Keiko Nagae was born in Tokyo, Japan. After studying Law in Tokyo, she relocated to France where she learned French pastry at Cordon Bleue in Paris. After this uncommon start she has staked out a long and illustrious career in French pastries, joining Pierre Gagnaire for the opening of Sketch in London in 2002, her first place as a pastry chef at the celebrated restaurant. In 2012, she established her own company, AROME – Conseil en Patisserie, training chefs, participating in gastronomic projects, creating recipes for chefs and organizing openings for pastry shops.

Seoul-based Jinmo Jang owns Myomi, a fine-dining restaurant that showcases modern Korean cuisine rooted in classics that are centuries old. Jang’s food is also featured at Les Clef de Crystal in Seoul, specializing in French cuisine, which he focused on after leaving Korea for Canada. These days Jang has his hands full with three restaurants, but he still pursues projects that pique his fancy, such as chef consultant for the Korean drama “Temperature of Love”, hosting his own TV show, and this September – a culinary showdown in Bangkok that’s sure to produce some of the best fine dining in Bangkok.

London native Simon Scott’s passion for gastronomy led him to major London houses, such as the Ritz, but in 2001 he left London and settled at St Avit, near Dourgne, France in an old farmhouse. Thus was born the restaurant “The Flavors of St Avit”, and 3 months later, “Bistrot Saveurs” which earned him a Michelin star in 2009. For Chef Scott, cooking is a melting pot of cultures, emotions and flavors, which he applies day after day for his customers to discover. As Chef-owner of the Michelin-starred, Bistrot Saveurs, he’s one of only two British Michelin star chefs in France.

The recently awarded Michelin star to R.HAAN is just one accolade in a long history of culinary achievements for hometown favorite, Chef Chumpol Jangprai. A true ambassador of Thai cuisine, he is well-known for some of the best fine dining in Bangkok and a familiar face on television, having starred in Golden Hand Chef and Iron Chef Thailand. In 2000, he took on the position of Corporate Chef for the entire Blue Elephant Worldwide Group, and in 2002 opened the prestigious Blue Elephant Cooking School in Phuket as Executive Chef. He’s also Culinary Director for all of the restaurants of the Thai hotels group, Anantara.

Cristina Figueira started in some of the top kitchens of her native Spain 23 years ago. Her training has helped her create her own style of cooking, always making dishes with seasonal food. Her cuisine is traditional-based but with a fresh and modern vision. She is a strong defender of Valencian products and traditional, organic and sustainable cultivation. She’s now a trainer in the CDT network of the Comunidad Valenciana and teaches as a Master of Mediterranean haute cuisine. Among many other awards, in 2015 she received the award for best cook in Alicante by APEHA. And last year, the first Michelin star chef in Lisbon.

Andrew Mcleish has had a storied career spanning the globe, including at the eminent 3 Michelin Starred Chez Nico, The Ritz as sous chef, and Thailand’s own Mandarin Oriental on Koh Samui as senior sous chef, before returning to his native London to head up the kitchen at The Landmark in Marylebone, gaining three AA rosettes his first year there. Andy’s acclaim in London is legendary, where his cooking could broadly be defined as modern European – sophisticated but uncluttered, with dishes such as Treacle cured salmon with lemongrass and ginger purée hinting at his time in Southeast Asia.

Chef Bastian Falkenroth found his culinary calling very young – at 17 – and has been a meteoric rising star in the German gourmet-sky ever since. Born in Aachen, Germany, he became an apprentice to Holger Berens (gourmet-chef, 1 Michelin-star/Gault-Millau) where he learned to cook from scratch at Berens’s restaurant, Berens am Kai. By the age of 20 he was cooking classic French cuisine at Le Moissonier (2 Michelin-stars/Gault Millau) and has continued his wide-ranging culinary training, including sushi-chef and sous-chef. Bastian’s move to independency was inevitable. In 2013 he opened U. das Restaurant in Duesseldorf and it’s already a 1 Michelin-starred restaurant.

New York-based chef, Nick Kim, began his gastronomy training in world renowned restaurants across Europe. The native-born Korean eventually returned to the United States to spend his formative years working alongside Masa Takayama at Ginza Sushi-Ko in Los Angeles. Two years later, Chef Kim was named Head Chef and moved to New York to help Chef Takayama open Masa, one of New York City’s most celebrated Japanese restaurants. During Chef Kim’s time at Masa the restaurant has received numerous accolades, including three Michelin stars and a four star review from the New York Times.

Chef Paul Liebrandt’s food melds the tradition of classical cuisine with a contemporary, personal approach. His unique style has earned him a slew of accolades, including profiles in Vogue, Men’s Health, W Magazine, UK Sunday Telegraph, Men’s Health, and W Magazine. Food & Wine Magazine named him one of the Best New Chefs in the United States. An HBO documentary garnered him an Emmy nomination and won best documentary at the James Beard Awards in 2012. British-born Paul Liebrandt is currently based in New York City. He’s a 2 Michelin star chef at his restaurant, Corton.

The Les Frères Marchand brothers are maintaining their family’s long tradition in fresh dairy produce specializing in cheese, an involvement that dates back to 1880. Philippe, an active member of the Select Committee of the French Association of Cheesemakers-Affineurs and member of the International Cheese Guild, is in charge of the cheese business, while Patrice manages the kitchens of the ‘Lez’art’, ‘P’tit Cuny’ and ‘P’tit resto du marché couvert’ restaurants in Nancy, France.

Fusing European ingredients into authentic Chinese creations, Swiss chef Nicolas Elalouf of Man Mo offers a fresh take on dim sum and Asian recipes. Having worked for L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong, Chef Nicolas boasts French cuisine’s precision and flair. Coupled with his experience at Ding Tai Fung, he combines the best of worlds by creating meticulously handcrafted dim sum and much more.

Born to restaurant owner parents, Jacques is no stranger to the world of good food. After obtaining a tourism degree, he worked his way up from commis waiter to F&B consultant before moving to Ireland where he cultivated oysters for 15 years. In 2011, he moved to the world-famous oyster cultivation area Marennes-Oléron in his native France, where he has been exporting top quality oysters from his oyster farm and packing center to Asia since 2009.

Chef Thananya “Gai” Kaikaew is the only female chef from the Iron Chef Thailand TV show. Her specialization lies in sweets, so it’s no surprise that desserts star at her restaurant.
Her unique and strong skillfulness in dessert making was built since her early age where sweets are her personal preference. Today, her accomplishment is beyond her dream. Every sweet item that she made is full of imagination and creativity like an art masterpiece that is full of origination and determination.

For more than 15 years now, Chef Thierry Drapeau has been perfecting his craft in the culinary world. When challan ducks — his speciality go-to produce — fall into chef Thierry’s hands, he transforms this star ingredient into a magnificent masterpiece. Situated in the historic Logis de la Chabotterie, chef Thierry’s two Michelin-starred namesake restaurant has garnered much compliments and awards. Now a chef and restaurant owner, chef Thierry also has a new exciting establishment named L’escale by Thierry Drapeau in Saigon.

A master in kappō-dining, Chef Takatomo Izumi is the owner of the one Michelin-starred restaurant Jiki Miyazawa in Kyoto of Japan. Dining at this single-counter restaurant is an unforgettable experience; dish after dish chef Izumi surprises you with simple, blissful flavor combinations. With the freshest ingredients and culinary precision, chef Izumi brings his A-game every single time.

A culinary teacher with a lineup of up-and-coming protégés, Chef Rob Van Der Veeken is the head chef at the famed De Karpendonkse Hoeve. Situated in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the restaurant is renowned for holding its Michelin star ever since 1979. Helmed by Chef Rob, De Karpendonkse Hoeve continues to achieve new heights with his new culinary creativity.

An inspiring Spanish chef and restauranteur, Chef Maria Jose San Roman dotted the provinces of Alicante and Valencia on the culinary map for all-star foodies. Fusing authentic Mediterranean flavors with her own splash of imagination, chef Maria presents inventive dishes at her own Michelin-starred restaurant named Monastrell. As the proprietor of Grupo Gourmet Alicante, she also oversees a collection of six restaurants plus an artisan bakery workshop.