James McNair
Head Judge
James McNair has been head judge for Build a Better Burger® since the recipe contest began in 1990. The Napa Valley cookbook author spends much of each summer immersed in burger recipes in order to help select finalists for the national cook-off. He also invites well-known chefs, cookbook authors, and other noted food authorities to join him in St. Helena each year to judge the cook-off. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of BBB in 2005, James wrote and produced Build a Better Burger, a book about the recipe contest and cook-off, which includes all winning recipes.
With forty other cookbook titles published and almost four million copies sold, James has been hailed by food writers from coast to coast as the "king" and "master" of the single-subject cookbook. In the late 1980s, book reviewers credited him with single-handedly launching a new look in cookbook formats. His highly acclaimed kitchen library series published by Chronicle Books has been translated into several languages. Three of his books have received International Association of Culinary Professionals Book Award nominations.
In addition to writing, James has often been the photo designer, food stylist, and graphic designer for his books, and he photographed twelve of his titles. He was honored as the recipient of IACP's first Award of Excellence in Food Photography from the international organization "in recognition of exceptional achievement and a commitment to excellence."
Bon Appetit magazine chose James as a member of "Who's Who in American Barbecue." The San Francisco Chronicle included the author among the 100 reasons why the Bay Area is "America's culinary Mecca," and their Sunday magazine listed him among the "101 Reasons Why We Love the Bay Area."
James has taught at cooking schools throughout America, and has contributed articles to Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, Vine Napa Valley, and Wine Country Living (Appellation). He has made numerous appearances on local and national television shows and radio programs from coast to coast, and has delivered presentations at the IACP's annual conference, The Symposium for Professional Food Writers at The Greenbrier, and Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts, as well as lectures on "picture-perfect cooking" to various organizations.
Prior to beginning his cookbook series for Chronicle Books, James co-owned Twin Peaks Grocery, one of San Francisco's first upscale gourmet emporiums, and Picnic Productions, a fanciful party planning and catering service. Before yielding to the lure of retailing and catering, he had written and edited both cooking and gardening books for Ortho Books and Sunset Books. For several years he was a designer and co-manager of a Fifth Avenue plant and flower shop in New York City, designed tabletop decorations for Tiffany and Company, and operated a "Celebrate Nature" boutique in Bloomingdale's.
A native of Louisiana, James learned to cook from his parents, grandmothers, and church ladies in his father's congregation. He began his professional life as an ordained Southern Baptist minister, serving as director of public relations for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Now he ministers to the palates of American cooks and diners.
James lives in the city of Napa with his life partner, Andrew Moore, and their 16-year-old cat, Olivia.
Lucy "LuLu" Buffett
Lucy "LuLu" Anne Buffett is the owner of LuLu's at Homeport Marina, a popular restaurant on the Intracostal Waterway in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The lively restaurant's menu features Lucy's version of Cheeseburger in Paradise, a nod to the song closely associated with her famous brother, musician Jimmy Buffett.
Lucy learned to make gumbo in her paternal grandmother's Pascagoula, Mississippi kitchen. Her first taste of fine dining came from her maternal grandmother, the dietician at Gulf Park College, a former girls' finishing school in Long Beach, Mississippi.
As a young adult, Lucy pursued careers that took her away from her Alabama Gulf Coast home to the coastlines of California and Florida, but she often missed the slow Southern lifestyle of her childhood home. She returned to Alabama in 1999 and opened LuLu's Sunset Grill, a modest outdoor restaurant and bar on Weeks Bay Estuary near Mobile with a knack for serving up fun food and good entertainment. The restaurant was located on a stretch of the estuary that happened to be the same spot Lucy's dad took her and her siblings fishing in her youth.
After five years of operating LuLu's Sunset Grill, Lucy was forced to move the restaurant due to a change in user criteria of the leased space. It was a bittersweet move, but in true Buffett style, Lucy turned the event into a party and transported the entire restaurant 18 miles south by barge to Gulf Shores and renamed it LuLu's at Homeport Marina. What was once considered an upscale dive has grown into a "mecca" for restaurant goers near and far.
Lucy recently published her first cookbook, Crazy Sista Cooking, a collection of recipes and stories from LuLu's. She's also launched LuLu's Fun Food, an eclectic array of bottled sauces, spices, and snacks.
Lucy is married to Mac McAleer and together they have four grown daughters and one son. Lucy and Mac make their home in a boathouse in Baldwin County, Alabama. In her spare time, Lucy enjoys riding horses, Pilates, yoga, traveling, and cooking dinner for her husband every night that she is home.
Cathy Cochran-Lewis
Cathy Cochran-Lewis, Global Public Relations Coordinator for Whole Foods Market and President of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, has worn a number of hats in the professional culinary world including cooking school consultant, food writer, and marketing and public relations director.
In 2004, Cathy joined Whole Foods Market marketing and community relations representing the Austin stores and the corporate office and helped launch the landmark store in the company´s hometown. She played a key role in developing and opening Whole Foods Market´s first full-scale culinary center that encompasses cooking classes, catering, and boutique housewares.
After relocating to Colorado from Texas, Cathy joined the Rocky Mountain Regional Whole Foods Market team to oversee marketing for stores in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Utah, and Idaho. With the merger of Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats, twenty-one Wild Oats stores were added to the region.
Prior to her association with Whole Foods, Cathy built the nationally acclaimed, Texas-based Central Market Cooking School program that continues to host more than 115,000 students each year. During her tenure at Central Market, Cathy launched seven cooking school programs and scheduled more than 6,500 cooking classes working with the nation´s most recognized celebrity chefs and cookbook authors. Her work with Central Market led to her selection as a finalist for the IACP Award of Excellence for non-vocational cooking schools.
She is a founding member of the Austin Chapter of Les Dames d´Escoffier, serving as president of one of the largest chapters of the international organization of women culinary professionals. She is a regional panelist for the James Beard Foundation Awards for Restaurants & Chefs, and former advisory board member for the Texas Culinary Academy. The Austin American-Statesman named Cathy one of the “Fortunate 100” for her leadership role in the culinary community.
Cathy lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Nathalie Dupree
Nathalie Dupree, a respected pioneer of the ´New Southern Cooking´ movement, has gained an international following with her successful combination of easy and practical food expertise and a warm, inviting personality.
After receiving an Advanced Certificate from London´s Cordon Bleu, Nathalie made her mark on the culinary scene as a chef in Majorca, Spain and later with a standout restaurant in rural Georgia, where she honed her skills and wowed diners with a fresh take on Southern cuisine - combining native ingredients with French cooking techniques. She then founded Rich´s Cooking School in Atlanta, where she taught over 10,000 students during her tenure.
Nathalie has authored ten cookbooks and hosted more than 300 top-rated television cooking shows airing on PBS, The Learning Channel and the Food Network. Nathalie´s daily ´Home Cooking Tips´ have run on more than 1,000 radio stations and she has been featured in numerous publications and media outlets including The Today Show and Good Morning America as well as CNN. Two of her books, Southern Memories and Nathalie Dupree´s Comfortable Entertaining, have received James Beard Awards, and New Southern Cooking was a finalist in the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook Awards. Her latest book, co-authored with Marion Sullivan, is Nathalie Dupree´s Shrimp and Grits. She has also written for the Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Washington Post, Traditional Home, Cook´s magazine, and other well-known publications.
Nathalie has been a leader in the US food community as a founder and two-term president of IACP and a founder of The Southern Foodways Alliance. She has served as spokesperson or consultant for Best Foods, Procter and Gamble, Kraft, Lea & Perrins, Borden, General Foods, the White Lily Company, Campbell´s Soup, and others. She has dedicated time and effort to the March of Dimes, Girl Scouts of America, and as a member of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention AIDS Task Force. Johnson & Wales University awarded an honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree to Nathalie, and she has received the Jack Daniels Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance.
Nathalie is a columnist for the Post & Courier in Charleston, South Carolina where she lives with her husband, Jack Bass, and serves as Chairman of the Board of the Charleston Food and Wine Festival. www.nathalie.com
Barbara Pool Fenzl
Barbara Pool Fenzl, CCP (Certified Culinary Professional), is a major figure on the American culinary stage. She is the owner of Les Gourmettes Cooking School in Phoenix, which she established in 1983. In addition to teaching in her own school, she is a renowned guest teacher throughout the United States and the Périgord region of France. Barbara honed her own cooking skills at the Cordon Bleu in London, Ecole LeNotre in Paris, and Luberon College.
As host of Savor the Southwest on PBS television, Barbara shared her expertise with a national audience. She has hosted KAET-TV´s last ten cooking-related pledge drives, and appears as a regular guest on Your Life A to Z, a local morning television show in Phoenix.
Barbara is the author of Southwest the Beautiful Cookbook, Savor the Southwest, and Seasonal Southwest Cooking. A former food editor of Southwest Passages and Phoenix Home and Garden magazines, she is a frequent contributor to Bon Appétit magazine and other national publications.
A past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Barbara is also a benefactor and past board member of the American Institute of Wine and Food, past president of the Arizona Chapter of Les Dames d´Escoffier, and served for many years on the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards Committee. Barbara has been honored as an inductee in the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame and recipient of the Greater Phoenix Chef´s Association Humanitarian of the Year award. The Junior League of Phoenix´s kitchen was named in Barbara´s honor, and has been the honorary chairman of numerous community fundraising events. She received the Girl Scouts World of the Arts Award and was named a Master of the Southwest by Phoenix Home and Garden magazine.
Barbara lives in Phoenix with her husband, attorney Terry Fenzl. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.
Rick Rodgers
Rick Rodgers is one of the most versatile and respected people in the food business. Through his work as a cooking teacher, food writer, cookbook author, freelance cookbook editor, and radio and television guest chef, his infectious love of good food reaches countless cooks every day. He is the recipient of Bon Appétit´s prestigious American Food and Entertaining Award for Outstanding Cooking Teacher. Rick teaches scores of sold-out cooking classes from coast-to-coast (he even taught a turkey cooking class in Korea!). He is a speaker at many food festivals, seminars and conferences, including the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals and Greenbrier Food Writers conferences.
Rick is the author of over thirty cookbooks on a wide range of subjects, including the IACP Cookbook Award nominees Kaffeehaus and The Carefree Cook, and the best-sellers 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats and Fondue. In addition to his own books, Rick is known in the publishing world for his behind-the-scenes work on an additional thirty books with other cooks, providing everything from recipe testing to writing to editing. He has worked as co-author and editor with many noted chefs and celebrities such as Patti Labelle and Lilly Pulitzer. Rick´s encyclopedic culinary knowledge brought him the role of head writer for the updated The All-New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, as well as the role of American consultant to Terence and Caroline Conran's The Barnes and Noble Essentials of Cooking. He has also created corporate cookbooks for Kingsford Charcoal and Splenda. He was a contributor to both The Bon Appétit Cookbook and The 75th Anniversary Joy of Cooking. He is a frequent contributor to Bon Appétit, and his work has also appeared in Cooking Light, Food and Wine, Fine Cooking, and other national publications.
Rick has made countless television and radio appearances, often acting as a media spokesperson for top food, beverage, and housewares companies, including Perdue Farms, Grand Marnier, Absolut Vodka, All-Clad, Beatrice Foods, Libby's Pumpkin, Entenmann's Baked Goods, Kingsford Charcoal, Hershey's Cocoa, and Jell-O. He has been guest chef on the national television shows Today, The Morning Show, Good Morning America, and many others, including media appearances in every major local market.
Former chef/owner of the Manhattan catering firm Cuisine Américaine, Rick has the distinction of being an American chef cooking for the French government, and created parties for such celebrities as Marcel Marceau, Yves St. Laurent, and Gerard Depardieu. Cuisine Américaine now acts as a food consultant firm, providing recipe development and public relations support to Absolut Vodka, El Paso Chili Company, and others.
He lives in the New York City area. www.rickrodgers.com
Art Smith
Art Smith, an award-winning, best-selling author and celebrity chef, is best known as personal chef to Oprah Winfrey. He is a contributing editor to O, the Oprah Magazine and the food section of Oprah.com. In addition to The Oprah Winfrey Show, his television appearances include The Today Show, Good Day Live, and Iron Chef America.
Art is the chef/owner of TABLE fifty-two, a fine dining restaurant in Chicago that serves handmade, organic foods gathered from some of the best farms in the Midwest. His restaurant career began with two internships at The Greenbrier Resort. Following graduation from the prestigious Walt Disney Magic Kingdom College Program, Art took a position working at the Florida Governor´s Mansion where he worked as executive chef for Governor Bob Graham, now a U.S. senator, and his wife, Adele. As a personal chef, he continued to cook for families all over the globe, including other well-known politicians and celebrities.
Art´s cookbooks have been on the National Bestseller and New York Times Bestseller lists. He was a 2002 James Beard Award winner for his first cookbook, Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family. For his second cookbook, Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families, he received the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Award for ´Best Family and Children´s Cookbook. Art´s most recent book is Back to the Family, and he is a contributing chef for best-selling author Dr. Dean Ornish´s new family health book.
Based on his passionate belief that families (whether a family by blood or a family of friends) all share an innate desire to care for each other, regardless of culture, race or geographic location, Art established Common Threads. The nonprofit organization embodies Art´s mission to foster a familial environment where children can learn to value each other and discover universal understanding and mutual acceptance. The innovative program serves more than 1,000 children at seven locations around Chicago and recently expanded into the Oprah Winfrey Boys & Girls Club of Kosciusko, Mississippi. A Los Angeles location will open soon. Art also serves on the board of directors of ´Kids Café,´ a nutrition program for children in Minneapolis.
Art lives in Chicago´s Hyde Park neighborhood with his life partner, renowned artist Jesus Salqueiro, tending to their garden and their three dogs, five cats, and 15 fish. www.chefartsmith.net