Alan Philips, REEF’s Chief Creative Officer, is a creative executive, entrepreneur, writer, & speaker specializing in guiding & inspiring individuals and organizations on the path to discovering their purpose & unlocking their creative potential. Alan has over two decades of experience in hospitality, food & beverage, real estate, and entrepreneurship, working with some of the world’s most recognized organizations, people, and brands. Alan’s career began with a culinary stage ...
Steve Herz is President of The Montag Group, a sports and entertainment talent and marketing consultancy. He is also a career advisor to CEOs, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals. Prior to joining TMG, Steve was the President and Founding Partner of IF Management, an industry leader whose broadcasting division became one of the largest in the space, representing over 200 television and radio personalities. The agency represents some of the biggest names in sports and news media, i...
Will Steinberg is the Co-President and Co-Founder of Zinc Agency. Zinc is an agency focused on curating creative, one-of-a-kind experiences both virtually and in-person that leverage the power of talent in sports, music, fashion, the culinary world, theater, and any of life’s other passions. Prior to starting Zinc Agency, Will was a Co-founder of Goviva which was acquired by Creative Artists Agency and later became CAA / EBG Premium Experience. When not quarantining in the Catskills, Will res...
Nick Mangold is a former American football center. He played college football at Ohio State, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection with the Jets and a three-time All-Pro selection, and was considered to be among the best at his position. Off the field he supports a number of local and national charitable organizations including “Answer The Call” which supports the families of fallen New York Police, Fire &...
With everyone spending more time at home these days, we know many of you have been perfecting your cocktail (or just plain boozing) skills. So today we have an extra special spirituous episode featuring two ladies of whiskey - Naomi Leslie, East Coast Brand Ambassador for Balvenie, and Tracie Franklin, Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich. Naomi Leslie After years of honing her skills in the bartending and craft cocktail industry in New York, Naomi Leslie joined The Balvenie as the east coast U...
From growing up within a dedicated show business household to becoming the CEO of an ever-expanding organization with over 20 + years of Hospitality and Entertainment experience, Morgan Margolis has been on a long journey that continues to move forward and upward. At the beginning of 2000, Margolis signed with Knitting Factory Entertainment (KFE) as Operations Manager at the newly opened Knitting Factory Club in Los Angeles. At the time, KFE’s enterprises included only the Hollywood ven...
With the recent economic and health crisis and outbreak of coronavirus, on this episode with Chef Akhtar Nawab we discuss the fate of our industry, what actions need to be taken immediately, and how brands/companies can help support their favorite restaurants, bars, and chefs. Akhtar Nawab is chef and owner of Alta Calidad in New York, advisor at Prather’s on the Alley in D.C. and Otra Vez in New Orleans. With nearly 25 years of experience in the kitchen, the Kentucky-born chef of Indian h...
Chef Clay Conley has worked his way around the kitchen since he started washing dishes as a teenager. Raised on 30 acres in rural Maine, in a 19th century home heated only by wood fire, Conley’s childhood was defined by chopping wood, tending to farm animals and a garden, and planting a 1000-tree orchard, which instilled his love of fresh, seasonal ingredients and the full-flavored, wood fired dishes that have become his signature as a chef. Conley moved to Boston after college to work for T...
Winner of Bravo's Top Chef Season 15, Joe will open his debut restaurant in the Chicago’s Fulton Market, summer 2020. The menu will focus on Adriatic drinking food from Croatia and Italy. Most recently, Joe worked as Executive Chef at Chicago's Michelin-starred Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia for 5.5 years. There, he cooked and learned alongside the one-and-only Chef Tony Mantuano, aka the Godfather of Italian fine-dining in America, who’s forever family. Prior to Spiaggia, Joe worke...
An old world German chef was the best thing to happen to Jonathon Sawyer. Back in the early 2000’s Sawyer found himself in engineering school staring at an auto-cad program on a computer screen every day and cooking in a local Dayton Ohio restaurant every night. The Chef, staunch in his stubborn ways one day came to Sawyer and said in his thick German accent “you, you are good at cooking.” Surprised & enamored with praise coming from his surly German boss he realized engineering school wa...
Like her father, Bell & Evans Owner Scott Sechler, Margo grew up on her family’s farm, helping raise chickens and learning the family business from a young age. Passionate about helping others, Margo received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Penn State University. She has worked in emergency services as an ambulance EMT and emergency room nurse, and she currently volunteers as a Firefighter/EMT with the local fire company. “I worked hard to earn my nursing license, and I think it’s...
Blais currently owns and operates Trail Blais, a forward-thinking culinary company that has consulted on, designed, and operated multiple popular eateries. He is a partner at San Diego’s acclaimed restaurant Juniper & Ivy and multiple locations of The Crack Shack, his rapidly expanding fried chicken and egg concept. Most recently, Trail Blais opened Yellowbelly, an island-inspired seafood restaurant, in St. Louis. Blais is the James Beard Award-nominated author of Try This at Home: Recipe...
Tony Rodriguez is the Director of Marketing for the Four Seasons Palm Beach. A true brand veteran, Tony’s career with Four Seasons spans nearly twenty-four years and has placed him at many notable properties. Tony is a humble leader and consistently recognized for his sharp business acumen and keen ability to inspire and develop top performing teams. Tony's Four Seasons journey started as a college recruit through the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality. His first operat...
TV personality, culinary traveler, cook and author, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. With the diverse culinary mecca of New York City at his fingertips, Adam’s love affair with and intense interest in food and food culture developed at an early age. Though originally he was most widely known as the host of Travel Channel’s “Man V. Food,” Adam’s résumé has since expanded to include host and co-executive producer of five titles across Travel Channel (“Man V. Food Nation,” “Adam Richma...
...and we're back! Welcome to Season 2 of Food Connected! Kicking off our new season is David Sabin, Festival Organizer of Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival and President of Brickhouse PR & Special Events (and a recent new Dad!). With a background in design and public relations for local, national and international brands, David created Brickhouse Public Relations & Special Events to provide a unique experience and unlimited opportunities for clients. As a passionate foodie, David i...
Renie Anderson was named by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell the Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President, NFL Partnerships in March of 2019. As the Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President, NFL Partnerships, Renie oversees the League’s partnership divisions, including sponsorship, new business, consumer products, and media sales. A few key partners include, Pepsi, Microsoft, P&G, Verizon, Bose, Nike, New Era, EA, etc. The Partner Management group identifies open catego...
A highly respected leader within the sports, media, and entertainment landscape, Courtney Carter has built a prodigious reputation by realizing the value within the breadth and depth of her experience across industries. With over 20 years of proven success in the NBA/WNBA, MLS, ESPN, CAA, and her own Carter Media Group (CMG), she has helped drive over $250M in revenue and packaged, sold or produced multiple campaigns, shows and films. Twice named a top entertainment executive by...
Kristen has worked in the sports and entertainment industry for over 20 years. She has been called the leading female sports agent in the US, having represented more than a hundred NFL players. Kristen was the first woman to negotiate a starting NFL quarterback’s contract, Doug Flutie’s $33 million contract with the Chargers. She also has extensive experience leading marketing and endorsement efforts for many NFL, NBA and MLB players. Her ability to leverage these relationships into real busi...
Rob has a 30+ year career in grassroots, professional and college athletics, media, and family entertainment along with several startups and a few start overs. He returned to his alma mater in 2016 after a startup exit to lead a $20MM Athletic Fundraising Campaign for facilities and upgrade to FCS. He's authored “Land A Dream Job If Dad Doesn't Own The Team" an Amazon Best Selling Sports Business New Book release in 2018, and published Second Edition " Sports Dream Job Playbook"...
After a 24-year career representing some of the biggest stars in sports, Taub returned to his entrepreneurial roots and launched Stoked in 2020. Taub represents a roster of Olympic, Action Sports and Iconic athletes including the best skateboarder (Nyjah Huston), snowboarder (Chloe Kim) and surfer (John John Florence) in the world. Taub focuses on creating “off-the-field” revenue opportunities for his clients including endorsement, appearance, social media, licensing, and equity/ownership par...