Wen-Jay Ying

Wen-Jay Ying is the founder of Local Roots NYC, a small business that connects New Yorkers with produce that’s always local and always fresh. Ying’s entrepreneurial spirit comes from her years in the DIY music scene playing in multiple bands.

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Johnny, Rachel, and Nikki

Johnny, the brain behind Lucy’s Vietnamese, leveraged his culinary expertise and diverse influences—from his local deli to his restaurateur friend in Houston—to introduce gourmet elements to our hot dogs. His vision was to blend the best of New York’s diverse cultures into each bite.

Rachel’s passion for the bustling atmosphere of the food service industry, which she loved during her college days as a server, drew her back into the hospitality world. She missed the adrenaline of working through lunch and dinner rushes during baseball games, the joy of meeting people from all walks of life, and the satisfaction of seeing happy customers.

Nikki, a dedicated teacher, brought her nurturing spirit and educational insights to the team, keen on applying her organizational skills and passion for community engagement to help start and grow a small business.

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Erika Nakamura & Jocelyn Guest

After a babymoon trip to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily, they created Due Madre as a labor of love between two mothers. Their journey into motherhood was profoundly informed by the region’s air, water, and food and guides their approach.

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Jimmy Rizvi

Rizvi’s first restaurant, GupShup, fulfilled his dream of opening a Bombay-inspired restaurant to provide a modern Indian brand with genuine hospitality and creative cuisine. Rizvi currently serves on the board of NYC Hospitality Alliance & City Harvest’s esteemed Food Council.

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Brandon and Faith Lee

Serving coffee, non-coffee drinks, and baked goods, the creations are inspired by flavors the Lees grew up with and incorporate both Asian and American tastes. The Lees don’t have all the answers, but invite you to join them for a good cup of coffee to figure things out together.

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Raymond Z Mohan

A New York Restaurant School graduate, Executive Chef Raymond Z. Mohan apprenticed under renowned chefs such as Douglas Rodriguez. His culinary interest developed as a child shopping at the market daily with his mother for their family’s roadside stand.

Skai was born and raised in Manhattan. She is a graduate of Brearley, University of Pennsylvania and the Culinary entrepreneurship program of the French Culinary Institute as well as the Columbia University community Business Program.

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Maiko Kyogoku

Kyogoku grew up in a restaurant-owning family that opened the first sushi restaurant on the Upper West Side. Her modern approach to traditional Japanese dishes reflects her multicultural heritage as a Japanese American New Yorker. Kyogoku has over 15 years’ experience running operations for Daniel Boulud and the Thompson Hotel group.

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Wilson Tang

Owner Wilson Tang and his team at Nom Wah at Pier 57 are making dim sum an all-day casual affair serving an assortment of dumplings perfect for sharing with friends and family. Nom Wah is a beloved Chinatown institution with a second location in Nolita that originated as a tea parlor in the 1920’s. After taking over from his uncle, Tang shifted the business to a fast-casual Dim Sum restaurant.

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Ben “Moody” Harney

Ben “Moody” Harney is the founder of MotherShuckers, the only oyster cart in Brooklyn. Harney was inspired by the story of Thomas Downing, “the Oyster King of New York,” and the son of freed slaves. Downing peddled oysters on Wall Street in the late 1800s and opened one of the most successful oyster restaurants of his time.

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Christine Sahadi Whelan

Christine Sahadi Whelan is the culinary director of Sahadi’s and a fourth-generation co-owner. Designated a James Beard America’s Classic and New York State Historic Business, the original store is located at 187 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, and is the city’s longest continually operating specialty food store. Christine is the author of the award-winning Flavors of the Sun: The Sahadi’s Guide to Understanding, Buying, and Using Middle Eastern Ingredients. A graduate of NYU with a Degree in Finance and International Business, she also trained at the Institute for Culinary Education. Follow her on Instagram @christine_is_cooking.

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Fanny Gerson

Fany Gerson is the chef, founder, and co-owner of La Newyorkina, a Mexican frozen treats and sweets business, and Fan-Fan Doughnuts, a gourmet doughnut shop. Fany takes great pride in representing her cultural heritage, Mexican, and religion, Judaism. Daniel Ortiz de Montellano is the founder of a Mexican-based company The FoodWorks Co., administering food and beverage facilities for the US Embassy in Mexico and more. Fany and Daniel met in 2014, married in 2016, and had their son, Gael, in 2018.

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Aniwat Khotsopa (Tong)

Bryan Chunton was born into a restaurant family; his parents owned and operated Thai restaurants in the 1980’s. Chunton started working in kitchens at the early age of 12 and introduced NYC to the authentic flavors of Northeastern Thai Cuisine with the help of Chef Aniwat Khotsopha and Pei Shan Wei. Chef Aniwat hails from Udon Thani and was the chef at the Centara Grand Hotel, serving Isan cuisine. Wei, a long-time business partner, and entrepreneur, oversees the operation.

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Kim, Kevin & Stacey

Harlem Hops is the realization of years of hard work and collaboration by three friends, Kim, Kevin & Stacey, HBCU grads and business partners, who have combined their experiences in restaurant management, event production, and community service with a lifelong passion for beer.  As minority business owners and operators, the Harlem Hops team features the growing number of brewers of color on the Harlem Hops beer list.

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Daniel Le

Led by notable Chef Daniel Le and Aqua Best, one of New York City’s top seafood purveyors, Essex Pearl draws inspiration from old-world travels across Southeast Asia.

Chef Daniel’s family ran a shrimp trawling business in Louisiana, where he spent many summers on the boats, bringing fresh shrimp to the coast. His love for food blossomed from his grandparents’ traditional Vietnamese cooking. Beginning his culinary journey at age 15, Chef Daniel’s signature style blends flavors from the northern and southern regions of Vietnam. Combining the fresh and light profiles of Hanoi’s herbaceous cuisine with the bold flavors of Phan Thiet seafood, enriched by an endless curiosity about Southeast Asian cuisine.

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Chef Hooni Kim

Chef Hooni Kim trained at Daniel and Masa before opening Danji, the first Michelin-starred Korean restaurant in the world. Last year, he earned another Michelin star for Meju, his new Korean fermentation restaurant inside Little Banchan Shop, a retail Korean ingredient and prepared foods boutique in LIC, NY.

Chef Hooni is the author of My Korea: Traditional Flavors Modern Recipes published in 2020 by W.W. Norton. Born in Seoul, he divides his time between New York City and Korea, where he is the founder of Yori Chunsa, a nonprofit that feeds and trains orphans to become cooks.

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