Indulge in the World of Celebrity Chefs!

Chef Joe Sasto

You may recognize Chef Joe Sasto from his win on The Food Network’s “Chopped”, and his time competing on NBC’s Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars. He was recently recognized by The Food Network for their first ever “Hot List” of 2022.

Recently, Sasto has become very popular via the social media landscape, with over 20-million “likes” and countless viral videos. Sasto is a reoccurring judge, host, and chef personality across Food Network, and an All-Star competitor for shows such as Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, and Guy’s Grocery Games. Chef Joe has also developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line with well-known knife maker and blacksmith Doghouse Forge. Sasto recently launched a puffed pasta snack, entitled TANTOS, which is set to hit the market in 2023. Chef Sasto is also currently writing his first cookbook.

From a very young age, Joe Sasto knew that he wanted to be a Chef. Sasto’s mother had always recognized his talent, passion, and love of the culinary arts. Learning to cook by his mother’s side, Joe became ignited when in the kitchen.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Davis, Sasto dove headfirst into the culinary and restaurant industry, training under some of the Bay Area’s most respected and honorable Chefs. After traveling through Europe, Sasto brought his inspiration to Quince Restaurant. It was at Quince in San Francisco where Sasto’s passion for pasta truly began. Under Chef Michael Tusk, Sasto was trusted to manage the handmade pasta program, learning the traditions and roots from one of the world’s most celebrated, Italian-influenced chefs. Later, during his time as Executive Sous Chef at Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Sasto maintained his strong, cultivated relationships with local farmers, showcasing the beautiful, uniquely seasonal produce of California. A natural leader, Sasto quickly became recognized for his abilities, respectfully contributing to the rise of restaurants such as two-Michelin starred Lazy Bear, and three-Michelin starred Quince. A very driven Chef, Sasto has opened restaurants as Executive Chef in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.

In 2018, Sasto began focusing on pursing the goal of opening his own restaurant, traveling the country, hosting private events, pasta classes, and fine-dining dinner parties. When the global pandemic began in March 2020, Sasto ceased travel and pivoted. Chef Joe started to virtually teach both public and private livestream pasta lessons weekly, consulting with brands, curating food-focused content, and developing recipes, all while garnering a strong social media following. Sasto excelled due to his passion for food, as well as his ability to connect with others through music, his personality, and through an approachable culinary lens. In 2020 Sasto launched his limited production and highly coveted focaccia popup, Luna Focacceria.

Chef Mary Sue Milliken

Mary Sue Milliken is an award-winning chef, cookbook author, food activist, media personality, and co-owner of Mundo Hospitality Group along with her business partner Susan Feniger.

Milliken leads with a staff- and community-forward approach with sustainability at its core. She has also witnessed the industry catch up to Border Grill in offering accessible, seasonal cuisine and empowering women to join the male-dominated realm of professional cooking. “We ditched the patriarchy long ago,” Milliken recalls, “and took charge of our own destiny.”

After graduating from Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago, Milliken worked her way up and became the first female chef at Le Perroquet in 1978—where she soon met Susan Feniger. Following, she cooked at the woman-owned, two-Michelin-star Restaurant D’Olympe in Paris, before rejoining Feniger in L.A. to launch City Café in 1981, applying French techniques to unfamiliar dishes from around the world. The culinary pair found further acclaim with CITY Restaurant in 1985, and captured the hearts of Angelenos with Border Grill’s ’85 debut, evidenced by a James Beard Award the same year.

Milliken and Feniger have since opened multiple Border Grill locations, food trucks, and a full-service events and a catering business. With locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Border Grill serves street food-inspired regional Mexican cuisine with a commitment to conscientiously-sourced ingredients. The chef duo continue breaking barriers as female restaurateurs in a male-dominated industry, pioneering sustainability initiatives and developing their culinary offerings in a variety of restaurants that include BBQ Mexicana, Pacha Mamas, and SOCALO, a California canteen and Mexican Pub. Most recently, the duo opened Alice B., a California twist on Mediterranean food in Palm Springs.

Milliken and Feniger brought their innovative approaches to The Food Network with the “Too Hot Tamales” and “Tamales World Tour” series, along with the Los Angeles’ popular food-centric radio show, KCRW’s “Good Food.” In 2011, Milliken competed on season three of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and won $40,000 for her chosen charity, Share Our Strength. She has also co-authored five cookbooks.

Milliken uses her platform to enact societal change, serving on the boards of Share Our Strength and the James Beard Foundation. In 1993, she joined other progressives to found Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and Chefs Collaborative, and in 2020 she helped co-found Regarding Her, a non-profit devoted to the advancement and empowerment of female food and beverage entrepreneurs in Los Angeles and beyond. She was selected to join the U.S. State Department on the American Chef Corps to promote diplomacy through food in Pakistan, Malta, and Italy. Her passion for sustainability led her to work with L.A. Food Policy Council, Pew Charitable Trusts, Oxfam, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and others.

In 2018, Feniger and Milliken were named the recipients of the fourth annual Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, marking the first women to be honored. The distinction complements additional accolades, including the Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Restaurant Association in 2013; earned induction into Menu Masters Hall of Fame in 2014; and the 2018 Gold Award from the Los Angeles Times for culinary excellence and innovation in Southern California.
@MarySueMilliken

Chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, best‐selling cookbook author, successful restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. Most importantly, she has accomplished all of this by marrying her two passions in life—her family and food—to create multiple culinary endeavors alongside her two children, Joseph and Tanya.

Lidia’s love of food, cooking, and its ability to connect family and friends was nurtured as a child in Pola, a small city on the Istrian Peninsula of what was then Yugoslavia. Lidia and her family were forced to flee the communist regime. After a dramatic escape that involved temporary separation from her father in Italy, they registered as refugees and lived in a refugee camp in Italy before they were resettled in the United States when Lidia was eleven. It was here that Lidia’s culinary journey took flight, influenced by her experiences and the diverse cultures she encountered. Her cooking style is a tribute to her grandmother Rosa’s farm-to-table approach, Aunt Nina’s sophisticated techniques in Trieste, and the commercial cooking skills she acquired in a refugee camp kitchen.

Lidia has published numerous cookbooks, co-authored with her daughter Tanya, and companion books to her Emmy-winning television series Lidia’s Kitchen, Lidia’s Italy in America, and Lidia’s Italy. Her most recent book is Lidia’s From Our Family Table to Yours which was released in October 2023, a companion to her new 26-part public television series, Lidia’s Kitchen. She is also the author of the English and Italian version of her memoir: My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food. Lidia’s cooking shows air nationwide in the U.S. on public television and CREATE, internationally, and on various digital networks including Amazon Prime, Tubitv, and Xumo. Her cooking segments are also part of her TUTTOLIDIA YouTube channel.

Lidia is a celebrated chef and restaurateur and a founder of Eataly. Together with Tanya and son-in-law Corrado, she also developed a line of all-natural sauces called LIDIA’S. In March 2023, she released a line of cookware with HSN.

Lidia is a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier and founding member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, two non-profit organizations of women leaders in the food and hospitality industries. She is also a champion for the United Nations Association of the United States of America’s Adopt-A-Future program, in support of refugee education.

Among the numerous awards and accolades Lidia has earned are seven James Beard Awards (Outstanding Chef, Television Food Show, Best Chefs in America, Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, Specials 2016, Special 2017 and 2018) and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Culinary Host (2013 and 2018). In 2022 Lidia received the Silver Award from APT for 25 years on Public Television.

Chef Sharone Hakman

Originally a financial advisor, launched his well-known food brand Chef Hak’s, after leaving his job to pursue his passion in the culinary world. He successfully appeared on the first season of FOX Network’s MasterChef: a reality cooking show which sought to find America’s most promising amateur chef. He stunned TV’s toughest food critics with his recipes and decided to create his food brand, Chef Hak’s, in order to share his creations with the world.
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Sharone has since hosted and judged several shows on The Food Network, National Geographic, NBC, E! Network and more! 

Chef Hak’s is a global brand consisting of BBQ sauces, cooking sauces, salad dressings, prepared meals and more. It all started as a dream of Sharone’s, who built the company on a foundation of integrity and transparency, developing a trusted brand available in over 12,000 stores across the United States.

All recipes are carefully crafted and all ingredients are mindfully sourced with the customer’s healthy lifestyle and convenience in mind. Chef Hak’s is proud to be on the cutting edge of unique flavor profiles, clean ingredients and amazing flavors. Chef Hak’s: Clean Ingredients. Full Flavor. That’s it!

Dara Yu

Dara Yu is a 21-year-old LA native chef. Her career started in the MasterChef Junior kitchen at age 12 where she placed as runner-up in season one.

Following her run on MasterChef Junior, she started staging at restaurants to continue to perfect the craft of cooking. She’s spent time in kitchens such as AOC, Bouchon Bakery, Annisa, and Tasting Kitchen as well as being a part of the opening team of Dominique Ansel Bakery LA at the age of 16.

She continued her education at The Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, where she graduated with a high honors degree in Baking and Pastry Arts.

Shortly after graduating, she went on to compete on season 12 of MasterChef “Back to Win”, and was the winner!

Executive Chef Hany Ali

Europa Village

Born and raised in Egypt, Chef Hany Ali had a passion for the culinary arts at an early age.  While Chef Hany was born in Cairo, Egypt, he was raised in a coastal resort city named Hurghada.  Hurghada, is best known for its beautiful white sand beaches, fresh seafood, and one of the most popular vacation spots with Europeans. It was an inspiration to a young Hany.

At the age of 14, Chef Hany began his culinary journey at the International Hotel in Hurghada as an apprentice under their Executive Chef.  Hany’s passion, creative talents, and desire to achieve his goals in the Culinary Arts, were quickly noticed.  While many young men would have crumbled under a six-month apprenticeship, with no compensation and 14-hour workdays, Hany did not.

After graduation from the International Culinary Institute in Egypt, Chef Hany decided to travel through Europe and Asia exposing his palate to as many different types of cuisines as possible.  This allowed him to broaden his talents as a chef and gave him the experience and knowledge needed to begin his career.

The Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, CA is where our Hany found his first home.  For ten years, Chef Hany worked as the Garde Manger Chef and Banquet Chef, providing guests with the exemplary culinary standards the Four Season’s is known for.  Throughout his ten years at the Four Seasons, a deeper understanding of what pleases the palate emerged.  During this time, Chef Hany was also the Executive Chef for a catering company to the stars.  Working with many different celebrities and networks was challenging, but Hany soon learned the tricks of the trade and started his own catering company.  Without boundaries or stipulations, Hany’s creativity flourished.

As a guest instructor at the Sur La Table cooking school, Chef Hany began to share his techniques with other aspiring chef’s.  His charismatic personality, motivation, and exceptional skill set, packed the classroom at this small venue.  Throughout this time Hany also brought his love for food to the Great Wolf Lodge in California, in the capacity of Executive Chef, where he received numerous awards and recognition.

After over 13 years in the most highly regarded hotels and restaurants in the U.S. Hany found a home in the Temecula Valley Wine Country as the Executive Chef leading the culinary team at Ponte Winery. With a love for the valley, a deep appreciation for each ingredient, and a thirst for unique and thoughtful wine, he hoped his passion is palpable in every plate, sip and bite.

With all his many accomplishments, experiences, and rave reviews, we are pleased to have Chef Hany Ali as our Executive Chef and being part of a “food culture that respects local produce, farmers and ranchers.”  He showcases that back-to-the-land reverence with farm-fresh valley produce — with some vegetables and herbs harvested just moments beforehand in the kitchen garden out back. But while the sourcing may be local, our chef ’s influences are global, resulting in flavorful, inventive border-crossing cuisine. And providing our guests with the exceptional service, dedication, and immense love and passion for food that they have come to expect from Europa Village.