2025 Jurors

Abena Anim-Somuah is a James-Beard award-winning entrepreneur, writer, and podcast host.

She is also the Founder of The Eden Place, a company whose mission is to use food to harness community. Abena is also the host of The Future of Food is You, a Cherrybombe Podcast Network show where she interviews emerging talent in the food world.

Additionally, Abena writes her newsletter, Your Friend in Food, where she shares her musings on all things culinary. She's also written for publications like Food & Wine, Synonym Magazine, and Food and Beverage Insider. When she’s not cooking up ways to expand the Eden universe, you can find Abena reading a good book, travelling, playing tennis, spending time with her loved ones and taking long walks around her Brooklyn or Mexico City neighbourhoods (making frequent stops for pastries).

Jennifer Schiff Berg graduated from the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University with a master's degree in Food Service Management in 1996 and a PhD in Food Studies in 2006. She has taught numerous courses in the Department since 1990 and now serves as the director for the Graduate Program in Food Studies.

With a focus on the intersection of food, culture, and identity, she conducts her own research on Jewish American foodways.

Berg serves as the treasurer for the Association for the Study of Food and Society, an international organization dedicated to an interdisciplinary discourse on the role of food in culture and society and advisory board member for the American Institute of Wine and Food. She co-chair Days of Taste, a yearly farm-to-table program for 2000 New York City public school students. She is a certified Greenmarket tour guide and tour market trainer for the New York City Council on the Environment.

Ali Bouzari is a culinary scientist, author, educator, and co-founder of Pilot R&D. As a chef with a Ph.D. in food biochemistry, Ali has helped to lead the charge in changing the way we think about cooking by teaching and developing curriculum at top universities, from ivy league schools to the Culinary Institute of America, and collaborating with the country’s most innovative restaurants including State Bird Provisions, Benu, Eleven Madison Park, and the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Ali has been featured on Forbes' and Zagat's 30 Under 30 lists, as a contributor to Bon Appétit, Popular Science, Eater, and WIRED, as a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, and as a guest expert on NPR, TEDx, TODAY, and Iron Chef America. His book, Ingredient: Unveiling the Essential Elements of Food, won the IACP award for Best Reference Book. Ali is also a judge on the Netflix cooking competition series Snack VS Chef.

Sylvia Caminer is an Emmy Award-winning director and producer. She received more than 15 top awards at film festivals worldwide for her narrative feature directorial debut, FOLLOW HER (2023). She previously directed the documentaries, AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART (2012), about Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rick Springfield; TANZANIA: A JOURNEY WITHIN (2011), an odyssey that explores beauty and suffering in East Africa; and the Daytime Emmy-winning travel show, SAMANTHA BROWN’S PLACES TO LOVE (2018-present). She has also produced more than fifteen independent features including the Harvey Keitel WWII film, CHOSEN, and THE DELI, BLUE MOON, LOVE N’ DANCING, GRACE and BREAKING POINT. Her production company, DolGer Films, is actively developing several projects for Sylvia to direct including a screenplay based on the U.K. sci-fi time travel novel, AND THEN SHE VANISHED, which is Book 1 of a 7 book series.

Evan Harrison is the Chief Executive Officer of Kiss the Ground, the leading nonprofit promoting Regeneration and healthy soil as a viable solution for human and planetary wellness. Since joining in July 2022, Harrison has accelerated the organization’s mission and growth via education, strategic storytelling and partnerships with brands like Anthropologie and Spindrift. In that time, Kiss the Ground has nearly doubled awareness of regenerative agriculture, while reaching more than a million individuals monthly. Drawing on his background building audiences in the media industry, including as founding President of Digital at iHeartRadio and leading roles at AOL Music and Univision, Harrison has launched transformative initiatives for Kiss the Ground, such as a $500,000 direct-to-farmer grants program and an award-winning content series; all geared to drive this nonprofit’s goal of reaching a tipping point in regenerative agriculture awareness by 2030.

Neeti Jain is an environmental scientist and environmental justice practitioner, currently serving as the Strategic Partnerships Advisor for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. She works on the intersection of food and climate, supporting the City in efforts to reduce carbon emissions from food procurement and build a healthier and more resilient food system for New Yorkers. She holds a bachelor's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in environmental science from the Yale School of the Environment. A Los Angeles native, she has made her way across the three coasts and now spends her time lurking around the underwater dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History.

Sari Kamin is the Manager of Public Programs and Events for the James Beard Foundation at Pier 57, where she curates dinners, classes, demonstrations, and talks with the leading chefs, cookbook authors, and culinary experts in the United States. Previously, she was the Director of Public Programs at MOFAD, The Museum of Food and Drink. Before joining MOFAD, she was the Senior Publicity Manager of Culinary and Lifestyle at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and was the co-host of the food and beverage podcast “The Morning After” and the creator and host of “Food Without Borders” on Heritage Radio Network. Her writing has appeared in Saveur, Food52, Plate, Extra Crispy, Tasting Table, AFAR, Food & Wine, The Huffington Post, Edible Manhattan, NBC News, and more. She was the co-leader of TENT: Food NYC, a week of immersive Jewish food programming in New York City, and was a researcher and writer for the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015. Sari holds a master’s degree in food studies from New York University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Patrick, their 2-year-old son, Noah, and their grumpy dog, Max.

Adam Kaye is the Co-Founder and Chief Culinary Officer of The Spare Food Co., a food and supply-chain innovation platform for upcycled foods and drinks crafted from overlooked ingredients. Over two decades as chef and culinary director at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant at the forefront of the next food movement, sited on a working farm, Adam developed a unique understanding of the ways we can affect systemic change in our food system. His chef-driven culinary approach is the special sauce that drives the creation of new food solutions that live at the intersection of real ingredients, better agricultural practices, and human and environmental health.

Ms. Laufer-Rottman is the founder of Palms for Life Fund and CFFF. She is a former employee of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) where she worked for almost 30 years in several senior positions. She has traveled extensively in developing countries and has had first-hand experience dealing with impoverished communities. She has managed anti-poverty projects, large feeding programs, and humanitarian operations in Burkina Faso, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Her experience includes school feeding programs, vulnerable groups’ projects, advancement of women, rural development and assets creation.

Born in Anfeh, Lebanon, he moved to Boston with his family at the age of ten. In 2016, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and started his successful catering business, which soon became well known for its signature Brown Paper Boards. In August 2020, Edy opened his first storefront, Edy’s Grocer, which quickly turned into a neighborhood staple and gathering place, serving great food and hosting various pop-ups, cookbook clubs, and dinner parties. His debut cookbook Keep it Zesty came out on May 21st, and brings the flavors of Edy’s Grocer and his lebanese upbringing to your dining room table. Edy hopes to inspire others with a modern twist on the Lebanese flavors that captivated him as a child.

Qiana Mickie is New York City’s inaugural Executive Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture. Under Qiana’s leadership, the office aims to advance urban agriculture and equity to actively address climate, health, and food disparities in the city’s natural and built environment. By collaborating with interagency leaders as well as the breadth of urban agriculture stakeholders, Qiana has developed innovative initiatives to foster healthy, culturally relevant food production, increase agriculture education to students, and bolster green space access for all in the city. She released NYC's first urban agriculture report in 2023 and launched the NYC Urban Agriculture Data Explorer Hub, a free, public interactive mapping tool and dashboard in 2025.

Qiana is also the Founding Principal of QJM Multiprise and the former Executive Director of Just Food. For over 13 years, Qiana has also worked on local, state, federal, and international policy on issues such as food sovereignty, land stewardship, and environmental justice. Qiana has a B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University and received her Food Hub Management certification from the University of Vermont. She currently serves on the USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Federal Advisory Committee.

Jasmine Nielsen draws on two decades of experience leading New York City nonprofit organizations to provide strategic advisement, coaching, and training to boards of directors, executive directors, and senior management. A trained facilitator, Jasmine is adept at guiding groups through challenging conversations. Her holistic approach to organizational development encompasses strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, governance, fundraising, and communications strategy. Jasmine consults with nonprofit organizations working in food and agriculture, social justice, arts and culture, open space, and the environment. Additionally, Jasmine is an Adjunct Instructor in the Food Studies program at New York University and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Equity Advocates. From 2014 to 2016, she was the Executive Director of Just Food. Prior to that, Jasmine spent 16 years as the Executive Director of Love Heals (now an initiative of GMHC). She also served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Certified Naturally Grown, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the New York Abortion Access Fund, as an Advisory Board Member for the Legal Action Center's Women's Initiative to Stop HIV, and as a member of Community Resource Exchange's Community Advisory Group. Jasmine holds a BA from Vassar College and an MA in Food Studies from New York University.

Danielle Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture. In 2013, Danielle Nierenberg co-founded Food Tank (foodtank.com) with Bernard Pollack, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Food Tank is a global convener, thought leadership organization, and unbiased creator of original research impacting the food system.

Danielle has an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and spent two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Danielle is the recipient of the 2020 Julia Child Award.

Grammy Award winning stage actor/singer and poet Okieriete is an artist 1st, human second, activiat 3rd.  Best known for his acclaimed performance originating the roles of 'Hercules Mulligan' and ‘James Madison’ in the Tony Award winning production, Hamilton on Disney+  As well as 'Dean Miller' for 5 seasons, in the hit ABC Greys Anatomy spin off Station 19, and 'Van Go Jenkins' in the Oscar winning film American Fiction.   He continues to redefine himself across all mediums. Additional Broadway credits:  'Krogstad' in Jamie Lloyds production of A Dolls House, 'Pierre' in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet, Rocky, Cyrano de Bergerac.  Off-Broadway: Hamilton (The- Public), 'Luce' in Luce (Lincoln Center Theater), 'Sambo Crow' in Neighbors by Brandon Jacobs Jenkins (The Public), The Shipment (The Kitchen). Additional Television credits: Jack Ryan (Amazon),  Billions (Showtime); Robot Chicken, Tuca & Bertie, Social Distance, BoJack Horseman,The Get Down (NetFlix); Girls, Ballers (HBO), Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Law & Order.  Film: Hamilton, A Quiet Place 2, Molli & Max: In the Futire, Generation Wrecks, The Super, Anna & The Asteroid, Person To Person, Thanks for Sharing.  

Matt Rodbard is a writer, editor, and author of food and culture books with more than two decades of experience working in television, magazines, book publishing, and online media. He’s the author of Koreaworld: A Cookbook, nominated for a 2025 James Beard Award, Koreatown: A Cookbook, a New York Times Bestseller, and Food IQ, a Publishers Weekly Bestseller and winner of a 2023 IACP Cookbook Award. He’s the Founding Editor of online food and culture magazine TASTE, winner of three James Beard Awards, and host of the podcast, This Is TASTE.

Carlo Scaramella is an international expert in hunger and food security, humanitarian action, and sustainable development. A retired Director and Representative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), he brings over 30 years of leadership across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe.

Carlo has led responses to major humanitarian crises and advanced long-term solutions promoting peace, climate adaptation, livelihoods, and resilience. He founded WFP’s Office for Climate Change, Environment, and Disaster Risk Reduction, and led the strengthening of WFP’s critical Emergency Preparedness and Response Services.

Recently, he has focused on food sovereignty, climate adaptation, and livelihoods. This included partnering with indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Colombia’s Amazon region.

An Italian national, he holds a Doctorate and Post-Doctorate in Political Science from Università degli Studi di Napoli, L’Orientale, and collaborates with think tanks, foundations, academic institutions, UN entities, and research centers.

Caroline Schiff is a NYC born pastry chef, recipe developer, writer and cookbook author with a passion for nostalgic desserts, whimsical layer cakes, rustic sourdough loaves and the Jewish baked goods and sweets of her Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. With almost 14 years of industry experience, Caroline is currently the Executive Pastry Chef at Gage & Tollner; the historic oyster and chop house in Downtown Brooklyn. She also serves as the Executive Chef at Slow Up. Her first cookbook, The Sweet Side of Sourdough, out Fall 2021 with Page Street Publishing, explores all the delicious, sweet things one can do with their sourdough starter, from sticky buns and doughnuts, to cakes and cookies. Caroline Schiff is a long-time resident of historic Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Jilly Stephens is the Chief Executive Officer of City Harvest, New York's first and largest food rescue organization. Since becoming CEO in 2006, Jilly has overseen City Harvest’s efforts to meet the rising demand for emergency food in New York City. Jilly led the expansion of nutrition education programming and the development of community-based programming including Mobile Markets, and retail partnerships, which now collectively reach over 400,000 New Yorkers annually. Under her leadership, City Harvest opened the Cohen Community Food Rescue Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn in 2023, a 150,000 square-foot warehouse and office facility that allows the organization to sustain food rescue operations above pre-pandemic levels.

Mariana Velásquez is a creative director and consultant working at the intersection of food, fashion, design, and storytelling. With over 20 years of experience in New York and projects spanning Latin America, Europe, and Asia, her work blends luxury hospitality, cookbook authorship, food styling, and immersive event design.

As a stylist, she has collaborated with Vogue, Bon Appétit, The New York Times, the motion picture In The Heights and styled for First Lady Michelle Obama’s American Grown. Her visual approach is narrative-driven—bringing warmth, elegance, and a distinct point of view to every table.

Her Award-winning cookbook, Colombiana, celebrates Colombian culinary heritage through a modern lens. She also consults for hospitality groups on concept development, guest experience, tabletop curation, and brand voice.

From her studios in New York and Cartagena, she creates bespoke experiences—intimate dinners, brand activations, and full creative direction for hotels and restaurants. Through her homeware line, Casa Velásquez, and projects like the Cena Rosa dinner series, she designs with intention, honoring ritual, place, and personal style.

What distinguishes her work is an ability to translate culture into chic, sensory experiences—where every detail tells a story.

ngel Veza is the Director of Innovation at ReFED, where she leads efforts to scale solutions that fight climate change by tackling one of its biggest drivers - food waste. She began her career in education, teaching to underserved communities. After working with students for seven years, Angel earned her Grand Diplôme from the French Culinary Institute and went on to join teams at several of New York City’s most renowned restaurants, including Morimoto and the two Michelin-starred Atera, and also worked with foodservice companies such as Compass Group. During that time, she observed the significant amount of food being wasted in the hospitality industry, and pivoted her career to work with the food waste team at World Wildlife Fund. Building on this experience, she worked in supply chain and led strategic sourcing and procurement efforts focused on food waste reduction at Manhattan Restaurant, part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group in New York City.

William (Bill) Yosses, held the title of White House Executive Pastry Chef for 7 years from 2007 to 2014. Other pastry chef experience includes Bouley Restaurant in New York City and The Dressing Room in Westport Connecticut, owned by the late actor/philanthropist Paul Newman. As pastry chef of the White House he planned desserts for the First Family and their guests, from breakfast meetings to State Dinners, over the span of the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. While at the White House he worked closely with Michelle Obama and her Let's Move initiative to improve health outcomes related to food issues and was responsible for managing the First Lady's South Lawn garden.

Bill teaches a baking and pastry course at Boston University, and works on the pastry team at the 2 Michelin Star, Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Tarrytown NY.

He has published three books, The Sweet Spot, Perfect Finish, and Desserts for Dummies.