Mark Bitterman is a leading expert on culinary salt, chocolate and cocktail bitters. He won a James Beard Award for his first book, Salted, and is the author of Salt Block Cooking. He is the owner of the specialty store, The Meadow, with locations in Portland, Ore., and New York City. Bitterman collaborates with chefs around the country and lectures at culinary schools. He has been recognized as a Local Food Hero by Cooking Light and a Tastemaker in Food & Wine.
Erik Knutzen, along with Kelly Coyne, is the author of The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City and Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World. They are also the founders of the blog Root Simple, which was formerly known as Homegrown Evolution.
Kelly Coyne, along with Erik Knutzen, is the author of The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City and Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World. They are also the founders of the blog Root Simple, which was formerly known as Homegrown Evolution.
Dorie Greenspan's 10 cookbooks have won a total of six James Beard and IACP awards, including Cookbook of the Year. She is the author of Around My French Table and Baking Chez Moi (October 2014).
Journalist Anna Badkhen's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, the Boston Globe and other publications. She is the author of several books, including Peace Meals: Candy-Wrapped Kalashnikovs and Other War Stories.
Stefan Gates is a television presenter, author and writer. He has created 11 television series, including "Gastronuts," "Incredible Edibles" and "Full on Food," and several documentaries. He is the author of five books, most recently The Extraordinary Cookbook: How to Make Meals Your Friends Will Never Forget.
Joan Nathan is the author of 10 cookbooks, including James Beard award-winning Jewish Cooking in America and James Beard award-winning The New Cooking in America. Her television show, "Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan," was nominated for the James Beard award for Best National Television Food Show. Her writing also appears in The New York Times, Food Arts Magazine and Tablet Magazine.
Michael Ruhlman is an author, writer and food blogger. His books include Ruhlman's Twenty, Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen and The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, as well as several cookbook collaborations and non-fiction books.
Richard Hetzler is executive chef at the Mitsitam Cafe, located at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. He is also author of The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook.
Jennifer McLagan has presented at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Master Class Series and the Epicurean Classic in Michigan. Her writing has appeared in Fine Cooking, Food & Drink, The Country Grapevine and The Niagara Grapevine. She is the author of Bones, which won the James Beard award for Best Single Subject Cookbook; Fat, which won the James Beard award for Best Single Subject Cookbook and was named Cookbook of the Year by the Beard Foundation; and Odd Bits.