2010 Featured Chefs
Lidia Matticchio Bastianch
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is an award winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and Public Television cooking show host. Her latest series, Lidia’s Italy, was nominated for an Emmy in 2008 and recently named Best National Cooking Show by the James Beard Foundation in 2009. She is also the host and author of several earlier series and companion books including Lidia’s Family Table, Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen and Lidia’s Italian Table. Together with her daughter, Tanya, she wrote Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, due out in October of 2009 along with another 52 episodes of Lidia’s Italy.
In addition to over ten years with Public Television, Lidia is well known for her acclaimed restaurants including the three-star Felidia and Del Posto restaurants in New York, the popular theater district Becco restaurant and Lidia’s restaurants in Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Lidia was named Outstanding Chef – U.S. and Outstanding Chef – New York by the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
Lidia and son, Joseph Bastianich, well known wine expert and restaurateur of multiple locations in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and beyond also produce award-winning wines at the Bastianich and La Mozza vineyards in Italy.
For more information on Lidia and her restaurants, visit:
www.felidia-nyc.com
www.becco-nyc.com
www.delposto.com
www.lidias-kc.com/ www.lidias-pittsburgh.com
www.lidiasitaly.com
Wally Joe, Executive Chef, Brushmark Restaurant
At the forefront of the culinary revolution in Mississippi and Tennessee is Wally Joe. He began his culinary education as a child growing up in the grocery store and restaurant his family owns. Although he was learning the basics of cooking from his parents as a teenager, Wally decided to pursue a degree and career in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi.
While in college, Wally traveled extensively during his breaks. It was during these travels that his interest in food and cooking was rekindled. His travels took him throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and South America. He visited the finest restaurants each area had to offer. He also began to read every cookbook and food reference book available.
After graduating with a degree in business from the University of Mississippi in 1987, he returned to the family owned business to begin his career in cooking. It was during this period that he began to experiment and practice his ideas to formulate his style of cuisine. Although the family owned KC’s had been in operation since 1974, it’s success and fame rose to new heights when Wally became Chef de Cuisine in 1989. His attention to detail, cooking abilities, and an obsessive quest for quality garnered rave reviews from every major newspaper in the area. KC’s is the only restaurant in the Mid-South with a Four Star rating from the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Jackson, MS The Clarion Ledger. It is also the only AAA 4 Diamond Award winning restaurant in the state of Mississippi.
In November of 1994, Wally became the first chef from the state of Mississippi to be invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. Wally has also been featured in Food Arts, Southern Living, Bon Apetit’, Esquire, Indulge, USA Today, and Chef magazine of Great Britain. He is one of twenty chefs featured in the DISCOVERY CHANNEL series, “Great Chefs of the South”. KC’s and the Joe family were also featured on the CBS series Sunday Morning in 2001. Wally was also featured on NBC Today Show . In 2003, Wally was selected after a wide search as one of the four host chefs on Turner South’s Off the Menu.
Andrew Adams, Chef de Cuisine, Brushmark Restaurant
Andrew’s career began in the kitchen of KC’s at the young age of 16, where he learned the basics of the kitchen. After working with Wally Joe for three years, he attended the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating with honors, he worked under Jamie Shannon of Commander’s Palace, Craig Shelton at the Ryland Inn, and then returning to his roots he helped Wally Joe open his signature restaurant. Andrew now showcases his many talents as the Chef de Cuisine at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
Ken Vedrinski
Chef Ken Vedrinski is the executive Chef and partner of the award winning Sienna Restaurant in downtown Charleston selected as one of Esquire magazine’s “Top 25 New Restaurants of the Year” in 2004. Among his many accomplishments in fine dining, was his role as Chef of Woodland’s Inn Dining Room. During his time there the restaurant received a coveted AAA Five Diamond Award given to only 14 restaurants in the US, making it the only five-star restaurant in South Carolina. In 2002, his leadership at Woodland’s led the restaurant to receive the only perfect food score in North America by the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler.
Celina Tio
Her typical day used to involve shopping lists, Julia Child re-runs, baking and cooking for family and friends--that was when Tio was eight...
How times flies. During seven years heading the kitchen at Kansas City's renowned American Restaurant, Tio garnered both local and national accolades. These included 2005 Chef of the year by Chef Magazine and the James Beard Foundation's 2007 Best Chef: Midwest. In the last year, Chef Celina opened her first proprietary restaurant, JULIAN, in Kansas City. There she creates chef-driven "feel good food" for her guests, family and friends--just like she did in her youth.