Peter Xavier Kelly Peter X. Kelly is the founder and owner of Xaviars Restaurant Group, which includes four of the most critically acclaimed restaurants in New York State. For nearly 3 decades, Peter has set the standard for fine dining. As an experienced, talented and successful entrepreneur, his contemporary American Cuisine provides his guests with a unique dining experience by combining exquisite food with outstanding service.
Born in Yonkers, New York, Peter was tenth in a line of 12 children, and began working in local restaurants at the age of 14. While studying Business Administration at Marist College, Peter held a number of kitchen and front-of-house positions in some of New York States finest restaurants. At 23, this self-taught chef opened Xaviar’s in Garrison, and began his journey to success. Peter’s early interest in the culinary field led him on a pilgrimage to France, where he began his lifelong pursuit of perfection.
Today, Peter owns and operates Xaviar’s at Piermont, The Freelance Cafe and Wine Bar, Restaurant X & The Bully Boy Bar, and X2O Xaviars on the Hudson. These restaurants have been recognized with the industry’s most coveted awards and accolades, earning The New York Times highest rating (Extraordinary), The Mobil Travel Guide Four Star Award, The Dirona Award, the Restaurant News Dining Hall of Fame, Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence”, and a 29 out of 30 rating by Zagat’s Survey. He has also been recognized as a New York State Restaurateur of The Year, and was nominated for the prestigious James Beard Award as “Best Chef in the Northeast.”
Peter has been featured in numerous national publications including New York Magazine, Esquire Magazine, Crain’s, USA Today, W Magazine, Food Arts, Gourmet Magazine, Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine and Bon Appetit. He has appeared on the Food Channel TV Network, CBS & NBC, and appeared on the Food Networks Iron Chef America, beating Bobby Flay in the Battle “Cowboy Rib Eye”. He has also played host to Anthony Bourdain on his “No Reservations” program, as he introduced him to the beauty of the Hudson Valley.
Since the early 90’s Peter has also been a vintner. His wines at Xaviar’s Cellars in Napa Valley were known as “Silenus” (the Teacher of Bacchus in Greek Mythology) and were applauded by the NY Times and Wine Enthusiast Magazine at their introduction in 1991. Peter continues to work with wine growers and makers and has consulted on several bottling’s from the emerging Hudson Valley region.
Peter along with the great Bill Murray and legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov are the driving forces behind Slovenia Vodka, a boutique brand which has garnered international acclaim and been featured on the David Letterman Show.
In 1999, Peter assembled a “dream team” of culinary “superstars” and became the founding chef and culinary director for Impromptu Gourmet, a revolution in home dining. He is also the founder of “Events by Xaviars”, which offers catering for parties between 100 and 2000 people. His restaurants have received the industry’s most coveted awards and accolades and he has been featured in numerous national publications.
Kevin Zraly Internationally acclaimed wine educator and best-selling author Kevin Zraly has been described as a naturally gifted speaker who is both refreshingly humble and candid. His passion for wine and his engaging teaching style helps demystify the ever-changing world of wine.
Kevin moved to New York City and a chance meeting with legendary restaurateur Joe Baum led to his hiring as the first cellar master and eventually wine director for the renowned Windows on the World restaurant atop One World Trade Center. Windows soon became the country’s top grossing restaurant and, with Kevin at the helm of its highly acclaimed wine list, sold more wine than any restaurant in the world. It was there that he established his Windows on the World Wine School now in its 38th year graduating more than 20,000 students. Kevin worked at the Windows on the World Restaurant from the day it opened in 1976 until September 11, 2001.
With his first book, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course published in 1985, Kevin began translating his classes onto the pages of books where his quick wit and capacity to communicate takes the reader through his worldwide journeys from grape to glass. Each year, Kevin updates the book with additional wine recommendations and new chapters and it remains the world’s best selling wine book with more than 4 million copies sold. He is the author of the first book that covers wineries and vineyards in all 50 states, Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide and The Ultimate Wine Companion, a compilation of 40 world-renowned wine writers. Kevin’s newest book, A Glass Half Full: A Cellarmaster’s Journey Through Wine and Life will be released in 2016.
Kevin has garnered numerous awards including the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He was also the recipient of the 2006 Wine Literary Award, the 1993 James Beard Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award, the Food and Beverage Association’s Man of the Year Award, the 2009 Wine Professional of the Year from Sante, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the European Wine Council, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Wine Educators. He is a member of the Culinary Institute of America’s Board of Trustees since 1990 and director of the Sherry-Lehmann/Kevin Zraly Wine Club in NYC.
Sara Moulton The debut of the fourth season of public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” in June of 2014 is the latest milestone in a pioneering career that stretches back more than 35 years. As a protégée of Julia Child, founder of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, executive chef of Gourmet magazine, Food Editor of ABC-TV’s ”Good Morning America,” and the host of several popular shows on the Food Network during that channel’s first decade, Sara Moulton has made her mark over and over again. A teacher at heart, Sara’s mission has remained the same for decades: to help the home cook get dinner on the table.
Although she says, “I’ve always liked to eat,” the idea of somehow becoming a professional didn’t occur to Sara until after she graduated from the University of Michigan with a liberal arts degree in 1974. And, indeed, it was at the Culinary Institute of America that Sara found herself. Sara co-founded the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, an “old girl’s network” designed to help women culinary professionals. The Alliance celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012.
In the interest of starting a family, Sara left restaurant work in favor of recipe-testing and recipe-development. She spent two years as an instructor at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now known as the Institute of Culinary Education). It was there that Sara discovered her love of teaching, a passion that would give focus to her subsequent work in television. In 1984 Sara took a job in the test kitchen at Gourmet. Four years later she became chef of the legendary magazine’s executive dining room, a position she held until 2009.
Sara is the author of several cookbooks including Sara Moulton Cooks at Home (2002), Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals (2005) and Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners (2010). In December of 2011, she launched “Sara’s Kitchen,” an iPhone app featuring 60 recipes, 60 photos, and ten videos. In August of 2012 she began writing a weekly column entitled “The Healthy Plate” for the Associated Press.
Michael Weiss Michael Weiss is originally from Montreal Canada from a family involved with catering, restaurants, and hotels. He has 20 years of restaurant experience and has worked as Chef Sommelier and Maitre D’ at 4 and 5 star hotels. Michael joined the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1987 and is the chair of wine studies.
Michael Weiss has served as a wine judge in America and abroad. Mr Weiss has a Bachelor of Science in Education , a hotel management diploma, and holds the advanced certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators.. In 1998, the Corporation des Vignerons des Champagne France chose him as the American recipient of the St Vincent Diploma of Honor. In 2007 he was in-ducted in to the Confraria (Brotherhood) de Porto and received the European Wine Councils lifetime achievement award for wine education. In 2009 he was given the distinguished service award from the Italian Trade Commission.
Michael lectures at wine festivals, conferences, and dinners and features music at many events. Michael Weiss is co-author of Exploring Wine, a textbook published by Wiley, that was nominated for the James Beard award. He is also co-author of Wine Wise 2009 winner of the James Beard award for best beverage book and Georges Dubouef award for best wine book. Exploring Wine third edition (completely revised) was nominated for best wine book by the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals).. Michael Weiss lives in the Hudson Valley of New York with his wife Jennifer who is an artist and art therapist.
Steven Kolpan Steven Kolpan is Professor of Wine Studies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), and holds the Charmer Sunbelt Endowed Chair for Wines and Spirits. He teaches Wine Studies, a course emphasizing a country-by-country and region-by-region approach to wine. Students learn about the theory of matching wine with food in a professional environment, as well as the service and marketing of wines and the criteria by which they are evaluated: appearance, aroma and bouquet, and taste. Steven also teaches Advanced Wine Studies, which focuses on enhanced tasting skills (including blind tasting) and food pairings, as well as an in-depth approach to the world wine market.
Steven is the author of Exploring Wine, Completely Revised 3rd Edition (Wiley, 2010), the textbook used in both Wine Studies classes, as well as in dozens of other academic and professional wine courses. Exploring Wine, which has sold more than 140,000 copies, was nominated as Best Wine and Spirits Book by the James Beard Foundation (1st edition, 1997), and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) as Best Beverage Book (3rd ed.ition 2011).
Steven is also the author of WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine (Wiley, 2008). WineWise is a book for wine consumers, from novices to connoisseurs, and features a guide to more than 500 bargain wines. In May 2009,WineWise won both the coveted James Beard Foundation Award for Best Beverage Book of the Year and the Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Award.
Steven is a co-author and made the wine choices for Italian Cooking at Home (Wiley, 2011), with recipes by CIA chef-instructors Gianni Scappin and Alberto Vanoli, and photographs by Francesco Tonelli.
In 2007, Professor Kolpan was named Wine Educator of the Year by the European Wine Council.
Mile Rupcic Mile Rupcic has been in the wine business for many years. After his initial bite by the wine bug, he started an intensive self-educational program, reading wine books and magazines, tasting as many wines as he could, traveling to wine producing regions and working first in wine retail and then in wine wholesale.
Presently he is a wine consultant for Wine Worldwide, Inc., an importer and distributor, and a wine school program developer for International Wine Masters, both based in New Paltz, New York.
Originally a well-known actor and songwriter from Croatia, he moved to New York City to marry and worked in a broad range of fields: restaurants, catering facilities, travel agencies and import-export. During the 1990s he opened three retail stores in Croatia and produced and wrote a T.V. documentary about New York City (12 30-minute shows) for Croatian television. Following this, he spent five years in Bosnia with the US peace-keeping forces as an interpreter and media analyst, serving eight US commanding generals.
Among other works, Mile has written a theater play, Pete…and this is America, a book, Bosnian Diary, and a musical, Down Memory Lane. He has also performed in numerous classical theater productions, TV series, and many movies, including appearances in Gospa with Martin Sheen, and, most recently, in Angelina Jolie’s In the Land of Blood and Honey.
Last year at the Festival Mile presented “Bordeaux: The Empire of Good Stuff”, and “David and Goliath: Croatia and Italy”.
Ric Orlando Guided by these words, Ric Orlando brings an inspired blend of lust for life, outspoken passion for the flavors and ingredients of the world community, and nationally renowned cooking prowess to his roles as chef, lecturer, author, and media source.
Ric has been a locavore since before the word existed, preparing and promoting both global and local food for over 20 years.
His recipes and commentary are consistently in demand by the regional media. His tireless work in promoting the products, people, and beauty of the region has made him one of the Hudson Valley’s leading culinary spokespeople.
Chef, Owner: New World Home Cooking Cafe and New World Catering, Saugerties-Woodstock, NY, Chef, Management Consultant New World Bistro Bar, Albany, NY Blog: Ricthechef.blogspot
Awards and Recognitions:
· 2010 Food Network CHOPPED CHAMPION, Episode 5.2
· Chopped Champions Semi Final Winner
· Host/Creator/Writer Ric Orlando’s TV Kitchen (PBS)
Author We Want Clean Food, CF Press
· Sante Restaurant Award Winner 2006 and 2010 for innovative Cuisine
Metroland and Albany Times Union Best Of Winner in numerous categories including Best Restaurant 1999-2011
Rose Levy Beranbaum Rose has been called the “Diva of Desserts,” “the most meticulous cook who ever lived,” and “Legendary Baker.” And add this recent accolade — “If ever there was a cookbook author who could place her hands on top of yours, putting you through the proper motions, helping you arrive at just the right touch, Beranbaum is the one.”
Rose was a three time winner of a James Beard Award: for her first book The Cake Bible in both Baking and Desserts, and Book of the Year, 1989, and for Rose’s Christmas Cookies, Baking and Desserts, 1991.
The Cake Bible was winner of the NASFT Showcase Award for the cookbook that has contributed most to educating the consumer about specialty foods. A culinary best-seller, The Cake Bible is currently in its 52 printing. It was listed by the James Beard Foundation as one of the top 13 baking books on “the Essential Book List,” and was included in “101 Classic Recipes.”
The Pie and Pastry Bible, published in 1998, received many kudos including: Food & Wine Books “Best of the Best: The Best Recipes from the Best Cookbooks of the Year” and Coffee & Cuisine “Best Cookbook” award.
Rose’s encylopedic book, The Pie and Pastry Bible, 1998, was nominated for a James Beard award. It was also included in Food and Wine’s book “the Best of the Best.”
Rose’s comprehensive book, The Bread Bible, was the 2003 winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the Best Bread Book Category. It was listed by Publisher’s Weekly and Food & Wine as one of the top ten books of 2003, and by Fine Cooking as one of the top 12. From quick breads, such as muffins, biscuits, and scones, to yeast breads, such as seeded wheat breads, Jewish rye, baguette, and brioche, this is a collection of her favorites, with innovative techniques that will guarantee making a successful bread baker of anyone who so desires.
Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, is a return to cakes with a comprehensive four color book for Pam Chirls, Senior Editor at Wiley. It won the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook of the Year for 2010.
Rose’s newest book, The Baking Bible, was published in October, 2014.
Rose’s product line, Rose Levy Bakeware, which includes Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate and Rose’s Heavenly Cake Strip, a silicone halo that produces more even layer cakes, both distributed by Harold Imports.
A luminary in the world of food writing, Rose was a Contributing Editor for over a decade to Food Arts Magazine where “Rose’s Sugar Bible” (April 2000) received two prestigious awards: The Association of Food Journalists Award for the Best Food Feature in a Magazine and The Jacob’s Creek World Food Award for Best Food Article. She is also a contributor to The Washington Post, Fine Cooking, Bride’s, Reader’s Digest, and Hemispheres. Rose has been inducted into the James Beard Foundation/D’Artagnon Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.
An internationally known food expert, Rose also has been a featured presenter in the highly regarded Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and the Oxford Food Symposium.
Rose is a popular guest on major television shows (The Today Show, The Early Show, Martha Stewart, Charlie Rose, The Food Network, and PBS: Master Classes of Johnson & Wales, and Seasonings with Dede Wilson). Rose has taped 13 episodes for a public television cooking series called Baking Magic with Rose Levy Beranbaum. The series started in 2004 on PBS stations across the country and continued for three years.
Rosanna Di Michele is a native of Abruzzo, an Italian region about 150 miles East of Rome, with the Adriatic Sea on its coast. Rosanna loves to share her passion for Abruzzo’s typical cuisine: ancient skills passed from generation to generation and not taught in any school. Rosanna grew up in the kitchen, helping her parents with the family-owned restaurant.
Her affinity for cooking continues as she refined her skills and became a private chef and an ambassador of Abruzzo’s culinary traditions and distinctive products.
The region, thanks to its purest spring water, makes the best pasta production worldwide: it is not surprising that pastas are Rosanna’s favorites, made in any possible version and combination: seafood, meats, vegetables, local cheeses like pecorino and even chocolate.
Rosanna was featured in numerous culinary events at Whole Foods, the Italian Consulate General of New York, iconic DiPalo Fine Foods in little Italy, the Marymount School, the City University of New York, festivals on Arthur Avenue, and outside the Big Apple in Connecticut, Generoso Pope Foundation in Westchester, Long Island and New Jersey, always arranging exclusive gastronomic experiences.
Rosanna brings a unique touch to each presentation, always attracting and influencing a wild crowd of food enthusiasts.
Marcus Guiliano is cooking food he calls “New American Cuisine”. This cuisine aims to help the body and satisfy the palate. Aroma Thyme Bistro uses no white sugar, white flour, trans fats or corn syrup, and basically avoids chemical ingredients. Aroma Thyme Bistro is known for serving free range meats, sustainable seafood, organic ingredients and Chef Marcus’ version of “gourmet holistic cuisine”. For example, guests can order wheat grass and young Thai coconut, which are the foundation for our blood, and a classic Bordeaux wine. Guests include strict vegans, gluten-free food consumers, and plain meat and potato eaters. Aroma Thyme Bistro pleases all palates.
Chef Marcus is dedicated to researching the latest information on nutrition. He knows which wines and beers are organic, biodynamic and vegan. “Our customers really appreciate the care and love that goes into our food and our beverage selections”, says Jamie.
Chef Marcus is a regular guest on local radio shows and has appeared on local TV spreading the word on his approach to nutrition. He educates listeners on many aspects such as healthy salt, why they should not cook with olive oil, and when produce is its most nutritious. It is no wonder Chef Marcus is known throughout the Hudson Valley as “the guru of healthy food”.