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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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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Romulo Barrientos

The kitchen is led by Rómulo Barrientos, who has spent years working within New York’s Italian gastronomy scene. His experience at Ficuzza Cucina Siciliana & Pizza, combined with time in Italian-focused kitchens influenced by chefs such as Joey Campanaro, Scott Conant, Rita Sodi, and David Strangridge, shaped a product-driven approach rooted in Italian tradition, precision, and clarity of flavor—defining a modern, urban expression of Italian food at Al Volo.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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