Rick Bayless

Award-winning chef-restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality Rick Bayless has done more than any other culinary star to introduce Americans to authentic Mexican cuisine and to change the image of Mexican food in America.

Rick is fourth generation in an Oklahoma family of restaurateurs and grocers. From 1980 to 1986, after studying Spanish and Latin American Studies as an undergraduate, and doing doctoral work in Anthropological Linguistics at the University of Michigan, Rick lived in Mexico with his wife, Deann, writing his now-classic Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From The Heart of Mexico (William Morrow, 1987). The New York Times’s legendary Craig Claiborne hailed this work as the "greatest contribution to the Mexican table imaginable."

Avec Eric Ripert

Avec Eric Ripert(born 1965 in Antibes) is a French chef, renowned for his seafood dishes.[1] His flagship restaurant, Le Bernardin, located in New York City, is ranked among the best restaurants in the world,[2] and holds the maximum rating of four stars from the New York Times and three Michelin stars. Chef Eric Ripert has been strongly influenced by two cuisines—the cuisine of Antibes, France, where he was born, and of Andorra, a small country just over the Spanish border, where he moved to as a child. His family instilled their innate passion for food in him at a young age, and it was that passion that sent him down the path of culinary experience.

Robert Rainford

Robert Rainford came to Canada at the tender age of 3 (he’s now 36) the youngest of 5 children (he has a twin brother who is a couple of minutes older than him). In 1994 Rainford enrolled in culinary school at George Brown College and after completing his formal training, began his professional career at the Kensington Kitchen, then onto Accolade/Crown Plaza. In 1999 he left Accolade and went to Senses to work with Chef Ned Bell. He combined his love for food and talent as a chef with the casual nature of cooking at home for three children. Grilling has become his favorite way to prepare quick, flavourful, healthy meals.

Valentine Warner

Valentine Warner (born 1972) is a cook. He started his television career on the BBC in Autumn 2008 with What to Eat Now, a cookery programme based on his book of the same name. Valentine Warner grew up on a farm in Dorset, learning to fish, shoot and cook from a young age. He studied an art foundation course in Bath before heading to London to train as a portrait painter at the Byam Shaw School of Art. Valentine enjoyed a "reasonably successful" career as a painter, but, at 23, couldn't resist the call of the kitchen and decided to focus his time on cooking instead of painting. His first job was at the Halycon restaurant in London; for the next five years he brushed up on his cookery skills, working under chefs including Alastair Little and Rose Carrarini.

Bruce Lim

Chef Bruce Lim is a Filipino-Chinese, who was born and raised in America. Recently, he made the decision to go back to the Philippines to trace his roots and get culinary inspiration from native Filipino cuisine. Although he has a host of specialties -from traditional French and Italian cuisines to Euro-Asian and international food- he is also a master of creative food presentation.

His TV career began when he hosted segments for a health drink in the show "Magandang Umaga Pilipinas" (Good Morning Philippines), a daily magazine show in the Philippine's largest broadcasting network. Over the years, his role as host of the popular Tablescapes: Life on a Plate AFC series has propelled him to the rising star he is is today.

Donald Link

Inspired by his grandfather, Donald Link began cooking at a very young age. From dishwashing at age 15, he quickly began a career cooking in Louisiana restaurants. In 1993 he moved to San Francisco to attend The California Culinary Academy, and during that time he worked at a number of Bay Area Restaurants. After a two year stint as Sous Chef at Bayona, Donald returned to San Francisco to work with Loretta Keller at Bizou and to open Jardiniere with Traci Des Jardin. During his time on the West Coast, Donald’s cooking style became more refined, and his appreciation for raw ingredients and delicate approach to technique came into focus.

Brian Boitano

Brian Anthony Boitano (born October 22, 1963) is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season. He returned to competition in 1993 and competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics, where he placed sixth. In What Would Brian Boitano Make?, Brian takes viewers on a reality cooking adventure as he creates amazing food for a new event in each episode focusing on innovative but accessible dishes.