2019 Board of directors - Media Contact Wendy Meadley - Women Chefs and Restaurateurs
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2019 Board of directors Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
2019 Board of directors Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Elizabeth
WCR BOARD president
falkner
Celebrated Chef Elizabeth Falkner grew up in Los Angeles. She
moved to and worked her way up in kitchens in San Francisco in
the 1990’s, and ran several restaurants through 2014. Today
she does recipe development and consults for numerous
products and brands.
Now living in New York City, she is the author of three
cookbooks and an upcoming memoir. Cooking competitions are
a favorite “sport” for Chef Falkner. She has appeared on most of
the television cooking competition programs and other shows.
She relentlessly cooks for charity events and Food & Wine
Festivals all over. Falkner does both savory and sweet,
traditional and modern. She is an advocate for people and chefs
to think more like athletes and “stay fit to cook.” After playing
soccer for 28 years, she picked up sword fighting fitness and
martial arts, yoga, Pilates, and running distance races. She ran
her first marathon, the New York City Marathon in 2016. In 2019,
Falkner will participate in Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry, riding
300 miles in 3 days to raise money along with other chefs for
hungry children across the country.
A graduate of San Francisco Art Institute with a BFA in film,
Falkner has produced two short films with food themes in 2018:
Food Games-Sustainability; and a documented performance
piece called Croquembouche Samurai performed at SoHo
House in New York City.
Falkner is a long time member and has served on the Board of
Directors of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, as president from
April 2014 to April 2015 and again now in 2019.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Kelly fields
WCR BOARD vice president
Having mastered her craft for over two decades, accoladed
Chef and Owner Kelly Fields opened restaurant and bakery
Willa Jean, New Orleans in 2015, showcasing her robust pastry
expertise and passion for traditional cuisine. A leader in the city’s
dining scene and beyond, she distinguishes the Central
Business District with comforting soul food and a warm,
approachable atmosphere.
Fields discovered her natural talent while helping her mother
pickle and preserve their garden’s produce in Charleston. She
worked in some of New Orleans most celebrated patisseries,
including for Chef Susan Spicer. She pursued a degree in
baking and pastry arts from Johnson & Wales; her first position
was pastry chef at Restaurant August. Hurricane Katrina forced
her to leave in 2005, but Fields traveled the world, landing in
San Francisco at Martin’s West Gastropub and Sens.
Since returning to New Orleans, Fields has won Louisiana
Cookin’s Bakery and Beyond Award and Travel + Leisure’s Our
Favorite Local Bakeries Around the World. For four consecutive
years, Fields has been a James Beard Award nominee and
semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Fields won Eater New
Orleans’ Chef of the Year and Reader’s Choice Awards, Dessert
Professional Magazine’s Top Ten Pastry Chefs in North America,
as well as Breakfast Chef of the Year, Top Ten Pastry Chefs in
America and Most Influential Women in the South, and more.
Fields makes a community impact by mentoring several
emerging New Orleans chefs. In 2017, she launched the Yes
Ma'am foundation to inspire, encourage, and mentor the next
generation of women in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
She is the vice president of the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs
Board of Directors.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Amanda cohen
WCR BOARD treasurer
Amanda Cohen is the chef and owner of Dirt Candy, on New
York City’s Lower East Side. Dirt Candy is the first vegetable-
focused restaurant in the city and the leader of the vegetable-
forward movement. Its original location only had 18 seats and
was open for six years, during which time it became the first
vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to receive two stars from The
New York Times. It was recognized by the MICHELIN Guide five
years in a row, and won awards from Gourmet Magazine, and
the Village Voice, among others. In 2018, it was named the
Absolute Best Restaurant on the Lower East Side by New York
Magazine, and One of the 100 Best Wine Restaurants in
America by Wine Enthusiast.
Dirt Candy’s new location was the first restaurant in the city to
eliminate tipping and share profits with its employees. The
equipment is LEED-certified and sustainable materials were
used to build everything.
Cohen was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef
America, and is one of the Iron Chefs on Iron Chef Canada. She
was a Semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chefs
in America 2014, and a Finalist in 2018. Her comic book
cookbook, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, is the first graphic novel
cookbook to be published in North America. A tireless advocate
for women in culinary, Cohen has penned several industry-
shaking pieces, most notably in The New York Times and
Esquire, about the culture of restaurants.
Cohen serves as treasurer of the Women Chefs &
Restaurateurs Board of Directors.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Kara maciel
WCR BOARD secretary
Kara M. Maciel is a founding partner of Conn Maciel Carey—a
law firm focused on Labor & Employment, Workplace Safety,
and Litigation—and Chair of the firm’s national Labor &
Employment Practice Group. She focuses her practice on
representing employers in all aspects of the employment
relationship, with a special emphasis on the hospitality industry.
She has represented employers including national hotel chains,
hospitality management groups, restaurants, spas, trade
associations, food and dairy distributors.
Maciel works to create workplace solutions for her clients. She
counsels clients on issues related to wage hour compliance, tip
pools and tip credits, prevention of harassment and
discrimination, effective employment policies and procedures,
and developing a compliant employee handbook. Maciel advises
unionized and non-unionized workplaces about rights and
obligations under the National Labor Relations Act, including
leading collective bargaining negotiations, defending unfair labor
practices, and representing employers in union election
petitions. She also defends employers in litigation at both the
federal and state levels, including matters related to ADA, FLSA,
FMLA, and Title VII, and the Department of Labor’s EEO/AA
regulations.
Maciel lives in the Washington, DC area and has been selected
to the Washington, DC Super Lawyers list from 2014-2019.
She is the secretary of the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs
Board of Directors.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Kim bartmann
WCR BOARD president EMERITUS
Kim Bartmann is a triple-bottom-line restaurateur and
professional instigator. A graduate of the University of
Minnesota, Bartmann has been launching eateries in re-
imagined spaces since 1991. She believes that well-prepared
food made from ethically sourced, sustainably farmed
ingredients, welcoming spaces, and creative events can bring
people together, support neighborhoods and catalyze a city.
As CEO of Bartmann Group, she leads an ecosystem of
innovative restaurants and all-are-welcome events that use
creative energy to feed people and connect communities.
Because Bartmann Group gives equal weight to people, planet,
and profits, employees have access to healthcare and benefits;
food is prepared with ingredients grown on the Bartmann Group
organic farm or sourced from local producers and purveyors;
spaces are built with an eye toward LEED specifications, and
recycling and composting are standard practice.
Bartmann has been a semi-finalist for the James Beard
Foundation Restaurateur of the Year award twice. She has been
named to the Restaurant News Power List: Readers Pick, was a
finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award,
and was selected for Minnesota’s 50 Over 50 leadership
awards. Bartmann has been a James Beard Foundation Women
in Culinary Leadership mentor, and as served as a mentor for
the Deluxe Corporation Small Business Revolution project.
Bartmann is the president emeritus of the Women Chefs &
Restaurateurs Board of Directors.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Karen akunowicz
WCR Board Member
Karen Akunowicz began as a waitress at a diner in her home
state of New Jersey. In 2018, she took home the James Beard
medal for Best Chef, Northeast.
After graduating from culinary school, Akunowicz started her
career at Ten Tables just outside Boston. She later fell in love
with Italian food, cooking at Michael Schlow’s Via Matta in
Boston’s Back Bay, where she met Restaurateur Christopher
Myers. In 2008, captivated by Mediterranean cuisine, Akunowicz
moved to Modena, Italy, where she cooked for one inspiring
year as chef of L’Avian Blu.
Back stateside, she went to work for Ana Sortun as sous chef of
Oleana in Cambridge. There she was introduced to the Middle
Eastern pantry and its kaleidoscope of spices, and absorbed
Sortun’s soulful approach and farm-to-table mentality.
In 2011, Akunowicz reconnected with Myers to become
executive chef and partner of Myers+Chang. She received a
four-star review in the Boston Globe, four consecutive James
Beard nominations, and was included in Marie Claire’s 21
Badass Women Changing the Food World. In 2018, Akunowicz
announced plans to open her own restaurant. A return to her
first love, Italian food, Fox & the Knife will be an enoteca in
Southie.
Akunowicz has competed and was a fan favorite on Bravo’s Top
Chef. She is the co-author of Myers+Chang at Home.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Michelle
WCR Board Member
battista
Michelle Battista is leading the helm of The Nightwood
Society.
The Nightwood is a collaboration of women passionate about
kicking the status quo to the curb. They are farmers,
butchers, and creatives banding together to produce
extraordinary experiences around food and wine. Bringing
people and ideas together has always been at the heart of
what drives Battista.
She built her reputation in the design and marketing world,
then a fateful product consulting gig with renowned chefs
and restaurateurs ignited her love of food. In 2014 she co-
opened an event space in NE Portland and a year later
formed Stockpot Collective, a community of marketing +
content experts in the world of food. Battista knew the time
was right to realize her dream of launching a new venture in
food + design with an all woman group of creatives. She
gathered her dream team of butcher, bakers, and magic-
makers and The Nightwood was born!
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.org
Gwyneth
WCR Board Member
borden
A lifelong lover of food, being the granddaughter of farmers,
Borden joined the Golden Gate Restaurant Association
(GGRA) as the Executive Director in February 2014. Prior to
coming onboard, Gwyneth spent 10 years at IBM as the
Manager of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs.
Borden is also a Director of the San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency and Commissioner, San Francisco
Parking Authority, following six years of service as a Planning
Commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco. Prior
to IBM, Borden was the Director of Government Relations for
the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, a legislative aide
to then San Francisco Supervisor Gavin Newsom, and a staff
assistant in U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's office.
Borden is involved in a number of civic and philanthropic
organizations and has received numerous awards for her
leadership, including being named Forever an Influential
Woman in Bay Area Business by the San Francisco Business
Times in 2016, after being on their Influential list multiple
years, and was previously recognized as an Industry Leader
by Professional Business Women of California in 2013.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgTiffani faison
WCR Board Member
Chef Tiffani Faison has made a name for herself nationwide for
her dynamic personality, fierce work ethic and distinct ability to
create warm, creative, and instantly loveable restaurants.
She opened Sweet Cheeks Q in 2011 in Boston’s Fenway
neighborhood, drawing inspiration from her love of Southern
barbecue and extensive travels in Texas. It garnered a three-
star review from The Boston Globe, and has been consistently
awarded Boston’s Best Barbecue by Boston Magazine. Forbes
deemed it has the Best Biscuits in the World.
In 2015, Faison expanded on her culinary skills, creativity and
business savvy with a new restaurant: Tiger Mama. The seeds
of Tiger Mama formed during Tiffani’s travels to Southeast Asia.
Tiger Mama offers a chic, tropical meets urban atmosphere and
a menu that journeys through Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
In 2018, Tiffani opened her third restaurant – an adult snack bar
called Fool’s Errand which neighbors Sweet Cheeks Q and Tiger
Mama in the Fenway. With its intimate, standing-room only
space, Fool’s Errand’s snack-forward menu works with top
quality, luxurious ingredients to deliver irreverent bites.
In 2018 the James Beard Foundation nominated Faison as Best
Chef: Northeast and Boston Magazine awarded her Best Chef:
General Excellence in 2016. A runner-up on Top Chef Season
One, Faison is now a frequent judge on Food Network’s
Chopped and Chopped Grill Masters.
Faison lives in Jamaica Plain with her wife and business partner
Kelly Walsh. She is a tireless advocate of LGBT human rights.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgBonnie moore
WCR Board Member
Bonnie Moore brings over 25 years of experience as a strategic
planner, chef, and educator focused on the culinary arts,
healthy eating and connecting farms with families to her clients.
As Founder and President of Moore Impact, she works with
leaders in the hospitality industry to develop clear strategies
and pathways for growth. Her work developing a community
with a strong food and farm connection at Willowsford in
Loudoun County, Virginia resulted in numerous awards
including Community of the Year Award.
Moore is committed to promoting role models to inspire future
generations of culinarians. She is also a founding board
member of Real Food For Kids in Fairfax County, Virginia, an
organization dedicated to ensuring access to real, whole foods
for all school age children. In addition, she is also board
member emeritus of the Chef Ann Cooper Foundation, a
national organization dedicated to changing the way we feed
our kids.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgERIKA NAKAMURA
WCR Board Member
Erika Nakamura was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She
moved to the United States at 17 and has a culinary diploma
from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. She has
worked in New York City's premier restaurants, and honed her
skill as a whole animal butcher at Fleisher's Grass-fed and
Organic Meats. Nakamura opened Lindy and Grundy's Meats in
West Hollywood, CA in 2010--a small butcher shop which
specialized in locally sourced pasture raised meats. It became
an instant anchor in the city's newly budding culinary scene and
shaped the local community's relationship with local organic
farms.
She has worked closely with renowned charcutier Francois
Vecchio, master butcher Kari Underly, and chef/butcher Michael
Sullivan. She has toured for 9 consecutive years with Brady
Lowe's Cochon 555 as head lining butcher and all-star. She is
an ambassador member of the Butchers Guild, and Kate Hill's
Grrls Meat camp. In 2014 Nakamura was awarded a Rising Star
Chef award in the category of Artisan Butcher by StarChefs. She
has appeared in numerous television cooking shows, including
judge for Top Chef Masters, Extra Virgin, and Rikki Lake.
Nakamura currently resides in New York where she has worked
as a protein consultant for restaurants like the Breslin and the
Spotted Pig. Erika opened White Gold Butchers with her
partners, April Bloomfield and Jocelyn Guest in 2016, and is
currently gearing up to launch a consumer packaged goods line.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgJACQUI pressinger
WCR Board Member
As a part of a family legacy of professional chefs and bakers,
Jacqui Pressinger has dedicated her life to the culinary and
foodservice education sectors of the hospitality industry.
Pressinger holds degrees in Culinary Arts, as well as Baking
& Pastry Arts, and is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of
America, Hyde Park, NY. Currently, in her role as Director of
Strategic Partnerships at American Culinary Federation, she
oversees the team focused on innovative Professional
Development/Continuing Education projects.
She is also an active member of many culinary-minded
associations, and oversees varied initiatives serving both
culinary professionals and culinary students. Her greatest
passion (besides great food and wine) is providing pathways
and mentorship for emerging chefs to further their careers.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgSurbhi sahni
WCR Board Member
Chef Surbhi Sahni embodies the sugar and spice and everything
nice description and is nevertheless far from typical in any way.
For two decades now she has been bringing her own unique
perspective to modern Indian cuisine designing menus,
developing recipes and being the creative force behind Devi,
Tulsi and most recently, Saar Bistro in midtown & Maska in
Miami along with Chef Hemant Mathur.
In addition, she has made a huge mark as one of the most
unique and beloved pastry chefs in the country with her cakes
and confections that encapsulate the essence of South-Asian
traditional ‘mithai’ with modern international twists.
Over the years, Sahni has been invited to share her expertise,
teaching at top culinary conferences and educational centers
including New York University, De Gustibus at Macy’s Herald
Square, the Worlds of Flavor Conference at the Culinary
Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, the CIA’s Baking and
Pastry Arts Retreat, Williams-Sonoma Time Warner Center and
the Fancy Food Show in NYC. She was also part of the culinary
team for several featured dinners at the James Beard House in
New York City.
She has been featured widely in the media including The New
York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine,
Food52, Oprah Magazine, Wine Spectator, and Food & Wine.
She was a contestant on Chopped Season 12.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgElle simone
WCR Board Member
scott
Elle Simone Scott is a culinary maverick. Always drawn to
creative food culture, Scott has been dazzling the culinary
world since 2003, quickly becoming a highly sought after
freelance Food Stylist and Culinary Producer. Scott has
collaborated and contributed her unique styling abilities most
recently to America’s Test Kitchen. Also Food Network, Food
Network Magazine, The Cooking Channel, The Katie Couric
Show, CBS Corporation, ABC’s The Chew and Bravo's Chef
Roble and Co.
Her specialties don’t stop with styling and production. As the
Founder & CEO of SheChef Inc., a professional networking
organization for women chefs of color and allies, Scott shares
her passion by mentoring, teaching resource building,
business consultation/ development and most importantly,
Food Social Justice.
Scott continues to inspire others and break glass ceilings, as
she is currently the resident Food Stylist & On-Air Talent on
America's Test Kitchen on PBS and the first African-American
woman to do so.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgDaniella
WCR Board Member
senior
Daniella Senior’s love for food and hospitality began at the early
age of 13 when she founded a successful catering business
from her home in Dominican Republic. A graduate of the
Culinary Institute of America and a Certified Sommelier, she has
cooked in some of the greatest kitchens in the nation, including
Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin, and has also led superb restaurant
management processes in venues such as Jose Andres’
Zaytinya and served as regional director for Richard Sandoval
Restaurants.
In 2016 Daniella developed a unique concept for
Washingtonians that focused on the love of good food, coffee,
cocktails and social interactions—Colada Shop. With two
locations and a third on the way it has quickly become a DC
area favorite and has received numerous national acclaims.
In 2017, she partnered with Chef Ryan Ratino to open Bresca, a
modern French bistro focused on seasonality of ingredients and
affordability. It was awarded a Michelin Star in the guide’s 2018
edition.
At only 29 years of age, Senior has proven to be not only a
great business woman but also an excellent professional,
providing superb creative direction, and outstanding team
management. She has been deeply invested in the professional
growth of her team which makes her a great leader in her field.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgCARRIE SUMMER
WCR Board Member
An experienced culinarian, Chef Carrie Summer has over 25
years in the industry operating her own restaurants and food
trucks with a creative unique vision in savory and sweet flavors.
She is a world traveler and explorer in far flung places around
the globe.
A lifelong student and adult leader of 4-H & FFA, she has a long
history with small-scale agriculture, cooking and ranching
livestock. Carrie spent time in New York City at Jean-Georges’
company studying service and wine, as well as Morimoto’s
flagship New York post in the pastry department. Her passions
include fine cooking and baking, plant sciences, rare cars,
travel, photography, and fashion. In the #North she and her life
partner Lisa Carlson are known as the Godmothers of food
trucking, and in 2012 Yahoo News named their brand one of the
Top 10 most creative food trucks in the nation.
Media Contact > Wendy Meadley > wendy@womenchefs.orgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Wendy Meadley, Marketing & Communications Director
Women Chefs & Restaurateurs
952.446.5105
wendy@womenchefs.org
International Association of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR)
Announces 2019 Board of Directors
Eight New Members Join this Industry-Leading Organization
The International Association of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) is pleased to announce its 2019 Board of Directors.
The current board increases its roster of directors to 16, adding more voices to this nonprofit organization focused on the
support and advancement of women across the broad spectrum of the culinary landscape. WCR is a leader in this industry,
striving for change and innovation, which is reflected in this diverse roster.
"As the newly elected president for WCR and long-time member of the organization, I am thinking about of all of the multi-
talented women who have worked hard and diligently to get us to where we are today,” says Chef Elizabeth Falkner. She
adds her enthusiasm for the growth of WCR, “This is a new era for women across all industries. I am thrilled, and focused
on getting WCR in a position where we are connecting and evincing all of the diverse and talented women today across the
expansive world of food and beverage."
Joining Chef Falkner at the helm as vice president is Kelly Fields, Chef/Owner of Willa Jean. Fields shares, "I am incredibly
inspired to have the opportunity to work with WCR as we continue to grow the organization into a resource for every single
woman working in all aspects of food and beverage today."
The full board roster includes (in alphabetical order):
Karen Akunowicz (MA); Kim Bartmann (MN); Michelle Battista (OR); Gwyneth Borden (CA); Amanda Cohen (NY); Tiffani
Faison (MA); Elizabeth Falkner (NY); Kelly Fields (LA); Kara Maciel (DC); Bonnie Moore (VA); Erika Nakamura (NY); Jacqui
Pressinger (FL); Surbhi Sahni (NY); Elle Simone Scott (MA); Daniella Senior (D.C.); and Carrie Summer (MN).
“This new board is in response to an overwhelming industry interest in the mission of WCR,” says Executive Director Kristen
Lee-Charlson. “Representing a wide range of some the most talented women in the industry, this shift elevates WCR to
lead the conversation around needed change in culture, while convening a broad community of leaders across the culinary
landscape.”
Founded in 1993 by eight of the nation’s top women chefs and restaurateurs, WCR celebrates its more than 25-year history
with a membership of thousands of women, from culinary students, line cooks, pastry chefs, and executive chefs to
educators, food writers, farmers, media professionals, culinary consultants, wine experts, food stylists and more. A nonprofit
organization with a mission to advance women across the culinary industry through education, promotion, connection, and
inspiration, WCR offers opportunities for professional development, advocacy, and mentorship, and hosts their flagship
annual National Conference celebrating and spotlighting women in food every spring. The 2019 National Conference will be
held in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota on April 27-29, 2019.
WCR Website
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