2012 World Culinary Showcase
During NRA Show 2012, we were thrilled by cheflebrities who are familiar TV faces, and were introduced to up-and-coming and avant garde masters.
Rick Bayless's green garlic and mushroom dish and Mike Isabella's chunky tomato sauce gnudi simplicity and seasonality. Maneet Chauhan's lobster with coconut rice and Stefan Richter's foie gras indulged in decadence. And who can forget the flavor-tripping and mind-bending demonstrations by the moto/iNG crew, Homaro Cantu, Ben Roche, Chris Jones and Richie Farina?
Get a taste of the 2012 lineup.
And don’t miss out on the 2011 World Culinary Showcase experience.
2012 WCS Lineup
Saturday, May 5
Rick Bayless – Winner of Top Chef Masters, multiple James Beard Foundation awards, chef/owner of Chicago-based Frontera and Topolobampo restaurants, author of countless cookbook classics
Stephanie Izard – Winner of Top Chef, named one of Food & Wine magazine’s 2011 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine, chef/owner of Girl & the Goat, a 2011 James Beard “Best New Restaurant” nominee, author of Girl in the Kitchen
David Burke – Meilleurs Ouvriers de France winner, chef/owner of seven restaurants throughout the country, including New York City's David Burke Townhouse and David Burke Kitchen, Top Chef Masters competitor, inventor of the cheesecake lollipop, cookbook author.
Sunday, May 6
Fabio Viviani – Two-time Top Chef contestant, chef/owner of Café Firenze and Osteria Firenze in Southern California, author of Cafe Firenze CookbookM and Did I Really Make Breakfast
Spike Mendelsohn – Two-time Top Chef contestant, chef/owner of Good Stuff Eatery and We, The Pizza in Washington, D.C., contender on this season’s The Next Iron Chef
Richard Blais – Winner of Top Chef: All-Stars, chef/owner of Southern-based Flip burger boutique, HD-1 and The Spence.
Monday, May 7
Stefan Richter, presented by Vitamix – Chef and entrepreneur, owner of Los Angeles-based Stefan’s Café, Stefan’s at L.A. Farm, and Stefan F. Richter’s European Catering, plus two Stefan’s Steakhouse locations in his native Finland, runner-up on Top Chef, and irrepressible bon vivant.
Maneet Chauhan – Executive chef at Indian-Latin fusion restaurant Vermilion (Chicago and Manhattan), Iron Chef challenger and Chopped judge, repeat representative at James Beard House's annual awards dinner, active supporter of culinary academies and charities such as March of Dimes, Share Our Strength, Apna Ghar, Make a Wish Foundation, and more.
Mike Isabella – Washington, D.C.-based chef/owner of Graffiato and the soon-to-open Bandolero, named "the People's Best New Chef, Mid-Atlantic Region” by FOOD & WINE magazine, two time contestant on Top Chef, which included a runner-up spot on Top Chef: All-Stars.
Sarah Kosikowski – Executive Pastry Chef at Sixteen, 2009 James Beard “Rising Star Chef” nominee, winner of the 2011 Chicago Restaurant Pastry Competition, semi-finalist at the North American phase of the Valhrona C3 Culinary Competition, silver medalist on Food Network’s Extreme Challenge, Candy Carnival. .
Tuesday, May 8
Homaro Cantu – Chef and owner of moto and iNG restaurants. Cantu opened iNG in 2011 and has created the world's only restaurant offering flavor-changing experiences. iNG has already been the subject of more than 200 articles, including a recent spot on ABC World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer where she described the flavor changing experience as "something that will change the world of gastronomy forever."
Ben Roche – Pastry chef of moto and consults on the dessert menu at iNG, which offers the world's only sugar-free flavor-changing desserts. Chef Roche is the co-host along with Cantu on the television show Future Food, which airs on Discovery Network's Planet Green.
Richard Farina – Chef de Cuisine at moto restaurant and recent contestant on Top Chef: Texas. News of Farina's work from Moto has reached hundreds of news outlets and he was recently named one to Zagat's list of top young chefs, "30 Under 30."
Chris Jones – Director of Culinary Innovation for moto and iNG restaurants. Jones was also a contestant on Top Chef: Texas, where he dazzled judges with a flavor-changing dish inspired from some of his menu creations at iNG.
Todd English – Chef and restaurateur with more than 20 restaurants spanning the country, including Olives locations in Boston, New York, and Las Vegas, four-time James Beard Award winner and inductee into James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who in Food and Beverage in America, critically acclaimed author of the recent title, Cooking In Everyday English, The ABCs of Great Flavor at Home.