Shelly Fireman- President & Chairman,
Fireman Hospitality Group

Thursday, February 10, 10-11:30am

Sheldon "Shelly" Fireman is one of the most successful and innovative restaurateurs in America. As the founder and CEO of the Fireman Hospitality Group, he has created and operated some of New York's most acclaimed restaurants, including two Brooklyn Diners USA (the finer diners), Café Fiorello, Redeye Grill, Shelly's New York, Trattoria Dell'Arte, and Bond 45 in Times Square. He is known throughout the restaurant industry for his creativity, vision, and hospitality. Fireman's success as a restaurateur, coupled with his reputation as one of the industry's most visionary thinkers, has made him a frequent focus of national restaurant-industry publications.

Shelly Fireman was born in New York City and attended Hartwick College on a football scholarship. He created, built and ran the famous Hip Bagel on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. There he developed his philosophy of hospitality and began to demonstrate the merchandising flair that has become the hallmark of every restaurant he has opened.

Fireman believes in research. If he's interested in a new dish, he'll go to fifty restaurants in Europe and eat it, finding what makes the dish distinctive. Perhaps that explains why local magazines have awarded his restaurants such honors as "Best Pizza in New York," (Café Fiorello), "Best Cheeseburger" (Brooklyn Diner USA), and "Best Chicken Soup," (Brooklyn Diner USA).

Shelly Fireman lives in New York City with his wife, Marilyn. They have a farm in Vesilia, Italy, along the Tuscan coast, where they make their own olive oil and lemon liquor from their own fruit.

Joe Campanale- Co-Owner and Beverage Director,
dell'anima, L'Artusi and Anfora

Thursday, March 10, 10-11:30am

Joe Campanale is the Beverage Director and co-owner of three successful West Village restaurants, dell'anima, L'Artusi and Anfora. He is a native New Yorker who grew up in Queens then attended NYU for a B.A. in European Studies (2006) and an M.A. in Food Studies (2008). He is a Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, holds the Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust and is enrolled in the Master of Wine program.

Paul Bolles-Beaven- President of the Core Restaurant Division, Union Square Hospitality Group

Thursday, May 19, 10-11:30am

Paul Bolles-Beaven is the Senior Managing Partner of Operations for Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), whose acclaimed restaurants include Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Shake Shack, Blue Smoke & Jazz Standard, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 at the Museum of Modern Art, Maialino and Union Square Events.

Paul became a founding employee of Union Square Cafe (USC) in 1985 after graduating from Columbia College, where he had earned a Bachelor's degree in music. He started at USC as a waiter, and ultimately rose through the ranks of the organization to bartender, Bar Manager, Wine Director, Service Director, Manager, General Manager, and Managing Partner. Paul is the only General Manager to have presided over a restaurant which earned Zagat Survey's #1 Most Popular Restaurant rating for six consecutive years. As General Manager of Union Square Cafe in 1999, Paul was named one of "50 Tastemakers" by Nation's Restaurant News.

In 2003, when the company created a Home Office to oversee operations of all USHG businesses, Paul was promoted to Chief People Officer. In this capacity, he was responsible for recruiting, training, and motivating one of the nation's most acclaimed hospitality teams, through overseeing the departments of Human Resources and Culture & Learning.

Paul has nurtured and mentored scores of restaurant professionals whose careers evolved under his tutelage. In addition, Paul shares his knowledge of the hospitality industry with students at the French Culinary Institute, where he has taught classes in managing service staff and human resources for restaurants. Of all his accomplishments over the years, Paul is most proud to have taken part in creating a culture of caring and excellence that makes Union Square Hospitality Group as a genuinely great place to work.

John Scharffenberger- Founder,
Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

Thursday, July 14, 10-11:30am

In 1996, John Scharffenberger founded Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker with friend, personal physician and business partner Robert Steinberg. Already an accomplished winemaker (he founded Scharffenberger Cellars, makers of premium sparkling wines in California in 1981), Scharffenberger's creative spirit, astute palate and passion for artisanal foods translated perfectly into the production of the finest chocolate. Using the highest quality cacao beans from around the world, Scharffenberger helped to create the first new premium American dark chocolate in decades.

Scharffen Berger® chocolate became the first 'bean-to-bar' chocolate manufacturer established in the United States in the past 50 years. The chocolate's success and what sets it apart is marked by Scharffenberger's attention to detail at every step of the chocolate-making process from working with farmers, to selecting the finest, rarest beans from all corners of the Earth to blend. In 2006, Scharffenberger chronicled his love of chocolate and with Robert Steinberg, published Essence of Chocolate, a book that won a James Beard Award in 2007 for "Single Topic Book of the Year."

Presently, Scharffenberger is a world-renowned chocolate expert, who leads classes and demonstrations on the history of chocolate, including how to taste and experience the world's best chocolates. He also pursues and spearheads artisanal projects with foods other than chocolate and recently became the CEO of Hodo Soy Beanery, a producer of premium, artisanal tofu.

Amy Scherber- Owner,
Amy's Bread

Thursday, September 8, 10-11:30am

Amy Scherber is the owner and founder of Amy's Bread, a nationally recognized bakery/cafe that specializes in hand-made, traditional breads as well as sandwiches, sweets, and old-fashioned layer cakes. She launched Amy's Bread in 1992, and has two production kitchens and three retail cafes in New York City. After attending the New York Restaurant School, Scherber worked at Bouley and then trained in France in three bakeries before returning to New York to pursue bread baking. She baked bread and pastries at Mondrian before starting her own business. She launched the bakery in 1992 in Hell's Kitchen with 5 employees. Today the staff has grown to 190 and the bakery delivers to over 200 wholesale customers daily. Amy is the co-author of The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread and her recently released cookbook, Amy's Bread. Her bakery has been featured in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and has been recognized as one of the top bread bakeries in the United States. Dessert Professional Magazine named Amy one of the 10 Best Bread Bakers in America in November of 2010. Amy has received numerous awards including NOW New York's Woman of Power and Influence for 2001, The James Beard Foundation nominee for Pastry Chef of the Year for 2001, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Golden Bowl award for Best Baker or Pastry Chef of the Year in 2003. In September of 2005 she was honored by Wayzata High School as the distinguished alumni of the year. In May of 2006 Amy received an award from the US Chamber of Commerce as one of 60 Blue Ribbon Businesses for 2006, selected from among thousands nominated across the country. The bakery celebrated its 18th anniversary in the summer of 2010. Amy grew up in Minneapolis and is a graduate of St. Olaf College with a degree in Economics and Psychology.

Howard Greenstone- President & CEO,
Rosa Mexicano Restaurants

Thursday, October 6, 10-11:30am

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Rosa Mexicano restaurants, Howard Greenstone directs its ten restaurants in Atlanta, New York, Miami, National Harbor (MD), Hackensack (NJ), Los Angeles and Washington DC. Since 2001, he has been a key leader in charting the restaurant group's ambitious and strategic plans for national growth, created a proprietary series of on-site cooking classes and launched the company's first commercial product line, RM Kitchen. Prior to joining Rosa Mexicano, Greenstone was Vice President of Dry Dock Restaurants in Weehawken, NJ, and Director of Operations of Sfuzzi restaurants in 10 states. Greenstone began his career in restaurant hospitality and management with the Grand Hyatt in New York and Hyatt Regency in Greenwich, CT. He later served as opening general manager of Aquavit restaurant in New York City. In 2009, he was named to the Board of Directors for STREETS International.

Under his direction, Rosa Mexicano has received both critical and popular local and national acclaim, including praise for its uniquely stylish and consistently crowd-pleasing atmosphere.

Scott Gerber-Founder and Principal,
Gerber Group

Thursday, December 8, 10-11:30am

Scott Gerber and his brother Rande are the founding partners of the Gerber Group, an evolution of their trademark brand, The Whiskey, that was conceptualized to bring a unique and innovative experience to the nightlife industry. The Gerbers opened The Whiskey at the Paramount Hotel, New York City, almost 20 years ago, and since then have become the most influential nightlife proprietors in the world. The extraordinary success of The Whiskey Bars and the group's other brands, have established them as pre-eminent tastemakers, with an uncanny ability to create cool, chic and classic bars with modern glamour.

Today, Scott Gerber manages the Gerber Group and its 27 locations worldwide under the Brands, The Whiskey, Whiskey Blue, Midnight Rose, The Penthouse and Stone Rose. Gerber Group's vision continues to expand with bars and restaurants in leading national and international hotels including W Hotels, Sofitel, ME by Melia and Fairmont. Gerber Group's properties have become a favorite of hoteliers who look to them not only for increased food and beverage revenue, but also for increased occupancy rates.