Patrick Ryan lives to innovate. “I’ve never been good at the grind, having one task and doing it everyday. I like to constantly keep inventing and creating.” A Kansas City native, Patrick’s creative spark found a home in the kitchen. He began working in kitchens at an early age, at cozy mom-and-pop joints helmed by Mexican cooks. It’s here where he first began to learn about Mexican culture and cuisine,…

In the early 1970s, three young families settled in Oregon’s Willamette Valley with a mutual vision of making world-class Pinot noir. Now in the second generation, Elk Cove, Ponzi and Sokol Blosser have grown their winery operations and are recognized internationally while remaining family-owned and operated and true to their roots. Echoing the same collaborative spirit of their parents, they’ve come together to share their pride and share their story…

At 16 years old while working at Disneyland’s prestigious Club 33, Jason Neroni discovered his love and aptitude for cooking—and that’s only where the magic started. From there, Jason stacked up an impressive resume working in California, New York and Europe at some of the world's most storied kitchens: Le Cirque, Blue Hill, Essex House, The Tasting Room, 71 Clinton Fresh Food and Superba, to name a few.  As culinary…

An urban planner and community advocate with a heart of gold, Bill was an instrumental part of shaping Oregon’s robust wine country. He was one of the first pioneers to earmark the land for agricultural use in the ’70s helping preserve thousands of acres of land for winemaking. An active participant in the founding of the Oregon Winegrowers Association, Bill would go on to pave the way for what would…

Gavin Kaysen moved back to Minneapolis because he values community. After heading the kitchen at El Bizcocho in San Diego, competing in The Next Iron Chef, and serving as Executive Chef at Michelin-rated Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach, Toronto and New York, he decided to go all-in on his own concepts. The James Beard Award-winner sought to meld high-end French culinary techniques with seasonal Midwestern flavors. The results: Spoon and…