Chef's PSA

About Leonard Botello IV Leonard Botello IV is the owner and pitmaster behind Truth BBQ, one of the most acclaimed barbecue operations in Texas. Raised in Lake Jackson in a family of restaurateurs — his father a chef and restaurant owner, his mother a baker — he grew up around food but initially pursued a

About Don Smolik and Kolter Livengood Don Smolik is the founder of Study The Blade, an Austin-based knife sharpening service that works with both professional chefs and home cooks. A former chef himself, Don built Study The Blade around the belief that understanding your tools starts with knowing how to maintain them. His work sits

About Benjamin Maides Benjamin Maides is a Swiss-born, Omaha-raised chef whose career has been defined by a commitment to seasonal cooking, direct sourcing, and ingredient-driven technique. After graduating from Metro Community College’s culinary program in Omaha in 2006, he spent years working in California, Colorado, and northern Italy — including time at the acclaimed Bouchon

About Amanda Rockman Amanda Rockman is a pastry chef with over 20 years of experience in some of the most demanding kitchens in the country. Raised in Katy, Texas, she trained at the Culinary Institute of America and built her career across San Francisco, Chicago, and Austin. In Chicago, she worked at three Michelin-starred L20

About Andrew Turner Andrew Turner is a veteran of some of the most demanding fine dining kitchens in the world. His career spans stages and positions under legendary chefs including Alain Ducasse, Laurent Gras, and Joachim Splichal — each a foundational figure in the development of modern haute cuisine in the United States and Europe.

About Ron McKinlay Ron McKinlay is a chef whose career spans professional restaurant kitchens, pop-up dining, and a deeply personal engagement with the mental health challenges that define life in the culinary industry. Former Head Chef at Canoe in Toronto his background is rooted in hands-on technique — particularly in meat cookery — and he

About Chef James Avery Chef James Avery is a chef, restaurateur, and hospitality strategist with over two decades in the industry. He trained at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and built his career working alongside chefs including David Burke, Michael Mina, and Gordon Ramsay. His television work spans multiple seasons of FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen,

About Chef Adrienne Cheatham Adrienne Cheatham is a James Beard Award semifinalist, runner-up on Top Chef Season 15, and one of the most recognized voices in American fine dining. She built her foundation at Le Bernardin in New York City — widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding kitchens in the country —

About Eduardo & Elizabeth Espiritu Eduardo and Elizabeth Espiritu are a husband-and-wife chef team who built their careers and their relationship inside professional kitchens. Eduardo was born in the Philippines and developed an early interest in cooking through watching his mother at home. Elizabeth grew up in Palm Springs, California, baking with her aunt from

About Chef Thomas Bille Chef Thomas Bille is a first-generation Mexican-American raised in Los Angeles, where a multicultural upbringing and a chef father shaped his earliest understanding of food. After enrolling in a Le Cordon Bleu culinary program in his late twenties, Bille trained in top Los Angeles kitchens including the Ritz-Carlton and Otium under