Career Shifts
Gerard Kenny ’11 was named executive chef at Hotel Viata, a boutique retreat outside Austin, TX, where he will oversee food and beverage operations, including the hotel’s signature Laurel Restaurant, banquets, and curated culinary experiences. This article noted his previous leadership roles at acclaimed properties such as The Inn at Dos Brisas in Washington, TX, and Four Seasons Houston, as well as chef positions at respected Austin dining destinations, including La Condesa, Le Politique, and the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at the University of Texas.
Bruce Wheeler ’84 was named general manager of the historic Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, NJ, overseeing day-to-day operations, event management, and venue readiness as it completes a restoration and prepares to reopen in the fall. According to Celebrity Access, Wheeler is a 30-year veteran of the entertainment industry with stints in marketing and artist development at independent and major record labels. His company Babylon Productions managed international tours for Cage the Elephant, Jimmy Fallon, Rufus Wainwright, Bruce Hornsby, Regina Spektor, among others.
Aretah Ettarh ’15 was featured in a MICHELIN magazine online roundup of Black chefs who are among a new generation “redefining dining the MICHELIN Guide way.” Now leading the kitchen at Gramercy Tavern, one of New York City’s most established dining rooms, Ettarh operates within a restaurant known for its scale and history while keeping it fresh, relevant, and original.
Beating Out Competition
Yero Rudzinskas ’04, eight months after opening Baltik’s Bagels in Richmond, VA, was invited to compete at New York City’s Bagel Fest and went on to beat 25 other bakeries to win the People’s Choice Award, causing sales to skyrocket. Rudzinskas had worked at Michelin-starred Le Bernardin and Eleven Madison Park before leaving hospitality for roles in finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and in tech at Yelp. He ultimately returned to his love of food, now bringing his bakery, sandwich shop, and catering services to his community.
Hunter Gentry ’20, a contestant on Fox’s newest season of Next Level Chef, shared details of his journey to landing on the show in this interview. After joining his high-school culinary program, the Oʻahu native went on to CIA at Greystone, where he trained under Chef Thomas Wong, also from Hawai’i, who pointed him to the prestigious Greenbrier Culinary Apprenticeship program. As the article reported, Gentry stayed on in various roles at Greenbrier’s restaurants after completing the program in January 2024 and is now bringing “the aloha” to TV viewers.
Amanda Weber ’10, the culinary arts program coordinator and an instructor at Lakeshore College in Wisconsin, earned an award from the American Association of Community Colleges. According to the article, the Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty award was established to honor individuals from across the nation who are making a difference in not only the classroom but everyday life. She was honored at a ceremony in Seattle, WA, on April 12.
Expanding Success
Grant Vella ’17, executive chef of Gallery Hall, the massive food hall inside Ford’s World Headquarters in Dearborn, MI shared in this Q&A his personal story, from growing up in suburban Detroit as an adopted Korean in a Maltese, Italian, and German family to his path to CIA and back to Detroit, overseeing Ford’s culinary operations before stepping into his current role. He now leads a team of 35 in serving thousands of employees a variety of inventive global dishes and dining concepts, as well as Detroit- and New York-style pizzas and take-home rotisserie chickens that sell out.
Chris Coble ’91, founder of Your Personal Chef in Aledo, TX, is expanding on his success with help from his wife and co‑owner, Janet Coble, who left her corporate career to join him in the business. According to Community News, the opening of a high-end, specialty grocery store this spring will complement their in-home, gourmet meal services.
International Feats
Private Chef Guah Lih ’17 finished second in the International Cooking with Truffle Competition in Soria, Spain. According to The Strait Times, this is the first time a Singaporean has won a medal in this annual contest, which is organized by the Regional Government of Castile and Leon and requires contestants to work with a local restaurant to produce a dish that spotlights truffles.
Noor Murad ’10 and her latest cookbook, Lugma, which is Arabic for “bite of,” were featured on The Dish, the weekly food segment on the national CBS Saturday Morning show. The book includes 100 recipes for making her punchy flavored, boldly layered signature dishes that draw deeply from Bahrain, where her father is from. She has also written two books for the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen also numerous food columns for The New York Times. The segment was filmed in her home kitchen in London.
For Chocolate Lovers
Michelle Boykins ’02, owner of Michelle’s Chocolate Laboratory, was named in a roundup of best chocolate shops in the Birmingham, AL. The article described how Boykins specializes in small batch creations, made-to-order gifts, and tasting experiences that combine chocolate, wine and spirits.
Joshua Needleman ’94, creator of the café and chocolatier Chocolate Springs Café in Lenox, MA, and his homemade chocolates were featured on MassLive, a local digital news platform, timed to the Valentine’s Day holiday. The story described both the journey of chocolate from the cacao plant to refined treats and Needleman’s own journey from CIA to France to La Maison du Chocolat in New York City.
Out West
Grant Rico ’15 has built his culinary identity around one of the Pacific Northwest’s most overlooked ingredients: seaweed. According to a The Seattle Times article, he is a passionate advocate for bringing seaweed to the center of the plate, championing its depth of flavor, impressive nutritional value, and natural abundance.
Soupçon, by Chef and Owner John Leonardi ’10, was featured in The Denver Gazette, describing the French-leaning fine-dining restaurant’s intimate atmosphere of only nine tables and a menu built around seasonal ingredients. As Michelin broadens its lens across Colorado, Soupçon represents “the kind of small, mountain-town restaurant that highlights how deep the state’s culinary talent runs beyond the major metros.”
Kitchen Demonstration
Nick Ritchie ’01, executive chef of SKS, the luxury brand within the LG Electronics portfolio, was featured in a Q&A with National Kitchen+Bath Association, the trade association for the kitchen and bath industry. Ritchie oversees SKS’s culinary teams across design centers and showrooms in Napa Valley, New Jersey, New York, and Chicago and did food demonstrations on high-end appliances to showcase the latest cooking technologies at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Orlando, FL.