|
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
ABOUT US Below are the cornucopia of celebrity guests that are participating in the 2010 Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival. Contact us today about how you can participate in the upcoming Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival.
Rob Alstrin has taken his experience in high tech, marketing, distribution and sales and coupled it with his charming personality to revolutionize the way Northwest wines move With a degree in Wine Marketing Rob has worked his way through various positions in sales, marketing, distribution and operations and become a key figure in the wine industry both regionally and nationally. Often referred to as an expert in wine distribution and marketing, Rob has put to work his passion for the region and knowledge of the global market to create Northwest Core Collection. Rob’s built his sales foundation as Director of Sales with Breamac Electronics and as Director of Operations for a high-end wine distributor in Florida. However, the lure of the Northwest was too great and through relationships with several Oregon wineries, Rob was quickly recruited by Domaine Serene Winery as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Rob saw the company grow tenfold while solidifying his own place in the wine business. Rob spent months on the road building the brand and promoting Northwest wines. In 2005 Rob leveraged his experience and relationships with some of the region’s premier wineries and opened his own business. A major contributor to the wine industry, Rob has served on the board of Oregon Pinot Camp, is a frequent speaker at industry events, and is the Japan market advisor for the Oregon Wine Board. Rob’s passion for Northwest Wines is displayed in his ability to make wine move nationally and internationally. While Rob still spends his fair share of time on the road, he has assembled a skilled sales forces allowing him to spend more home with his two children, Isaac and Nicole.
Robert has over twenty years experience as an Executive Chef, primarily in the resort and club industry. Robert graduated from The Culinary Institute of America with high honors and has built an impressive career at resorts in the US and overseas. This includes working in Puerto Rico at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort Casino & Golden Door Spa as the Regional Executive Chef. In this capacity he oversaw the F&B operations for 8 properties in the Caribbean basin. In addition, he was a member of the opening Executive Team for Sun Internationals Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. In the US, Robert was the Executive Chef at the Washington Golf and Country Club, in Arlington, Virginia, which is one of the nations oldest private clubs and has also worked with The Club Corporation of America. Most recently he directed the opening of three separate casino’s Food and Beverage operations in SE Florida, Iowa and Indiana.
Dan is a Martha’s Vineyard native who recently returned from 7 years living in Portugal and working for Symington Family Estates, the leading producer of premium quality Port. Dan was responsible all for aspects of the marketing and product development of the family’s portfolio of top brands of Port including Graham’s, Dow’s and Warre’s. Dan lives in Edgartown with his wife Shannon Gregory Carbon and their two children, Jack and Bess.
In 2009, New York Times writer, Eric Asimov, proclaimed Joseph Carr, a producer to watch for, and put his wines alongside the likes of Far Niente, Clos du Val, Heitz, Grgich Hills and Rubicon. Mr. Asimov continues to comment, that these are “wines of balance and restraint”. For centuries, the Nègociant has produced some of the world’s finest wines: Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin and Georges Deboeuf, to name just a few. Joseph Carr works with small estate growers, coopers and winemakers, not unlike a classic nègociant, to produce handcrafted boutique wines. After 10 years, serving as a world-class sommelier, then another ten as an international industry executive, Mr. Carr set out on his own in 2005, to form his family-owned wine company. It was, as Mr. Carr says “a chance to follow a dream.” As director of Joseph Carr Napa Valley, Joseph continues to work with many of the associates he has met throughout his long career; those who share his passion and desire to produce world class wines. Influenced by the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, Joseph Carr’s winemaking philosophy is balance, sophistication and approachability. Mr. Carr, his wife Deirdre, his daughter Cailen, and Max, his dog, own and operate Joseph Carr Wines, producing fine wines from Napa Valley, California, along with limited production wines from Carneros and the Sonoma Coast. “We have the luxury of working with some of the best growers in Napa Valley and produce all of our wines at Larson Family Vineyards in Carneros” states Mr. Carr. Since launching his business in 2005, Mr. Carr’s wines have been received with great enthusiasm. His wines grace some of the finest restaurant lists in the United States and abroad. Joseph Carr has recently worked with Tom Larson to produce his second label, named “Josh Cellars” -his “vin de garage” -as he jokingly refers to it. It is a North Coast Vineyard project, from sites organically and sustainably farmed. It is dedicated to his father.
Nancy’s passion for sake was sparked over a decade ago in her hometown of Chicago. After her first sake experience, she became fascinated with it and made studying the beverage her mission. She left her career as an advertising executive and in 2006, she completed the Sake Professional Course in Japan with John Gauntner, who is recognized as the world’s foremost sake expert. She has traveled extensively and observed sake production at breweries in Japan. In Boston in March 2007, she opened o ya, a contemporary Japanese restaurant, with her husband Tim Cushman. o ya has received numerous awards, including being named by the New York Times’ Frank Bruni as the #1 new restaurant in the U.S. outside of New York, and being named by Boston Magazine as Boston’s “Best Restaurant” and “Best Japanese” 2008. As o ya’s sake sommelier, Nancy enjoys serving and pairing an extensive selection of premium sakes with the cuisine. She also regularly teaches sake courses for public and private organizations.
Tim is Chef Owner of o ya restaurant in Boston Cushman opened o ya, a contemporary Japanese restaurant, with his wife, Nancy, in March 2007. Since opening, he and o ya have received numerous accolades, including being named by New York Times food critic, Frank Bruni, as the #1 new restaurant in the United States in 2008. Cushman was also picked as a Best New Chef 2008 by Food & Wine magazine. Food & Wine also selected o ya as one of the top 10 new restaurants in the world, and gayot.com named the restaurant as one of the Top 40 in the U.S. Bon Appetit and Details magazines have recognized o ya as one of the top 10 sushi restaurants in the U.S. Locally, Boston Magazine named o ya as the #1 restaurant in Boston in 2009, and Best of Boston 2008 – Best Restaurant Overall Excellence and Best Japanese, and Best of Boston 2007 – Best New Restaurant and Best Sushi. Chef Cushman, 56, is a Boston native. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz & Classical Guitar from Berklee School of Music in Boston, then moved to California in the early 1980’s to pursue the music business. Cushman took a job in a restaurant, as many aspiring musicians do. That was the start of what would become a culinary adventure around the world. He has spent the last 28 years cooking around the world in Japan, France, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico and Taiwan. In that time, he also served for seven years as a Corporate Chef with Lettuce Entertain You in Chicago, where he developed menus for the group’s new concepts. In 1994, Cushman launched his own consulting business, Ideas in Taste, and developed menus for a variety of restaurateurs, from independents to large operators. Presently, Tim and his wife, Nancy, are Co-Proprietors of o ya, in addition to working on various restaurant consulting projects. Website: oyarestaurantboston.com
"From insanely sweet Katama Bay oysters and Sengekontaket littlenecks to hauling in a striper off Wasque the freshness of Martha's Vineyard seafood makes you absolutely giddy with anticipation and sets your cooking imagination soaring." Says chef Nicanor Garrido. An Island chef for many years, and currently Edgartown Yacht Club's Chef of The Galley Grill and Special Events, Chef Nic is in love with the bounty that the Vineyard offers to chefs every summer. "You just can't wait for the farmers to start calling you up to tell you what they have available." Raised in Florida and Hawaii, Chef Nic first started out cooking as a knife twirling japanese chef in Maui, Oahu and Palm Springs, California. To expand his knowledge of classical and American cuisine he enrolled in Walt Disney World's Culinary Apprenticeship. Where, for three years, he rotated throughout Disney's parks and resorts learning everything from fast service to fine dining. While still a student he was asked to join the team opening Disney's newest seasonal concept, The California Grill, It went on to revolutionize both food and wine service across Disney. After opening the Mediterranean concept Citricos in the Grand Floridian Resort Chef Nic spent his first summer in Martha's Vineyard. It was love at first sight. As the chef for local award-winning restaurant Lattanzi's, Chef Nic found out first hand what it was like to work closely with the fisherman and farmers of the Vineyard. "It was intoxicating. From the first spring asparagus to still sun-warmed tomatoes to the first bay scallops of the late fall. So fresh!" Chef Nic has spent his winters in Hawaii, as a consulting chef to island favorite Sansei restaurant and sushi. Even cooking at the James Beard House in NYC with them. In Florida as a catering chef for Morton's Gourmet Market in Sarasota. And recently in Vermont as Chef of the Wobbly Barn Steakhouse for Killington Resort. But he always returns to the Martha's Vineyard for the summer. "It's my addiction. I can't stop and I don't want to."
Phat City Personal Chef Ron Gwyn, having decided to pursue his passion for food, he left a position in electrical engineering in the mid-90s. What better place to begin his culinary adventure than in the “city that care forgot” - New Orleans? Working with Chef/Owner Joel Dondis at Joel’s Grand Cuisine, the premier catering business in New Orleans, he learned the techniques of classic cuisine under “real time” pressure, and also the importance of attention to detail in presenting a superior service to a discerning clientele. Since then, Ron has worked at resorts and successful restaurant operations across the country. He has provided expertise to a well-known television retail broadcasting company and catered private functions for professionals in the entertainment and sports industries as well as in the political arena.
Adam Halberg made the decision to pursue a restaurant career at an unusual moment. In Chicago, he was mid-way through managing a traveling show celebrating the 25th anniversary of LEGO in the United States when he began plotting a return to school for a culinary education. A spin through jobs spanning ‘newspaper reporter’ to ‘summer camp director’ to ‘improv comedian’ had failed to sate his desire to learn a craft and use it to create public experiences which were both exciting and home-spirited. After taking a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta, Halberg paired a push through some of Atlanta’s most respected restaurants (Justin Ward’s Harvest, La Grotta Ristorante in Buckhead) with a year working in Florence and Modena, Italy. With a growing passion for American ingredients and Mediterranean sensibility, he traveled to Maine to work at James Beard winner Melissa Kelly’s seaside Italian restaurant Primo. This was followed by seven years in Boston, consulting for popular restaurant/caterer Bakers Best and running restaurants for both Laura Brennan and James Beard winner Michael Schlow. Each year that he helmed Schlow’s Via Matta, that restaurant was recognized as ‘Best Italian’ by Boston Magazine. Before leaving Boston, Halberg also oversaw the opening of the giant bohemian eatery and live music venue The Beehive. In Connecticut, Halberg has found his place overseeing the kitchens for the Barcelona Restaurant Group, developing a strong group of creative, collaborative chefs for this rapidly growing bar and dining institution. Still, every once in a while, he sneaks away from the ‘small plate’ leanings of tapas to cook a big bowl of pasta. Adam has a BA in Religion & Culture from Emory University, has visited 42 states and a dozen countries. He plans on returning to live in Italy someday ... or building something almost as satisfying here.
Tremont 647 opened its doors in 1996 to local and national acclaim of Chef Andy Husbands’ boldly flavored adventurous American cuisine. Husbands’ commitment to locally grown and organic ingredients is reflected in his restaurants eight-season cycle, where the menu changes bi-monthly to take advantage of what’s fresh in the market. Beginning to exceed capacity, Andy converted the adjoining space to Tremont 647 in October 2000, into a café-like, and slightly more casual setting, naming it after his sister Sorel, creating a now combined 107- seat restaurant, in Boston’s South End. Andy takes great pride in contributing to local and national charities, and was awarded the Chef/Restauranteur of the Year in 2004, by the Nation’s leading hunger relief organization, Share Our Strength, which Andy hasw orked closely with for the past 15 years. Also known as “The Fearless Chef,” Husbands has published a cookbook by the same name and is well-known by his peers both locally and nationally, for his bold cooking style, extensive charity work with leading hunger-relief organization Share our Strength, and his endeavors on the competitive barbecue circuit. In the spring of 2005, he was one of only 5 “Celebrated Chefs” chosen by the National Pork Board. He participated in the Board’s national media tour for its “Pork, the Other White Meat” campaign. A particular passion for Husbands is participating in barbecue competitions, which he has done from Vermont to Tennessee, capturing numerous trophies with his team. Most notably in 2009, Husbands’ team (iQUE BBQ, sponsored by Harpoon Brewery) became the World Champions of BBQ at the Jack Daniels World Championships in Lynchberg, TN and in 2007 took 1st place out of 510 teams in the Brisket category at the Kansas City Royal. Husbands can be found blogging, and on Twitter and Facebook, as well as on his first-of-its-kind Kitchen Cam, an online live-feed from Tremont 647’s kitchen (kitchencam.com)
Executive Chef Two years ago, fresh from his stint as a sous-chef at New York City’s lauded Eleven Madison Park, Joseph Margate stepped into the Executive Chef position at The Liberty Hotel’s restaurant, CLINK., bringing with him a modern French approach and a passion to support the region’s local farms and fisheries. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Margate draws on ten years of West Coast restaurant and hotel experience and a California-inspired cooking philosophy. At San Francisco’s Jardinière, Margate learned much about the fusion of California and French cuisine from the James Beard award-winning chef, Traci des Jardins. He then applied that knowledge in Seattle, where he spent three years at the W Hotel creating menus focused on the use of local ingredients for the hotel’s Earth & Ocean restaurant, lounge, room service and banquets. Afterwards, he helped another James Beard award-winning chef, Johnathan Sundstrom, open the widely popular Seattle restaurant, Lark. As Chef de Cuisine, Margate developed an extensive small plate, ingredient-based menu using fresh foods, intense herbs and the plentiful goods of local purveyors. At CLINK., Margate has refined a menu that showcases his classically-trained European technique coupled with the freshness of in-season American ingredients. Diners can experience his enthusiasm for “umami,” the fifth taste most commonly described as the sensation of savoriness on the tongue.
It’s been a couple of years now since Dave’s memorable participation on the inaugural season of Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ and he has been working hard to keep his name and most importantly his food out there for the public. Since his last restaurant adventure as Executive Chef , ‘Crave on 42’, he has been consulting for Chow Down, Inc. (VYNL Restaurants-UES & Chelsea locations) and overhauling their entire menu with all new from scratch recipes. In his spare time, he teaches classes at ‘The Culinary Loft’ in SoHo for Execs from MTV, Oracle, Lloyds of London and more. He also works with and trains culinary teams at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) and has helped them launched one of their new on-campus dining programs. Dave’s road into the culinary world was far from traditional. After leaving a successful career and company in the technology industry behind, Dave chose to pursue his real love and passion-cooking and making people smile through his food. He headed back to school and graduated with honors from the Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California. Halfway through the program, he formed his own catering company, ‘As You Wish Catering’, and took on the Executive Chef role at ‘XO Wine Bistro’ in Manhattan Beach, California. He soon built a strong local following of customers that enjoyed his multi-regional cuisine that ranged from Southern Barbecue to Southeast Asian and beyond. Dave’s unique layering of flavors have continued to keep people interested as his ‘Black Truffle Mac ‘n’ Cheese” remains a top seller at the ‘VYNL’ Restaurants in the city. Dave enjoys modernizing and revitalizing old school comfort foods, sometimes even with a lighter and healthier approach thanks to his many years of Southern California coastal living. Dave’s first cookbook, ‘Flavor Quest’ was released in October 2010 and is available via chefdavemartin.com as well as amazon and barnesandnoble.com. Website: www.chefdavemartin.com
Dan moved to Mass in 1986 after a number of years working in the restaurant business and traveling extensively. He has been with a family operated wine distributor and importer since first arriving (Ruby Wines Inc.) where he is the Director of Special Events and a Fine Wine Specialist. Outside of work, he currently chairs the Boston University Wine School Founding Advisory Board and still travels to wine country around the world. Website: www.rubywines.com
Executive Chef/Co-owner Pigalle and Marco Marc Orfaly is a man of many contradictions. He enjoys playing drums and has a reputation for knowing how to have a good time. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who expertly poaches a silken cod, but he is. He’s also one of Food & Wine magazine’s 10 Best New Chefs 2004, and chef/co-owner of the well-regarded restaurants Pigalle and Marco in Boston. Orfaly has been impressing patrons and food critics with his French-driven, internationally influenced cuisine since Pigalle opened in 2000. And when his Italian concept, Marco, was unveiled in Boston’s historic North End in September 2005, it was featured by Gourmet Magazine as a new hot spot, and in May 2006 it was named to Food & Wine Magazine’s ‘go’ list. At Pigalle, Orfaly can be found in the kitchen pressing terrines of duck confit and foie gras, soaking prunes in armagnac, and preparing a cassoulet as rich and authentic as that of any chef in Toulouse, France. At Marco, he serves authentic, simple, and flavorful Italian cuisine, featuring delicacies like house-cured salumi and flavorful pastas like orecchiette with homemade sausage and broccoli rape. Though he’s content to be creating in the back of the house, he does get involved in front of the house operations. Orfaly’s taste is very much in demand these days, known as he is among his peers for his astute palate and ability to handle an array of influences with confidence and understanding. For Orfaly, cooking was originally a simple means to an end. A musician from his adolescence, Orfaly became a short order cook as a teen only to pay for his drum equipment. By the end of high school, however, he was still cooking and his creative passion became more focused on food and less on drums. He developed alongside Chefs Todd English and Barbara Lynch in Boston and Joachim Splichal and Nancy Silverton in Los Angeles. He eventually fell in love with and married Boston native Foley, a terrifically talented dining room manager and partner. “My dream was to have a small mom-and-pop kind of place with really good food, great service, and reasonable prices,” Orfaly said. Both Pigalle and Marco emulate his personality: unpretentious at first glance, interesting and complex as you get to know it.
Valérie ROUSSELLE-RIBOUD is born the 19th of June 1963 in Saint Tropez (France). She has 3 children. Graduated from Lausanne Catering School, she worked in 1986 for two Barrière Group hotels in Deauville, first in the four stars luxe NORMANDY HOTEL in Deauville as customer relationship assistant, and then in 1987 in the four stars luxe ROYAL Hotel as assistant of the managing director in charge of the staff hotel. In 1994 she fell in love with the famous vineyard CHATEAU ROUBINE – CRU CLASSE COTE DE PROVENCE. Since 1995 she has been writing one of the nicest pages of the history of this vineyard thanks to her willpower, perseverance, passion and because of her surrounded professional, talented and experienced team. She received various distinctions: Silver Medal from the Tourism Minister and Chevalier of The Order of Agricultural Merit. In 2008 she was Certificate of oenology and wine maker graduated from the French famous Wine University of Suze-la-Rousse. This passion for wine made her take new initiatives in that environment. In 2008, she created and presided over the ELEONORES DE PROVENCE Association, association gathering women managers in the art of living sector (companies in the wine, decorative and gastronomic sectors). She is also creative member of the “Femmes de Vins Association” created in 2009 that gathers association of women wine makers and members of the French “ Ordre des Dames du Vin et de la table”.
|
RON GWYN 
|