Celebrity Chef Experiences
presented by

Pitmaster Kyle Bryner

Equipped with over 25 years of restaurant experience, Kyle Bryner is a seasoned pitmaster and owner of Blue Hound Barbecue in Dillard, GA, and Blue Bike Cafe in Highlands, NC. His culinary journey began at the age of 16 while working at a grill in Sarasota, Florida, where he first discovered his passion for barbecue. Mentored by his late father, who shared his love for smoking meats, developing rubs, and building custom smokers, Kyle’s early experiences shaped a lifelong dedication to the craft. After moving to the mountains of northeast Georgia with his high school sweetheart, Erin, Kyle immersed himself in Appalachian food traditions, including sausage-making, preserving, and smoking techniques. In May 2019, the couple opened Blue Bike Cafe, inspired by the “brunch lifestyle” of the Gulf Coast and the Southern Appalachian region. Kyle’s one true culinary love, however, led him to open Blue Hound Barbecue in 2022, before relocating the joint to Dillard, GA in 2023. In 2025, he competed on Season 6 of BBQ Brawl on Food Network, ultimately winning and earning the title of “Master of ‘Cue.” That same year, he was named Emerging Restaurateur of the Year at the GRACE Awards and, in 2026, was selected for the Georgia Grown Executive Chefs program by the Georgia Restaurant Association, recognizing his commitment to sourcing locally and supporting Georgia farmers. His self-described “Mountain BBQ” or “Southern Appalachian BBQ” blends regional inspirations from Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina while honoring the heritage of the mountains he calls home. Kyle has also worked as Executive Chef at The Inn at Millstone, consulted for major food distributors like Reinhart Foodservice and US Foods, and teaches local culinary classes. 

Accolades: 

Won Food Network's Season 6 of BBQ Brawl - "Master of Cue" title

2025 GRACE Awards Emerging Restaurateur of the Year

2025 "Best of Georgia" Award from Georgia Business Journal 

Named 'Heritage Hero' at Heritage Fire Atlanta 2025

2026 Georgia Grown Executive Chefs (honor from the Georgia Restaurant Association)

Chef Maneet Chauhan

Maneet Chauhan is a James Beard award-winning chef, author, restaurateur and Food Network personality. As a leading American-Indian chef, Chauhan is the co-founder of Morph Hospitality Group in Nashville, TN, where she currently run two restaurants, Chauhan Ale & Masala House and The Mockingbird, in addition to eet by Maneet Chauhan in Disney Springs near Orlando, Florida. Chauhan's two critically acclaimed cookbooks, Flavors of My World and Chaat: The Best Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India, are reflections of her upbringing surrounded by the local markets & street vendors of India and have been featured in publications like the New York Times, Food & Wine and more. On television, in addition to her role as a judge on "Chopped," Chauhan also competes at the highest level on shows like Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions, where she brought home the championship title in both 2021 and 2024 as the first-ever, two-time champion. When she’s not in the kitchen or traveling, chef Chauhan can be found at home in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband, Vivek Deora, their daughter, Shagun, and their son, Karma.

Chef Scott Conant

Scott Conant is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and media personality who has been at the forefront of Italian and American dining for over four decades. Known for his soulful approach to food and hospitality, Conant has built a culinary empire that seamlessly blends elevated dining experiences with consumer-facing products and media storytelling. 

He is the creator behind numerous acclaimed restaurants, including Leola (Bahamas), The Americano (Atlanta, GA), and Cellaio (Monticello, NY), each showcasing his signature style of refined Italian cuisine infused with American influences, seasonal ingredients, and the spirit of sprezzatura. 

Early in his restaurant career, Conant was named a James Beard Award-winning Chef and FOOD & WINE Best New Chef. Beyond restaurants, he is the founder of Martone Street, a premium Italian brand inspired by his family roots and Sunday meals spent around the table where his grandparents lived. Martone Street is poised to be a force in the Italian food category, with signature tomato sauces and expanding toward a complete portfolio of Italian kitchen staples, condiments, and chef-driven essentials. 

A familiar face to millions, Conant has appeared regularly on Food Network for over 15 years, serving as a recurring judge on Chopped and appearing on various other shows. He is also the author of the bestselling cookbook Peace, Love & Pasta, which reflects the warmth and intimacy of the meals he shares with family and friends. 

Conant’s work spans fine dining, consumer products, digital content, and media, unified by a single mission: to connect people through food, storytelling, and hospitality. As he continues to expand his restaurant portfolio and products globally—Conant remains committed to building with honesty, integrity, and soul, while inspiring the next generation of chefs and food lovers.

Chef Cat Cora

Cat Cora, Greek American, is a celebrated world renowned chef, author, restaurateur, television host, philanthropist, and proud mother of six. The Jackson, Mississippi native, who graduated the Culinary Institute of America and went on to cook at two 3-star Michelin restaurants in France, was crowned the first female Iron Chef, and was also the first female inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame. She pioneered the Food Network and shattered glass ceilings in the culinary industry.

Cat has opened more than 18 restaurants across the United States and globally, highlighting her platform on health, wellness and sustainability.  She has her degree in nutrition and physiology and is a trailblazer in Mediterranean Cuisine in the United States. Outside of the kitchen, Cat is the President/Founder of Chefs for Humanity, a non-profit dedicated to reducing hunger worldwide, as well as Ambassador of Little Kitchen Academy, a Montessori-style culinary school for ages 3-nineteen. Cat most recently was the subject of the documentary “She Was First” on PBS, she won Fox Network’s competition show “The Real Dirty Dancing”.  She is a judge on Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” and Netflix’s “Next Gen Chef”.  She has launched an innovative Cutlery Pro kitchen essential gadget line: elevating everyday cooking with style and precision and launches her sustainable bedding line Casa Cora summer of 2026. 

Cat received the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Volunteer Service Award from President Obama.

Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli

There are few American chefs, much less female chefs, who can boast staying power in Michelin-starred restaurants. Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli can boast indeed — she embarked on a culinary journey in France and ended up working in some of the country’s top restaurants including esteemed chef Guy Savoy’s eponymous three-star kitchen.

Chef Guarnaschelli first appeared on Food Network in 2006 and has since been part of hundreds of episodes of programming on the network, including as a judge on Chopped, co-host of The Kitchen, host of Supermarket Stakeout, and star of Alex vs America. She has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, TODAY, Good Morning America, and ABC’s Live! with Kelly & Mark and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Alex has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Food & Wine, Food Network Magazine, and PEOPLE. Chef Guarnaschelli also hosts the award-winning digital series, Fix Me a Plate, and is the author of the cookbooks “Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook” (2013), “The Home Cook: Recipes to Know by Heart” (2017), and most recently “Cook With Me: 150 Recipes for the Home Cook” (2020). Alex's most recent cookbook, "Cook It Up: Bold Moves for Family Foods: A Cookbook," which she authored with her daughter, Ava Clark, was on the New York Times Best Seller list. Chef Guarnaschelli is also the co-host of Food Network's show, Ciao House, a culinary competition that takes place in Italy. Her new cookbook, Italian American Forever: Classic Recipes for Everything You Want To Eat was released in the Fall of 2024 and was a New York Times best seller. Most recently, Guarnaschelli opened a new restaurant, Clara, at The New York Historical.

Chef Mei Lin



Mei Lin is the chef and partner of  DayBird in Los Angeles, Bravo's Top Chef winner and Food Network’s Tournament of Champions IV winner.  Mei worked at acclaimed restaurants like Spago Las Vegas and Michael Voltaggio’s Ink., where she was recognized as one of Eater’s Young Guns. Later opening her own celebrated concept Nightshade in the Arts District which earned her national recognition as one of GQ’s Best New Restaurants and a James Beard nomination. 

A thoughtful and inventive chef, Mei draws on her roots growing up in her family’s Chinese restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan, and continues to redefine modern Chinese-American cuisine with precision, depth, and bold personality.

Chef Marc Murphy

Son of a globetrotting diplomat and Chef, and owner of MARC179, Marc Murphy is a culinary force with a 30+ year career that includes cooking in Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants such as Le Cirque and Alain Ducasse à l'Hôtel de Paris, appearing on television as a regular judge for the award-winning culinary series Chopped. Chef Murphy is currently a Food Council and Board Member of City Harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization, and also sits on the Leadership Council for Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Marc recently returned to his New York City roots and stepped back into the restaurant kitchen with his new Italian and French-inspired restaurant, MARC179, in Tribeca. With MARC179, he turns the typical restaurant model on its head, opening to guests for three consecutive days each month, and the remainder of the month remains home to his MM Kitchen Studio as a dynamic event space. Marc authored "Season with Authority: Confident Home Cooking" and resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

Chef Joe Sasto

Joe Sasto found his love for cooking and appetite for Italian classics as a child at his mother's side, and it was at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quince in San Francisco that his passion for pasta truly began. In 2018, Sasto forged his own path and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, he pivoted his career by teaching virtual pasta-making classes.



With more than half a billion likes, over one-million followers and countless viral social media videos, Sasto has become a recurring judge and chef personality across multiple shows on the Food Network. He's also competed and appeared on Food Network shows such as Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions, Guy's Grocery Games, and Chopped, as well as Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef All-stars.

In 2022, Sasto made the Food Network's first-ever "Hot List." Aside from his career as a chef, Sasto has developed a high-end customizable pasta and pizza tool line, and he is the creator of Tantos, the first pu\ed pasta chip, and a gourmet frozen ravioli brand, Ripi. His first best-selling cookbook, Breaking the Rules – a fresh take on Italian classics, published in October 2025 by Simon-Element. And was named one of the best cookbooks of 2025 by Epicurious and Bon Appetit. He lives in Chicago and enjoys spending time with his pup, Tito, and his wife, Kait.