Eric Warnstedt is the Executive Chef and owner of Hen of the Wood restaurant in Waterbury, Vermont. He has a passion for sourcing the region's most premium ingredients, from locally raised meats and game, organic produce and artisan cheeses, to hard to find wild edibles such as Hen of the Wood's mushrooms.

Recently touted by the New York Times and named one of the Ten Best Chefs of 2008 by Food & Wine magazine, Eric will be a welcome addition to this year's Stowe Wine & Food Classic.

Warnstedt is also a nominee for the 2009 James Beard Award.

Antonio was born, raised and professionally trained in Italy. Italian brothers chef Antonio and Wine expert Giancarlo DeVito, along with American pastry chef Patricia Hammer, met in the Boston restaurant scene during the 1980’s. In 1985 the trio moved to Stowe to launch their Tuscan trattoria, leaving behind the stress and traffic of the city for a pastoral and more peaceful environment.

Antonio brings to Trattoria his most treasured recipes from all the regions of Italy. These recipes have won praise and awards from the most prestigious culinary magazines in the world. Antonio’s travel stories and great energy is absolutely contagious and makes dinner at Trattoria La Festa a true experience.

Born, raised and trained in Switzerland, Michael Kloeti dreamed of enriching his classical education with that of other cultures. Shortly after meeting his wife, Laura, working in the same Swiss kitchen, they relocated to New York City.

Michael has worked in a variety of settings ranging from New York City’s 4-star Lespinasse, to the award winning Lodge at Koele in Lanaii, Hawaii. The invitation to join the St. Regis Hotel as Chef de Cuisine brought him back to Manhattan, and the decision to raise their family in Vermont led them to the eventual opening of Michael's on the Hill Restaurant in 2002.

Michael was recognized as the first “Vermont Chef of the Year” ever selected by the Vermont Hospitality Council, and the restaurant was awarded “Best of Waterbury Center, 2008”.

Owner and chocolatier Leigh Williams has been creating artisan chocolates and old fashioned sweets for over fourteen years. Leigh founded Laughing Moon Chocolates to share her passion for creating delicious chocolates by hand. She loves seeing the smiles on her customers' faces when they try one of her rich truffles or buttery caramels.

The business has grown since it opened in May of 2002 and now employes a team of talented and dedicated people to create delicious chocolates and confections. Leigh still cooks centers in a small copper kettle using the freshest local ingredients available, keeping the use of artificial flavors and colors to a minimum.

A graduate of the Connecticut Culinary Institute, Somerset brings a wealth of knowledge and eighteen years of culinary experience to the kitchens of the Inne. Chef Somerset joins the team at Ye Olde England Inne from Solstice Restaurant at Stowe Mountain Lodge where he was a key member of the April 2008 opening team and has been Sous Chef since. His goal is to provide exciting menu’s for all the meals served at Mr. Pickwick’s Gastropub while celebrating local Vermont farmers and organic, sustainable agriculture.

The best inns of England always feature a pub which affords warm and friendly service to travelers. Innkeepers Chris and Lyn Francis have created Mr. Pickwick's to provide this service, naming it after the character immortalized by Charles Dickens. Mr. Pickwick's is the classic redfaced, rotund, jolly gentleman who radiates warmth, good humor and gregarious nature of those characters that have made English Pubs as famous as they are today.

Mr. Pickwick's has been featured on television in the US, Canada, England and Europe. The diversity of the clientele is appealing; Vermont farmers to Francis Ford Coppola, Deep Purple to Lord Litchfield. The newspaper USA Today called it "The place not to miss in Stowe." Since 1991 Mr. Pickwick's has been honored by the 'Wine Spectator Magazine' as the recipient of their Award of Excellence having in their words "one of the finest wine lists in the world".

Co-Owner and Executive Chef Aaron Millon is a classically trained chef who spent time under innovative Chef Kerry Simon at Mercury in South Beach, Florida and Wunderkind Chef Matthew Lake at New Heights Restaurant in Washington, D.C. As a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, Aaron quickly became aware of the return to small farming and sustainable food supply movement gaining steam in the state of Vermont. He is a staunch supporter of the small family farm and of local food artisans. Absolutely committed to Vermont farmers, growers, bakers, and foragers, Aaron continues to nurture his unique ties with the farmland that makes Vermont one of the most agriculturally dependent and successful states in the country. This commitment, matched by a passion for the integrity and freshness of his ingredients, an artist’s vision, and a simple love of kitchen work, translates to a food experience that can only be found at Restaurant Phoebe.

Mark Timms, executive chef of Topnotch Resort & Spa in Stowe, Vermont, is innovative and media practiced. Timms has received more accolades than he ever could have imagined when he began his culinary career over twenty years ago, including "Best Spa Cuisine 2008" honors from Condé Nast Traveler, AAA Four Diamond Award status, and Top 10 New Restaurant of the year for Tristan in Charleston, South Carolina.

After earning his culinary degree from Granville Culinary School in England, Timms decided to take a leap across the Atlantic gaining experience at the Ritz-Carlton Houston and Princess Resort in Phoenix. At the age of twenty-five, he landed his first executive chef position at the Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2001, Timms became co-owner and executive chef of “Tristan” in Charleston, South Carolina. During his tenure Tristan earned Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence in 2002 and 2003, a AAA Four Diamond Award, and a Top Ten New Restaurant Award. In 2009, Chef Timms accepted his position at Topnotch Resort & Spa, and that year was honored with an invitation to cook at the James Beard House, He was invited to return in April of 2010, where he and a team of Vermont chefs presented a larger representation of the culinary movement now happening throughout this creative New England state.

Though life has pulled Timms from the United Kingdom to cities all over the United States, he now feels very settled in beautiful Stowe, Vermont, a venue where he can create at work, give back to the community, and still have time to play with his three growing children.

Kathy Kneale and her son Andrew Kneale opened Harrison's Restaurant in December of 2003. Their goal was to create a restaurant that was a reflection of each of their lives growing up and working in Stowe. Utilizing Kathy's experience of over 30 years of owning and operating two other restaurants in town, they wanted a place where locals and visitors alike could enjoy comfortable, creative and affordable food in an environment that was casual yet upscale and unique to Stowe. A place where you could meet old friends and new, have a romantic date night out or just to unwind with a nice glass of wine

For over fifteen years Lee Duberman and Richard Fink have had one goal...to provide food and wine of the highest quality to the people of Central Vermont and beyond. This has been accomplished with a steadfast commitment to using the best available local and regional ingredients and applying techniques honed during nearly fifty combined years working in their own and others restaurants. While the newest "hot chefs" like to throw ingredients like anchovies and chocolate together in some flashy presentation, Lee believes that a focus on purity, balance and depth of ingredients combined with the time honored and tested approaches of many cultures leads to the greatest gustatory rewards.

Santos Cochina Latina is a funky and cozy new Latin restaurant located at 311 Mountain Road in Stowe, VT. Chef Owner Miguel Garcia, a Culinary Institute of America Graduate, has worked with great chefs and restauranteurs from New York, Puerto Rico and many corners of the world. Miguel and his wife Marie Elena Jimenez, both from Puerto Rico, designed, built, and decorated an environmentally-friendly building where Santos Cochina Latina and The Lodge at Santos are located.

Along with them from Puerto Rico, Giovanni Ventura, Santos Chef de Cuisine is also a Culinary Institute of America graduate like Miguel. Giovanni Brings with him the experience gathered while working for great restaurants in New York like Calle Ocho, Patria, Brick City Baking and in Puerto Rico's Migas Innovative Cuisine, the Garcias' first restaurant.

To finish with a sweet touch, Idemar Aldrey, Santos Cocina Latina Pastry Chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institure. Ide's past experience includes restaurants in NYC like Compass, Sushi Samba and Ola, among others.

Rogan Lechthaler is the executive chef at Verdé in Stratton Mountain, Vermont. His cooking focuses on seasonal and regional goods, with a passion for blending traditional and modern methods. Rogan is a self-taught chef having trained under chefs at The Ritz-Carleton, Blackberry Farm, The Pitcher Inn, and L&M’s Salumeria. Chef Lechthaler has cooked seven annual pig roasts benefiting The Food Project, and The Carole Lechthaler Nursing Scholarship at University of Vermont.

Joey Nagy Chef at Three Penny Taproom in Montpelier focuses on pairing the best ingredients from the area with the best beers from around the world. After stints at large hotels in southern California Joey has found a home in the “stoveless” kitchen at the Taproom.