Native Angeleno Ray Garcia is just your average law school-bound poli-sci and business economics UCLA grad who decided to become a chef instead. He paid his way through college working in restaurants and discovered a love for cooking even the siren song of the legal system couldn’t contend with. And it worked out. His first restaurant, Broken Spanish, racked up countless accolades by Esquire, USA Today, LA Weekly, Los Angeles…

Joe and Katy Kindred met in Chicago, moved to San Francisco, and worked in world-class restaurants before deciding to move back to Joe’s hometown of Davidson, North Carolina. There, they started a family, saved up and opened their first restaurant. After living a whole story, that was only the beginning. Joe’s now racked up multiple James Beard nominations, and Katy’s an accomplished sommelier, among many other things. Their focus on…

A two-time James Beard winner, Traci owns six different restaurants across California. Many of her eateries feature Mexican soul food including San Francisco’s Mijita (“little one”) taqueria as well as School Night, a Mexican-Peruvian inspired cocktail bar. Chef Traci relishes a good challenge, having competed in a variety of cooking competitions from Top Chef to beating the legendary Mario Batali on Iron Chef America. She’s also an avid philanthropist whose…

Jeff and Maritza Taylor of Bird Rock Coffee recognize a great cup of joe starts well before the cup. Now with six locations around San Diego, and distribution across southern California, they still pride themselves on working with small farmers in Central and South America. They were recognized as Roaster of the Year in 2012—a national once-in-a-lifetime award given by Roast Magazine—are consistent high-scorers from Coffee Review, and the recipients…

As the right-hand to his mother and founder, Delia, Alan oversees Viader Vineyards & Winery production from start to finish. After working on the grounds from an early age, Alan earned a degree in Viticulture Management, became manager at Viader and continued his education in winemaking and production. Since 2006, he’s been lead winemaker and continues to oversee all operations while continually pushing Viader’s status as one of the must-visit…

Canada born, LA-bred chef Aaron Barnett was on the path to becoming a veterinarian when he decided to bail and pursue his passion. From an early age, Aaron Barnett’s parents instilled in him a love of food. He was eating snails and dining on his mom’s home-made ceviche when other kids were munching PB & J. He attended culinary school in California before working in Vancouver, BC, and back in…