Sometimes passion comes at odds with the best business sense. Or seems to. Bonnie and Israel found a way to combine what they felt they had to do – opening a restaurant based on homecooking of the former Soviet Union – even if it didn’t exactly seem like a surefire hit. Bonnie, who grew up eating her Belarusian parents' cooking, noted, “We felt if we don’t, nobody will.” And their…

Camille Becerra Chef, food & design stylist Camille’s magic comes from her knowledge that a food experience is more than the sum of its ingredients. For Camille any meal must look good, taste good and make you feel good afterwards. This is a belief she’s put to practice in her nearly 20-year career ranging from appearances on Top Chef to heading up celebrated New York kitchens such as Navy, Cafe Henrie and…

Alba Huerta’s been putting the craft in ‘craft cocktail’ since 2009. Born in Mexico, Alba emigrated to Houston at an early age where she discovered her love of mixology. She’s been making cocktails ever since, and has spent the past 15 years working at revered cocktail spots like the mezcaleria Pastry War and Anvil Bar & Refuge, a legendary cocktail lounge credited with introducing the craft cocktail to Houston. “It…

You may know him as the head chef / owner of Ava Gene’s and Tusk in Portland (plus two new ones: Mexican-themed La Neta, and the mezcal rooftop bar Tope). Yet Joshua McFadden is so much more than just a chef. He’s a farmer, an author, and an artisan. He’s been awarded two stars from the New York Times for his work at Franny’s in Brooklyn; studied with Alice Waters…