Panelists

Steven Brown

Tilia

Steven Brown has been called “one of the biggest cooking talents this town has ever produced” by James Beard-award-winning food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. Minneapolis food scribe and Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern has said Brown “makes the best food in town, dish-for-dish, pound-for-pound.” With Tilia, Brown adds the title of restaurateur to his estimable resume, which includes stints as executive chef at Levain and Porter & Frye. His experience also includes stints in New York City, Modena, Italy and the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. 
 

Michelle Gayer

Salty Tart

Michelle Gayer is the most critically acclaimed pastry chef currently living in the Twin Cities and is recognized as one of the best in the country. In 2002 and 2010 she received a James Beard “Outstanding Pastry Chef” nomination and has been named “Best Pastry Chef” by the editors of Bon Appetit magazine. In 2011 and 2012, Michelle was a featured Chef at South Beach Wine and Food Festival. Also in 2012, Michelle was featured on the Food Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate program for her Coconut Macaroons.