Bakery
Trevor Hoyte, IPO
Tony Hu, Lao Szechuan
Brian Huston, The Publican
Stephanie Izard, The Girl & The Goat
Randal Jacobs, Elate 
Paul Kahan, Blackbird
Gene Kato, Japonais
Paul Katz, Harry Caray's Restaurant Group
Bill Kim, Belly Shack
Dian Kochilas, Avli and Pylos
Eddie Lakin, Edzo's Burger Shop
Mariano Lanfranconi, 5411 Empanadas
Ryan LaRoche, NoMI
Bernie Laskowski, Park Grill
Chan Le, Le Colonial
Dale Levitski, Sprout
Joshua Linton, Aja
John Manion, Branch 27
Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia
Shawn McClain, Spring Restaurant Group 
Michael McDonald, one sixtyblue
Jason McLeod, Balsan at the Elysian Hotel
Nathaniel Meads, Fritz Pastry
Mario Navarro, Gene & Georgetti
Martial Noguier, Café des Architectes at Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
Chris Nugent, Les Nomades
Jessica Oloroso, Black Dog Gelato
Terry Opalek and Michael Frontier, Terry's Toffee
Chris Pandel, The Bristol
Mark Payne, deca RESTAURANT + BAR
Nicole Pederson, C-House
Bradford Phillips, LM Restaurant
Ryan Poli, Perennial Restaurant
David Posey, Blackbird
Tony Priolo, Piccolo Sogno
Thierry Rautureau, Rover's Restaurant
Geoff Rhyne, SugarToad
Toni Roberts, C-House
Alain Roby, Hyatt Regency Chicago
Patty Rothman, More Cupcakes'
Arun Sampanthavivat, Arun’s
Marcus Samuelsson, C-House
Patricio Sandoval, Mercadito
Mario Santiago, May St. Cafe & Catering
Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate
Alex Shalev, Sola
Patrick Sheerin, The Signature Room at the 95th
Jackie Shen, Red Light
Bruce Sherman, North Pond
Michael Shrader, N9NE Steakhouse
Kerry Simon, Simon at the Palms/ Simon LA
Art Smith, Table Fifty-Two
Mark Sparacino, Prosecco
Chad Starling, aria
Jeffrey Starr, Trinchero Family Estates
Sarah Stegner, Prairie Grass Café
Todd Stein, The Florentine
Carly Sullivan, The Gage
Giuseppe Tentori, Boka Restaurant
Jacques Torres, Jacques Torres Chocolate
Rick Tramonto, Tramonto's Steak and Seafood/ RT Sushi Bar & Lounge
Dan Tucker, SUSHISAMBA rio
Jared Van Camp, Old Town Social
Paul Virant, Vie
Fabio Viviani, Santa Margarita
Randy Waidner, Gibsons Restaurant Group
Carol Wallack, Sola
Scott Walton, Markethouse Restaurant and Bar
Stephen Wambach, Epic
Michael Wisner, Zapatista
Takashi Yagihashi, Takashi
Shelley Young, The Chopping Block
Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia
Randy Zweiban, Province

master
sommeliers

Serafin Alvarado, Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois
Frederick Dame, Heirloom Wine Group
Doug Krenik, Dr. Loosen Wines
Geoff Kruth, Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant
Alpana Singh, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

speakers

Bridget Albert, Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois
Leone Bonacossi, Capezzana
Tim Clark, Chateau Ste Michelle
David Edmonds, Nobilo Wines
Barbara Fairchild, Bon Appétit
Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appétit
John Legnard, Blue Moon Brewing
Monica Pederson, HGTV
Peter Scott, Premium Port Wines
Martin Sinkoff, Frederick Wildman and Sons
John Terlato, Terlato Wines International
William Terlato, Terlato Wines International  
Lori Tieszen, Wines of Chile
Luis Torres, Constellation Wines US
Darryl Woolley, Kim Crawford Wines
 

Todd Stein

The Florentine

Italy is a long way from Chicago, but it’s very close to Chef Todd Stein’s heart. At the dawn of his culinary career, a pivotal visit to Bologna, Italy, set the course that left Stein forever influenced by the country’s wealth of ingredients. 
If foreign travel wasn’t a sign, than certainly an earlier childhood moment sealed Stein’s fate. Only a fifth grader at the time, Stein had the opportunity to participate in a day-long internship of his choice. Having enjoyed dining out with his family in Highwood, Illinois, Stein developed a love for food and knew immediately where he wanted to work.
That internship at a neighborhood eatery confirmed his passion and later Stein attended KendallCollege in Chicago to pursue his formal culinary studies. Only three weeks into school, he accepted an apprenticeship as a line cook under legendary chef Keith Korn at Gordon restaurant, an experience that transformed the way he thought about working in the kitchen. “He taught me how to cook and how to use all of your senses,” Stein notes. “To this day, some of the best food I have cooked and eaten was under him.” During this time, Stein also had the opportunity to do what he calls a life-changing stage at Le Bernardin in New York City under Chef Eric Ripert.
Stein also lived in France for six months, learning to bake bread at Moulin de la Vierge. It was during this time that he took a trip to Italy to visit family who were living there. The journey, though short, changed the way the young chef looked at food and his career in the industry. Upon returning home and graduating from KendallCollege, Stein worked at some of the WindyCity’s most acclaimed restaurants, including the Hudson Club, where he was executive sous chef, and mk, the restaurant, where he was executive sous chef under Michael Kornick, whom he still considers one of his mentors.
Moving to Cleveland in 1999, Stein actively explored his love of Italian cuisine, working at some of the city’s top restaurants, including Sans Souci and Vivo, an establishment he helped open and which is still close to his heart. “Working at Vivo really allowed me to not only cook Italian food,” he notes, “but also to truly craft my own kitchen.”
Sharing a similar philosophy with Kornick, Stein gravitated back to Chicago and to mk, the restaurant, as executive chef. In 2005, his cooking resulted in being awarded three-star reviews from Chicagomagazine and the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as a “Rising Star Chef” honor from StarChefs.com. After leaving mk, Stein moved to Minneapolis to work as executive chef at BANK, a restaurant housed in the city’s former Farmers & Mechanics Bank building, before venturing further west in 2007 to become executive chef at David Burke, Las Vegas.
            Following Las Vegas, Stein returned to Chicago to oversee all culinary and operations aspects of cibo matto and ROOF at theWit Hotel, Stein, has once again exploried his love of Italian food. ROOF, is inspired by the Italian enoteca, offering small plates and pizzas from a wood-burning oven, while cibo matto (“crazy food”), offered accessible, modern Italian cuisine. Both restaurants reflect Stein’s belief in keeping food approachable by utilizing seasonal ingredients with minimal manipulation. After three star reviews form both the Chicago Tribune and Suntimes, Best New Chef 2010 from Chicago magazine, and many other accolades, Stein will continue with the modern Italian theme, cooking at The Florentine, BLT restaurants first foray into the Chicago market, at the new JW Marriot.