For Kimi Werner, the water has always been a source of nutrition, creativity and adventures. She floated after her father while he spear fished for their main source of food as a small child growing up in rural Maui. It wasn't until she regained her love for freediving as an adult that she realized the crucial part the water would play... read full bio
Kevin Gillespie is a renowned chef, author and Top Chef finalist. On the show, he was voted as the “Fan Favorite” contestant for the season. He grew up in a very small town, was accepted into MIT as the first person in his family who would attend college, but instead decided to pursue a career in “inclusive high-end food.” The... read full bio
"Kelsey got her start in the food media industry when she created Kelsey’s Kitchen, a college cooking show at Brigham Young University, emphasizing fast, fun, and affordable meals for college students. Kelsey’s passion is creating recipes that target the home cook – breaking down the basics, teaching proper technique, and making everyone feel comfortable in the kitchen. "... read full bio
Kelly Choi is a culinary writer. She also has created, produced and hosted of New York City’s weekly restaurant show Eat Out NY. She also wrote the book The 20 most Delicious Dishes in New York. Choi chooses every restaurant featured on the program, then ventures to the back of the house - the kitchen - to prepare a dish... read full bio
Born and raised in the heart of Mexico, the son of a Japanese father and a Mexican mother, Katsuji Tanabe has worked inside LA's most acclaimed kitchens, from the four-star Bastide Restaurant to Beverly Hills' Mastro's Steakhouse. Tanabe owns MexiKosher Restaurant, the first authentic Kosher Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles and arguably the first of its kind in the entire... read full bio
Katie Lee is an American cookbook author, television food critic, cook, and novelist. She began cooking under the guidance of her Grandma Dora. Using fresh vegetables and meat from the family's farms, Katie quickly learned the value of seasonal ingredients. Her culinary approach is ""conscious consumption,"" as she explains, ""If you are what you eat, then you should know what... read full bio
Kathleen Daelemans is a celebrity chef. She has made a name for herself in the healthy cooking area of the culinary arts. Her recipes are always found in health and fitness magazines. Richard Sax, Roy Yamaguchi and others have showcased Daelemans' recipes in books featuring West Coast, Pacific Rim and American Regional cooking. When it comes to healthy cooking and... read full bio
Renowned author, TV personality and chef Contemporary Southern chef Kardea Brown offers delectable recipes with insightful commentary on food, culture and community. She is the host of Cupcake Championship, The Great Soul Food Cook-Off and Delicious Miss Brown on the Food Network. Brown is of Gullah/Geechee ancestry, the name given to a particular group of African Americans who reside in the coastal regions... read full bio
On the eve of my thirtieth birthday, stuck in a dead-end secretarial job, living in a hideous apartment in Long Island City, Queens, and dreading what seemed like a life of terminal mediocrity, I came up with a panicked notion—to cook through all 524 recipes of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in a year, and blog about... read full bio
Josh Capon is the executive chef behind New York City’s Lure Fishbar. Capon began his cooking career preparing food for his family, friends, and fraternity brothers to pay the bills. He found what he enjoyed most about college was his love for entertaining and the culinary world. Capon began working as a Culinary Extern at Aureole, Charlie Palmer’s acclaimed restaurant... read full bio
Joe Luginbill: Teenage Celebrity Chef and star of Joe's Kitchen, a YouTube based show with over 3.3 million views, is every home show, trade show, food show and special event's answer to the question: What celebrity chef can I get that is unique and different Joe is your guy. He is a home taught chef with an emphasis on gluten... read full bio
The well-known chef José Andrés is regarded as a culinary pioneer and has been instrumental in introducing Spanish cuisine to Americans. José has received considerable praise and recognition throughout his career for his original ideas and persistent love of cuisine. José was the driving force behind the development of various notable eating places as the creator of ThinkFoodGroup (TFG). His eateries,... read full bio
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo are partners and co-owners of Animal, Son of a Gun, Jon & Vinny's, Helen's Wines and catering company, Carmelized Productions. Growing up on opposite sides of the Florida coast, they have been working together for over a decade working on their ideas for recipes and restaurants together and even eventually being credited with innovating and... read full bio
John Folse is a noted Louisiana chef and restaurant owner, and a leading authority on Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture. His philosophy of life is summed up in the quote, “Risk is the tariff paid to leave the shores of predictable misery. The best fruit is not on the trunk of a tree; it’s on the limb.”... read full bio
Southern Louisiana native John Besh has established the standard for gourmet dining in New Orleans, a city whose identity is tied to its cuisine. His twelve highly regarded establishments—August, Lüke, Domenica, Pizza Domenica, Borgne, Shaya, Willa Jean, Eunice and The Caribbean Room, Bayou Bar, Hot Tin and Silverwhistle Cafe residing in the Pontchartrain Hotel—celebrate the region's abundance and customs. In his restaurants,... read full bio
Joe Faugno, the head master baker and mixer at Carlo’s Bakery, heads the brand’s Research & Development department, overseeing recipe creation, as well as product quality assurance at each location. Joe is married to Grace Faugno, the eldest of Buddy’s sisters, for almost 20 years. When he's not at the bakery, he works as a firefighter, often coming straight from... read full bio
Working in his parents' Italian restaurant as a child, Joe Bastianich's life charts a culinary adventure that ends with becoming one of America's premier restaurateurs - as well as a noted winemaker, bon vivant, street-level philosopher, and marathon runner. After college Joe bought a one-way ticket to Italy, where he spent a year traveling, working in restaurants and vineyards, digging... read full bio
Jody Adams has often been praised for her creativity, support for local farmers, continuous charitable work, and business knowledge by local and national publications. She was a contestant on the second season of Top Chef Masters, one of BRAVO TV’s popular culinary competition, there she prevailed through cooking challenges like offsite wedding wars, preparing a meal for a member of... read full bio
The office for Joan Nathan has asked that CTI not list them, give out pricing, information or availability. If you are interested in this celebrity only, please contact CTI directly and we can let you know the process needed to confirm a date with them.
Jim O'Connor, the host of All American Festivals, can also be seen acting in commercials, television shows, and full-length motion pictures when he is not traveling the country in search of the best examples of American cuisine at festivals and competitions like the Hope Watermelon Festival, the National Hard Crab Derby Competition, and the Chuckwagon Cook-Off. His most recent appearance... read full bio
