MEET THE CHEFS
BIO
FOUNDING DIRECTOR & HONORARY CHAIRMAN, SOUTHERN SMOKE FOUNDATION
Midwest-raised, James Beard Award-winning Chef Chris Shepherd has helped change the landscape of the Houston culinary scene since opening Underbelly in 2012. He built the restaurant to support the Houston food community and its suppliers by buying local and drawing inspiration from the people and cultures that live in the city. Thanks to Chris’ vision and passion, Underbelly was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, was named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit and Esquire and was named one of 38 essential restaurants in America by Eater. Chris was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2013 and was then awarded the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest.
Chris was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2019 and was named Robb Report‘s Chef of the Year the same year. Chris’ first cookbook, Cook Like a Local: Flavors that Will Change the Way You Cook—and See the World, was published by Clarkson Potter in September 2019 and was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Foundation Book Award. In 2023, Chris launched a TV show Eat Like a Local on Houston’s KPRC-TV, where he tells the stories of Houston’s rich and diverse food and beverage scene. He also hosts an onstage conversation series, Table to Stage, with the biggest names in food and beverage.
Chris began his fine dining career at Brennan’s of Houston, where he spent seven years in the kitchen and then ran the wine program for two. He left Brennan’s in 2006 to open Catalan Food & Wine, which was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America that same year.
Chris’ foundation Southern Smoke has distributed more than $11 million directly to people in the food and beverage industry in need via the Emergency Relief Fund.
BIO
Award-winning chef Stephen Barber leans on his Southern roots in his ingredient-driven approach to our restaurant at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch. Barber brings over 20 years of experience from all over the US, including John Currence’s City Grocery, Norman Van Aken’s Norman’s in Miami and the former MECCA in San Francisco. In 2007, Stephen opened Barbers Q in Napa to critical acclaim. He lives in Napa with his wife and son.
BIO
Elliot Bell is the chef and owner of Charlie’s, a family-run, community-focused, neighborhood restaurant with generational goals, named after his son.
Originally from New Zealand, Bell’s culinary influences and inspiration span some of the world’s greatest dining destinations — France, Japan, Napa Valley, and New York. His restaurant career began with dishwashing and cooking positions in the small Iowa town where he grew up, and eventually led him to study hospitality management at the University of New Hampshire and the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland.
Most recently, he served as the Executive Sous Chef at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, where he spent the past decade of his career. Prior to that, he worked in Boston, Seattle, and New York at several notable restaurants, including Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern.
As a member of the St. Helena Fire Department, where Bell has served as a volunteer firefighter for several years, few things are as important to him as community. He and his young family have lived in St. Helena for more than 10 years, and currently reside in their home around the corner from the firehouse and restaurant.
BIO
A native of the Santa Ynez Valley, Daisy spent her formative cooking years in New York City. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, she worked for such institutions as Gramercy Tavern, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, and Per Se, before returning to the west coast with Greg. In Los Angeles, she helped open The Line Hotel in Koreatown before heading to Austin to oversee the beverage program for McGuire Moorman Hospitality. Three years later, Daisy and Greg permanently relocated to California’s Central Coast, opening Bell’s as their first independent restaurant project.
BIO
Greg grew up in the Willamette Valley near Portland, Oregon, where he attended both college and culinary school. He began his career at Tribeca Grill and Per Se in New York City, before heading to the west coast with Daisy. After working as Restaurant Director at LA’s Beverly Hills Hotel, he and Daisy spent a few years in Austin, where he led front-of-house service as the General Manager for Jeffrey’s and Josephine House. Shortly after the birth of their son, Henry, Greg and Daisy returned to California to open Bell’s in Los Alamos.
BIO
A San Francisco native, Jew’s journey began at UC Irvine, where studying biology sparked a fascination with ecosystems and ingredients—a philosophy that defines his cooking today. His culinary chops were honed abroad in Bologna and Shanghai and refined in Bay Area institutions like Zuni Café and Quince, under icons like Judy Rodgers and Michael Tusk.
In 2016, Jew opened Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco’s historic Chinatown, a modern fine-dining tribute to his heritage and the neighborhood’s legacy. The restaurant, known for its thoughtful approach to Chinese-American cooking, quickly became a culinary landmark, and it made history as the first Chinese restaurant in San Francisco to earn a Michelin star, which it did just six months after opening.
Jiu later opened Moongate Lounge, a cocktail haven launched in 2019, and Mamahuhu, a fast-casual restaurant, opened in 2020.
In 2022, Jew earned the James Beard Award for Best Chef: California, solidifying his influence in the culinary world. With features in outlets like Food & Wine and Architectural Digest, he continues to shape the evolution of Chinese American cuisine with innovation, precision, and deep respect for tradition.
BIO
Thomas McNaughton, founding partner, co-chef and CEO of Flour + Water Hospitality Group, grew up in Southern New Jersey. He started working in local kitchens at the age of 15. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, then gained valuable experience working for Bay Area restaurants La Folie, Gary Danko and Quince. On his culinary journey, he also worked at a number of Michelin-rated restaurants in France, Germany and Italy, falling head over heels in love with the hand-rolled pastas of Bologna and the nonne that produce them.
Thomas is relentlessly driven by the community of farmers, craftsmen and “creatives” that call the Bay Area home. Always collaborative in nature, Thomas feels his number one job at FWHG is to nurture a culture where all team members feel heard, inspired and work in an environment that allows their individual talents to excel.
BIO
Ryan Pollnow, co-chef and vice president of the Flour + Water Hospitality Group, discovered a love for cooking and the micro seasons of the Bay Area while growing up in Northern California. Ryan completed culinary school in Sonoma County while working at restaurants and wineries to further develop his acumen in the field. He continued his education abroad at renowned restaurant Mugaritz in northern Spain before returning to the Bay Area. Traveling for culinary inspiration has always been an important part of his growth, and his time in Italy left a significant imprint on his love for seasonal cooking. Ryan led each FWHG kitchen individually as Chef de Cuisine before transitioning into his current role overseeing all culinary operations as co-executive chef.
BIO
Claudette Zepeda is an award-winning, San Diego-based chef and culinary entrepreneur known for her fearless style and bold approach to regional Mexican cuisine. A celebrated culinary anthropologist, Zepeda draws upon 20+ years of experience working in restaurant kitchens, as well as her extensive travels around the world and throughout Mexico that inform her vast knowledge of indigenous ingredients and cross-cultural expressions of cuisine. Zepeda’s multi-faceted expertise is showcased in her role overseeing the creative vision as Founder of Chispa Hospitality, including food concepts in San Diego, Nashville, Australia, Mexico. Her latest project, Leu Leu in North County San Diego, where she is the Executive Chef and Partner authors a love letter to San Diego and the Beach Bungalow culture of the space. Celebrates global cuisine through her creative lens. In 2022-2023, she represented the U.S. in London & Paris for the Taittinger Champagne Prix Culinaire, the first time ever the US participated in the 55 year competition history. Zepeda has also garnered national acclaim for her food, including receiving a glowing review from the New York Times, inclusion on Esquire’s 2018 & 2021 Best New Restaurants, Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Zepeda was also named both Eater San Diego and San Diego Union Tribune’s Chef of the Year in 2018, and was a James Beard Best Chef West semifinalist in 2019.
Television appearances highlights:
2017-18 Top Chef Season 15 & Top Chef México Season 2
2022 Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend & Iron Chef México
2022 Bobby’s Triple Threat
2023 Guest Chef on Selena & The Chef, Christmas Special
Philanthropy:
In 2019 Zepeda Founded Viva La Vida, LLC., establishing micro businesses with single mothers throughout Mexico’s seven regions to import their heirloom ingredients previously unavailable in the U.S. Through Viva La Vida, Zepeda helps Mexican women support their families without sacrificing their safety. Expanding into establishing a fund dedicated to helping Hispanic women break from generational poverty in the United States.
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