BATTLING CHEFS

Barton Seaver

Barton Seaver grew up in the DC area in a family of cooks and often spent his summers on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, spending his days crabbing, picking vegetables in the garden and preparing family feasts. Over time, he developed his belief that we are supported by a single ecology and that a sustainable terrestrial ethic necessitates a sustainable sea ethic of the same conscience.

Seaver’s culinary experience began in some of DC's popular neighborhood restaurants, which inspired him to study at the Culinary Institute of America, with apprenticeships in Chicago at Tru and the Ritz Carlton.

After a stop in New York where he worked at Finch Tavern, he traveled and worked in Spain and northern Africa, where he developed an appreciation simple, market-driven food, as well as an early understanding of the global issues facing fishing and farming communities around the world.

In DC, Seaver worked with Chef José Andrés at Jaleo, before moving on to Café Saint-Ex as Executive Chef. In 2006, he opened a sister restaurant, Bar Pilar. In 2007, he left to open Hook in Georgetown, a sustainable seafood restaurant featuring local produce. In less than a year Hook was named to The Washington Post's Top 50, Washingtonian’s Top 100, and Bon Appétit's Top 10 Eco-Friendly Restaurants. StarChefs.com and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington have both named Seaver a Rising Star, and Hook was nominated as Best New Restaurant for 2007 by the RAMW. In 2008, Seaver kept up the pace and opened TackleBox, a casual seafood restaurant based on the famous clam shacks of the New England coast. In June 2009, he opened Blue Ridge in Glover Park with partner Eli Hengst.

As a nationally-known sustainability advocate, Seaver works with Chefs Collaborative and Blue Ocean Institute. He has been featured in Oprah magazine and by Martha Stewart Omnimedia. He lives in Washington DC, where he can often be seen going to the farmer's market on his Vespa when he is not working on his upcoming cookbook.

Michael Mina

Born in Cairo and raised in Washington state, Michael Mina started his culinary career at 15, working garde manger in a small French restaurant in his home town. He moved on to the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, interning with Charlie Palmer at Aureole.

But the 40-year-old Mina really established his reputation in San Francisco, where he was welcomed by a major earthquake his second day in the city. He began with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles with the fabled George Morrone. Together, they developed Aqua, which opened to rave reviews in 1991. In 1997, Mina was named a Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation, which later honored him with Best California Chef in 2002. That same year, he founded his own company with partner Andre Agassi. Since then, Mina Group has opened 14 restaurants and a lounge: Michael Mina in San Francisco and Las Vegas; Clock Bar in San Francisco; Arcadia in San Jose; XIV in Los Angeles; Stonehill Tavern in Dana Point, CA; Seablue in Las Vegas and Atlantic City; Bourbon Steak in Detroit, Washington DC, Miami and Scottsdale; Saltwater in Detroit; Nemi in Mexico City; and Stripsteak and in Las Vegas. He also remains managing chef at Michael Mina Bellagio and NobHill Tavern, both in Las Vegas.

Mina has been honored with the Michelin two-star award and San Francisco Chronicle’s four star award for his restaurant in San Francisco, Michelin's one-star award in Las Vegas, Bon Appetit Chef of the Year 2005, San Francisco Magazine Chef of the Year 2005 and Restaurateur of the Year 2005 by the International Food and Beverage Forum. He has been featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Food Arts, Cigar Aficionado, Newsweek, TIME, Robb Report, Travel & Leisure, Wine Spectator, and others, as well as on the Food Network's "After Midnight," Fine Living Network’s "Opening Soon," Pat O'Brien's "The Insider," the CBS Early Show, the NBC Today Show and Fox's syndicated "Good Day Live."

"I have been very fortunate to earn a living through my true passion," says Mina. "Over a decade in the kitchen has taught me so much about myself, my style and how to share this excitement with my guests. Each new project shows me that there is absolutely nothing I would rather do."

Mike Isabella

Since March 2007, Mike Isabella has been head chef of Zaytinya, THINKfoodGROUP’S award-winning mezze restaurant in Washington’s Penn Quarter, featuring "little dishes" that draw on the flavors of Greece, Turkey and Lebanon.

Isabella started cooking with his Italian grandmother before he could remember. By age 6, he had learned to eat tabbouleh and stuffed grape leaves along with other Mediterranean dishes. Through these, he began to develop a palate for the unique flavors of the Middle East.

After attending the New York Restaurant School, Isabella cooked his way through some of New York City's finest establishments, learning the value of hard work and precision in the kitchen. After honing his skills in the Big Apple, Isabella travelled to Philadelphia, first to work as a sous chef for James Beard award winner Douglas Rodriguez at Alma de Cuba, then at other Stephen Starr restaurants, including El Vez, and Marcus Samuelsson's Washington Square, where, as sous chef, Isabella gained experience in the strenuous (and exciting!) task of opening a fine dining establishment.

Later, in Atlanta, Isabella became Chef de Cuisine at Kyma, Buckhead Life Group's top-notch Greek restaurant overseeing their acclaimed seafood-inspired menu. It was there that he immersed himself in the flavors, traditions and techniques of Greek cuisine, one of one of the world’s oldest culinary cultures. Isabella has travelled extensively through Greece and parts of the Middle East to learn about local foodways and traditions, talking to locals and sifting through the markets to fire his imagination.

In 2009, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington nominated Isabella for Rising Culinary Star.

Tracy O'Grady

As Executive Chef / Co-Owner of Willow, Tracy O'Grady has developed a signature "modern continental" style, a new interpretation on French and northern Italian cuisine.

O’Grady got her culinary training the classic way, learning through mentors, rather than through culinary school. After cum laude college degree in communications, she made an abrupt switch by taking a job in the kitchen of Yannick Cam’s fabled Le Pavilion in Washington, where she rose to pastry chef before the restaurant closed in 1991. She broadened her repertoire at Galileo, and then accepted the sous chef position at the prestigious Kinkead’s with mentor Bob Kinkead, who instilled a high level of standards in her and encouraged and supported her in every aspect of cooking.

In 2001, O’Grady had the extraordinary honor of representing the United States at the world renowned Bocuse d’Or cooking competition in Lyon, France, as one of only 22 chefs (and the first woman) selected from around the world to compete. She has also participated in James Beard Foundation events, appeared on the NBC’s Today Show, and been featured for her culinary talent in Elle, Food & Wine, The New York Times and Smithsonian, among others. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Women Chefs and Restaurateurs' Golden Whisk Award.

Opening Willow in 2005 was the realization of O’Grady’s lifelong dream, so much so that she married to husband/partner Brian Wolken in the restaurant just 70 minutes before the couple welcomed their first guests to the restaurant.

Bobby Varua

In January, 2008, Bobby Varua came to Washington as executive chef of restaurateur Ashok Bajaj’s 701 Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue, bringing with him a wealth of experience at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the country, including China Grill, Caviar and Banana Brasserio, Nougatine, Aureole, Restaurant Daniel and the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Varua also served as the corporate chef of Tavistock Restaurant Group, a California-based company that operates six concepts and 27 different restaurants. He has appeared at the Food & Wine Festival in South Beach, a highlight for him in his evolving culinary career.

Varua was inspired to become a chef by his father, but he credits his eclectic cooking style to professional experiences working with great chefs, including Jefferey Chodorow (China Grill), Charlie Palmer (Aureole), Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Nougatine), and the acclaimed David Burke (Plaza Hotel). "Overall my style comes from the heart," Varua says. "I believe that the art of cooking is to express more than to impress. My background is very deep in flavor profiles including Asian, Italian, French, Japanese and even a little Brazilian."

Varua grew up in Long Island and is a graduate of Iona College and New York Restaurant School. He now lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and young daughter.