Ashish Contractor

Amanda Cohen

Chef and Owner of Dirt Candy

Amanda Cohen is the James Beard-nominated chef and owner of Dirt Candy, the award-winning vegetable restaurant on New York City's Lower East Side. She is also one of the Iron Chefs on Iron Chef Canada alongside Susur Lee, Lynn Crawford, Rob Feenie, and Hugh Acheson, and she is a board member and treasurer of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.

Alex Atzberger

CEO of Optimizely, Co-Founder of the Wonderbon Chocolate Co., Member of RLC Board of Directors

Alex Atzberger is the CEO of Optimizely and the Co-Founder of the Wonderbon Chocolate Co. He joined the RLC Board of Directors in 2020 and has since been a major contributor to the organization, having participated in numerous food rescues, launched a Give Away campaign through the Wonderbon Chocolate Co., and raised a substantial amount of funding for the cause.

James Winans

CEO of the Bowery Mission

James serves as President & CEO following 15 successful years of leadership at The Bowery Mission. James oversees the Mission’s expansive work across eight campuses in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, leading a team of over 150 full-time and seasonal staff — and a small army of volunteers — to help transform the lives of men, women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty.

Talia Berman

Director of Operations of Levain Bakery

Talia is an experienced operator with a demonstrated history of people management and growth, restaurant operations, and consulting in the hospitality industry in New York and New Orleans. Before joining the team at Levain, Talia worked in consulting for Heyer Performance Inc and taught at the Institute of Culinary Education. She got her start at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe before going to work for Jonathan Benno at Lincoln in Lincoln Center.

Nick Mancall-Bitel

Writer and Editor at Eater

Nick Mancall-Bitel is a writer, copywriter and editor living in Brooklyn. He currently serves as Editorial Associate at Eater. He primarily covers food and drink, but sometimes wanders into other subjects. He also happens to make a killer daiquiri.

The Philip Norris Trio

Comprised of Philip Norris, Julius Rodriguez, and TJ Reddick, the Philip Norris Trio is a group of exceptionally talented up-and-coming jazz artists. They have played with some of the great artists of today such as Wynton Marsalis, Ulysses Owens Jr., Veronica Swift, Catherine Russell, and Marcus Roberts, and many more.