Chefs Table

Vinny Gilberti
Troutbeck

A native of the Hudson Valley, Gilberti worked at some of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants — including McNally’s and Pulino’s, as well as seminal Brooklyn restaurants Battersby and Dover — before joining Chef Gabe McMackin at Clinton Hill’s The Finch, which is what led him to Troutbeck. Formerly Chef de Cuisine, Gilberti left Troutbeck last autumn to explore the West Coast, where he worked at SPQR in San Francisco, making fresh pasta daily, a practice he’s loved since childhood, when he would watch his Italian grandmother cook enormous family meals.

Maya Kaimal
Maya Kaimal Foods

Maya Kaimal is an award-winning cookbook author who learned the art of Indian cooking from her South Indian father and from family in Kerala, India. She has written three cookbooks on Indian food and, in 2003, Maya and her husband, Guy Lawson, launched a line of Indian sauces under the brand Maya Kaimal Foods. Her line has expanded to include ready-to-eat plant-based lentil and chickpea curries, rice, and condiments, all designed to closely replicate the home-cooking upon which she was raised. Her products can be found at over 15,000 stores nationwide including Whole Foods Markets, Sprouts, Target, Safeway-Albertsons, and Costco.

David Kim
Milea Estate Vineyard

At the age of 14, Kim moved from Korea to Dallas, TX. He studied hotel and restaurant management at the University of Houston, but later discovered a passion for cooking. He enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America to learn classical French culinary techniques and, during his time there, he externed with Chef David Bouley. Kim was Executive Chef at Momoya in New York City before moving north to the Hudson Valley. His cuisine at Milea Estate Vineyard is influenced by his French training as well as his Korean background.

Daniel Meissner
Willa

Chef Daniel Meissner has been working in professional kitchens since the age of 13. After graduating from the International Culinary Center in 2015, he went on to further develop his skills in the high intensity spaces of Michelin-starred fine dining kitchens like Noma, Fäviken, and The Finch. Currently, Meissner is the executive chef at Willa in Millerton, where he cooks with seasonality as a guiding force. His intentions are to responsibly source food from small producers in the Northeast. He wishes to build relationships with the farmers that grow our vegetables, fruit, and herbs and raise our meat. In this pursuit of flavor and friendship, it is his goal to create tasty food that showcases the hard work of these individuals.

Alex Napolitano
The Maker

Born and raised in an Italian-American family, Alex developed an affinity for cooking at an early age. He has worked in Europe, as well as at some of New York City’s most highly regarded restaurants: Michelin-starred A Voce Madison,
Charlie Bird, The Elm, and Rubirosa Ristorante. Relocating to the Hudson Valley in 2018, he served as Executive Chef and Culinary Director at Escape Hospitality, which encompassed Prospect Restaurant at Scribner’s Lodge and Fellow Mountain Cafe in Hunter. He is currently Executive Chef at The Maker Hotel in Hudson.

Efrén Hernández
Casa Susanna and Rivertown Tavern

Efrén Hernández is the Executive Chef at Casa Susanna and Rivertown Tavern. A first-generation Mexican-American raised in Los Angeles, Hernández found an unexpected love of cooking while working in Williamsburg. From there, he joined teams behind city hotspots like Faro, an Italian restaurant in Bushwick, where his team earned a Michelin star. After relocating upstate in 2020 with his wife and daughter, he took over the Tavern at Rivertown Lodge in Hudson. In March 2023, he opened Casa Susanna at Camptown in Leeds. In 2024, he was recognized as a “Rising Star Chef” in Esquire’s list of The Best New Restaurants in America while Casa Susanna was named on the same list as one of the Best New Restaurants in America. He was nominated for a 2024 and 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State. 

John Doherty
BLACKBARN

John Doherty began his culinary career at the Waldorf Astoria in 1978, quickly rising to become the youngest Executive Chef in the hotel’s history at age 27. In 2015, he opened BLACKBARN Restaurant in New York City’s NoMad district. Expanding his footprint, he opened a second BLACKBARN location in Saugerties. Complementing his culinary career, he founded Heavenly HARVST, a 501c3 nonprofit that has distributed over 300,000 high-protein, shelf-stable meals to those in need nationwide. Doherty has received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University, and honorary master’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America, the Leadership Award from Niagara University, and Food Arts Magazine’s Silver Spoon Award.

Nicholas Leiss
Farm2ChefsTable

Originally from Lebanon, PA, Nicholas Leiss began cooking at age five alongside his grandmothers, then earned his degree from the Culinary Institute of America. He worked for Tom Colicchio at Colicchio & Sons, Chefs Club by Food & Wine, and Gunter Seeger at his farm-to-table Michelin Star restaurant in NYC, as well as Global Palate, The Roundhouse, and Valley Restaurant in the Hudson Valley. A career highlight was his time at Noma in Copenhagen, one of the world’s top restaurants. Leiss is the chef behind Farm2ChefsTable, a pop-up farm-to-table concept and recipe platform that celebrates local farmers and produce in the Hudson Valley.

Kevin Bertrand
The Roundhouse

Executive Chef Kevin Bertrand has led The Roundhouse culinary team since January 2022. He leads a team of 25 and manages the creation and execution of the seasonal restaurant menu, as well as The Roundhouse weddings and events program. His experience includes time at Xaviar’s in Piermont, Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua, and The Tap House in Tuckahoe.

Kristen Essig
Stonewood Farm

Kristen joined Stonewood Farm in 2023 as Director of Culinary Outreach and Development. Born and raised in Florida, she attended Johnson & Wales University. Relocating to New Orleans, she learned from culinary legends like Emeril Lagasse at Emeril’s and Anne Kearney at Peristyle. She served as Corporate Executive Chef for LeBlanc + Smith; then as Owner and Co-Executive Chef for sibling restaurants Coquette and Thalia in New Orleans; followed by Executive Chef at Dauphine’s, a New Orleans-inspired restaurant in Washington, D.C. She received the Michelin “Bib Gourmand” Award (2022), and was named a James Beard Award Nominee for “Best Chef, Finalist: South” (2018 and 2019), a Food & Wine Magazine nominee for “People’s Best New Chef” (2015), and a Times-Picayune “Chef to Watch” (2014). At Stonewood, Kristen is excited to share the stories of the many cultures, chefs, and traditions she brings to food and farming in the Hudson Valley.

James Palmeri
Mohonk Mountain House

Jim Palmeri is Executive Chef at Mohonk Mountain House. Since arriving at Mohonk Mountain House in 2007, Chef Palmeri has created an outstanding culinary experience that embraces a farm-to-table philosophy, highlighting the bounty of the Hudson Valley region. The Wisconsin native graduated from the nationally acclaimed Culinary Institute of Kendall College in Chicago and has worked in resorts for most of his professional career. A good part of it was with Hyatt Regency properties in places such as Scottsdale, Arizona; Coral Gables, Florida; Las Vegas, and even the Cayman Islands. Palmeri also worked at the Four Seasons in big cities including Washington D.C. and Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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