Brooklyn-born Sherry Yard is a nationally acclaimed chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, teacher and presenter, who has spent her extensive career making a mark as a disruptor in the hospitality industry. Her innovative and uncompromising approach has garnered three James Beard Awards and an induction into their Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America. She has received accolades from renowned publications such as Bon Appétit Magazine, Food + Wine and became affectionately known by the media as “L.A.’s Sweetheart”, both for her bubbly personality and her incomparably creative fresh from the farm desserts. Her career included working with the Wolfgang Puck empire for nearly 20 years, encompassing the crafting of masterful breads, creating menus, and opening new restaurants while simultaneously mentoring an entire generation of chefs in kitchens from Singapore to Santa Monica. Her pastry creations became staples at events such as the Academy Awards Governor’s Ball, the Grammy Awards, and the Emmy Awards, where she could be spotted in her iconic pink chef’s jacket in support of breast cancer awareness. Yard is the author of 2 award winning cookbooks, and today is working on her third.

Nicola Twilley is author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, winner of the 2025 James Beard Award for Literary Writing, the 2025 California Book Awards Nonfiction Gold Medal, the 2025 Nach Waxman Prize, and the 2025 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal for Journalism and Investigative Reporting. She is co-host of the award-winning Gastropod podcast, which looks at food through the lens of history and science, and which is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with Eater. Her first book, Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine, was co-authored with Geoff Manaugh and was named one of the best books of 2021 by Time Magazine, NPR, the Guardian, and the Financial Times. She is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and was one of the 2025 winners of the National Academies of Sciences Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications. She lives in Los Angeles.

Diane Rossen Worthington is an expert on contemporary Californian and American cuisine. She is the author of more than 20 cookbooks, an award-winning radio show host, a nationally-syndicated columnist, and the former Editor-in-Chief of Epicurus.com. She has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The Food Network, CNN, and NPR. She has twice won the prestigious International James Beard Award. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

BETH A. Lee grew up on the East Coast before moving to Northern California, far away from the traditional Jewish food she was raised on.

In 2010, Beth left her high tech career behind and launched her food blog, OMG! Yummy, where she creates recipes in her multicultural Jewish kitchen.

Her first cookbook, The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook, was featured in the New York Times and LA Times, to name a few. Cookbook #2 is in the works!

Beth also teaches cooking classes and can be found roaming the aisles of grocery stores, farmers’ markets and bakeries wherever her travels take her.

Aliza J. Sokolow is an Emmy Award–winning food stylist, author, chef, and media personality whose work seamlessly blends culinary creativity with impactful storytelling. Her debut children’s book, This Is What I Eat (Random House Kids, 2023), encourages young readers to explore and enjoy healthy eating in a joyful, colorful, and accessible way. Aliza is also a regular guest on Good Day LA, where she shares vibrant, health-forward recipes designed to inspire home cooks of all ages.

Rose Wilde is a Los Angeles–based chef, writer, and co-host of the Kitchen Tape podcast. She is the author of Bread and Roses (Norton, 2023), named a best book of 2023 by Bon Appetite and The Los Angeles Times. Her a second cookbook is forthcoming from Chronicle Books. Known for her work with whole grains, fermentation, and botanicals, starting with her bakery, Red Bread, launched in 2011. Immediately she won awards for Best New Bakery, Best Cookie, Best Pie, Best Cake and Best Bagel. Since she has led pastry and bread programs at acclaimed restaurants including Manuela, Rustic Canyon, Rossoblu, and Mother Wolf.

She lives in Los Angeles with her family, dog, and five chickens. Follow her on Instagram: @trosewilde

Oren Salomon is the owner of Starship Bagel, the Dallas bagel shop known for bringing traditional New York-style bagels to Texas with obsessive technique, long fermentation, all presented through the lens of retrofuturist branding. Since opening in 2021, Starship has become one of the most awarded bagel shops in the country, earning 12 medals at New York’s BagelFest, including Best Bagel wins in 2023 and 2025, Schmear of the Year in 2024, and multiple awards for showmanship, creativity, and top rated New York-style bagels. Starship was also the first bagel shop ever nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bakery in 2025 and was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Craig Hutchinson is the Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of Olmo Bagels, an award-winning artisan bagel shop in New Haven, CT. A fine dining chef by trade, Craig pivoted during the pandemic to pioneer New Haven-style bagels — distinguished by fresh-milled flour, steaming instead of boiling, and seed retention through double proofing — building Olmo from scratch as a brand with now with 10 BagelFest medals, a Best of Fest title in 2023, and respect amongst the bagel community. Rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a bagel and that leaders create leaders, Craig has built Olmo into more than a bagel shop — it's a community anchor, a training ground for hospitality professionals, and proof that uncompromising quality and genuine human connection belong in the same room.

Matias Barang is the founder of Häsi Bread, a Los Angeles-based bakery known for its colorful sourdough bread. What began at local farmers markets in 2018 has grown organically into a brick and mortar bakerycafé, rooted in community and a commitment to craft. Häsi Bread’s signature loaves feature marbled colors derived from natural ingredients like turmeric and butterfly pea flower, contributing both vibrant appearance and natural benefits. Drawing from his Austrian and Afghan heritage, Matias emphasizes the use of heirloom grains and a sourdough starter named “Dwight” in his artisan bread-making process. Today, Häsi Bread continues to serve farmer's market and grocery stores throughout Los Angeles and from its permanent location, offering a transparent baking experience where customers can see the process firsthand.

Bev Lazo Gonzalez is a culinary professional with over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, working across Los Angeles and Orange County with some incredible chefs and concepts. She spent several years with Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken at Border Grill’s catering and private events division, and also worked with Chef Andrew Gruel on both the Slapfish food truck and restaurant locations.

Bev has continued to grow her craft through hands-on experiences, including staging with Chef Jason Quinn at his restaurant Playground. She’s also appeared on several cooking competition shows, including Hell’s Kitchen Season 12, Cutthroat Kitchen Season 10, and Man vs. Child Season 2.

Her career has taken her as far as Ketchikan, Alaska as a consulting chef, and back to Los Angeles where she helped launch a food truck for Max’s Chicken. Today, Bev shares her passion for food as a culinary instructor working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, while also working as a personal chef.

Justin Shukat is the co-founder of @bageltawk, where he has reviewed and documented more than 200 bagel shops across New York and beyond. A Long Island native, he caught the bagel bug in early 2020 and hasn’t stopped “talking dough” since, covering standout spots across Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and NYC, with travels taking him to Los Angeles, Miami, Rome, Charleston, Gainesville, Connecticut, and Nashville. Outside of bagels, Justin is the President of Primary Wave Music, bringing decades of experience as a tastemaker and curator to his role as a trusted voice in the bagel world

Perrin Davidson is the founder and publisher of LAEats and developed an original reality TV show for Bon Appétit. He has also appeared on Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay.

With more than 1,600 reviews to his name, Perrin has established himself as a dedicated bagel expert with a deep understanding of the craft—particularly the distinctions between New York and Montreal styles. His work is grounded in the history of the bagel’s origins in Poland and its evolution through New York and across North America.

From traditional shops in Montreal to interpretations across both coasts, his research and firsthand experience inform a clear point of view on what defines an authentic bagel—he’s always looking for true bagel boards, not baking sheets.