Jenny Parton

The Executive Chef of Sileni Estates, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Jenny Parton has been leading the culinary team of this winery since December 2002. Prior to this, she was working as chef de cuisine at the Clearview Estate Winery and Restaurant at Hawkes Bay.

She says she is more comfortable defining her food in terms of broad concepts of style, rather than a set definition, as she is not tied to any one country’s style. Rather, she draws upon a myriad of flavours, influences and ingredients in a culinary process that is fluid, vibrant and ever-changing.

Some basic guidelines that she has set for herself include balance in texture and flavour, a vibrant presentation with interesting use of colour and layering, and bold flavour combinations. As she finds Asian seasoning excellent in producing desired results, she regularly uses soy, fish sauce and lime juice in her recipes, and stays well away from fat like butter and cream.

Jimmy Sneed

Jimmy Sneed’s true culinary initiation came while studying in Paris, in 1974, where he had taken a job translating for the American students at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.

After a year in Paris, Sneed returned to the United States and pursued a career in cooking. Frustrated by the level of cuisine to which he was exposed, he eventually sought a mentor to teach him about great food. Luck was with him, as he spent the next seven years learning from two of the greatest chefs in America, Jean–Louis Palladin and Guenther Seeger. These chefs were, at the time, the only Michelin-rated chefs in the country.

Sneed left Washington D.C. for Urbanna in 1987 and opened the nationally acclaimed The Frog and the Redneck in 1993, in Richmond, Virginia. While the “Frog” of The Frog and the Redneck was meant, in general, as a tribute to what the French have contributed to modern cuisine, it also honors Chef Palladin. “He made me a chef,” says Sneed.

Sneed was also chosen by Julia Child as a featured chef in her series “In Julia’s Kitchen with Master Chefs”. In fact, he was the only chef in the series to have two shows. He has appeared on TV over a hundred times and has been a featured chef at Disney World, on the Discovery Channel’s “Great American Chefs” series, the TV Food Network, CNN, PBS, Headline News, and for a year had a weekly spot on WWBT-12, the NBC affiliate in Richmond.

In addition, Sneed was twice nominated for the James Beard Award for “Best American Chef”, Mid–Atlantic region, and was twice invited to participate in the prestigious Masters of Food and Wine event in Carmel, California.

Marc Francois Bonard

Born in Quillan, Languedoc, Marc Francois Bonard spent his early childhood in the north of Provence, France.

After culinary training at Tain L’Hermitage he worked with several distinguished chefs in France and Japan, which includes Kiyomi Mikuni, celebrity Japanese chef and owner of the restaurant Hôtel de Mikuni in Tokyo who pioneered the nouvelle French Haute Cuisine in Japan.

During his stint with Mikuni, Bonard was greatly influenced by Mikuni’s style of cuisine. Subsequently, Bonard worked with renowned chef André Pachon at his restaurant in Daikanyama, Tokyo. In 2001, Bonard joined Le Cordon Bleu, Tokyo as chef de cuisine in charge of the Basserie.

Michael Ginor

Michael Ginor is the President of America’s largest foie gras producer, Hudson Valley Foie Gras. He is also a noted chef, food writer and member of several prestigious culinary institutes. In addition, Ginor is also actively involved in many facets of the culinary world, including product development, creating of gourmet and charitable events, workshops, and demonstrations.

Associated with the James Beard Foundation, where Ginor is a member of the National Advisory Board, Hudson Valley Foie Gras has received numerous awards including the Gold Merit Award from Chefs in America, the Awards of Excellence from James Beard Foundation, and the Five Star Diamond Award from the America Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

A strong supporter and a ‘Friend of the World Gourmet Summit’, Ginor’s heavenly foie gras cuisine can be sampled at the various World Gourmet Summit events.

Nicolas Bernardé

Born in Paris, France, Nicolas Bernardé joined the Le Cordon Bleu as head of the pastry department in October 2001. He began his culinary journey in 1982 at the school Jean Ferrandi where he ranked first in pastry training and was named "Best Apprentice in France".

He honed his skills at the famed pastry shop Dalloyau, and later obtained his professional pastry certificate at the Paris Chamber of Professions. Having worked with a Michelin starred restaurant, Bernardé has also had the honour of orchestrating receptions, cocktails, dinners and buffets for distinguished government officials in the international arena including during his stint with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bernardé has also bagged several medals and award victories in the food & beverage industry and his greatest pride and achievement was reaching the finals of the “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” contest for two consecutive years.

Oriol Balaguer

Oriol Balaguer’s exceptional gastronomic fanfare has been epitomised as the Bauhaus of dessert making. In September 2002, he started a new company called “Estudi Xocolada” the Chocolate Studio.

Revolutionary in nature, his elaborate creations astound many urbane palates and delectate pastry aficionados. Since 1993, he was a member of the “Cacao Barry Ambassadors Team” endorsing this premium French chocolate brand worldwide. Balaguer, the driving force behind such an ambrosial reform in the culinary scene, derives his intricate delicacies from his resoluteness towards experimenting and innovating. Spreading forth his philosophy and his unique artistry, he has penned a premium quality pastry and chocolate book, La Cocina de los Postres.

In the quest of refining his inexhaustible talent, Balaguer had been one of the few privileged, who trained under the legendary 3-star Michelin Chef, Martin Berasategui. His stint at 3-star Michelin restaurant El Bulli was another avenue for his extraordinary flair for gastronomy to be accentuated through his audacious yet scrumptious art forms.

Patricia Yeo

Patricia Yeo's lauded culinary alchemy is surmised by critics as innovative, elegant and intricate which personifies a new style of upscale cuisine. As quoted by food critic William Grimes of The New York Times, “In dish after dish, she shows a rare combination of audacity and refinement, sustained with admirable consistency over the entire menu” in his review of the restaurant.

Yeo had not intended to don the chef whites. It was while obtaining her post doctorate degree in 1989 that Yeo found her destiny in the culinary arena. Yeo’s transition met with much support from her mentor Bobby Flay, a celebrity chef in New York, who hired Yeo upon her graduation and put her through the kitchens of the famed Miracle Grill, Mesa Grill and much later Bolo, a Spanish restaurant in Manhattan

After two years, Yeo moved on to open Hawthorne Lane with chef Anne Gingrass. Now, AZ is Yeo's symbol in the culinary field, putting California Asian cuisine onto the New York map.