About Us
Ryan Dalton grew up in the 8th Ward of New Orleans and lived in poverty throughout his childhood. The 6th of 11 children, Ryan was raised by his mother in a church family.
In 2009, Ryan’s sister turned his attention to a program called Café Reconcile, which helps disconnected youth develop skills and find employment. Ryan completed the program in December 2009 of that year and found employment at the New Orleans School of Cooking, where he remained for seven months. At that point, he returned to Café Reconcile, eager to share his life experiences to help others and give back to his community. He accepted a full time position as the Floor Trainer for the Café’s culinary training program. He has now been with Reconcile on a full time basis for over two years, and he has personally connected dozens of youth with the program during that time. Until recently, Ryan had been working a second job. However, he recently decided to re-enroll in college, where he is now pursuing a degree in business.BACK
Laurent Demosthenidy’s law practice focuses on the representation of closely-held businesses and individuals in litigation and transactional matters, as well as international trade and corruption regulations.Mr. Demosthenidy speaks fluent French and has made homes in France and across the United States, from Florida to California. He is a continuing student of international relations, having obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara. He is active in several Franco-American groups in the community, including France-Amérique de la Louisiane and the French-American Chamber of Commerce. He graduated from Tulane University Law School, where he worked with the Tulane Criminal Law Clinic to provide representation to indigent defendants in a justice system wracked by structural failings following Hurricane Katrina.BACK
Lolis Eric Eli has an Master of Arts from the Columbia School of Journalism in New York and an Master of Fine Arts from the University of Virginia. Most recently, he joined the staff of the HBO series Treme. Working with the award-winning director Dawn Logsdon, he co-produced and wrote the PBS documentary, Faubourg Treme: the Untold Story of Black New Orleans. His essay, “America’s Greatest Hits,” is included in Best African American Essays: 2009. From 1995 to 2009, he wrote a thrice-weekly column for the New Orleans’ Times-Picayune. A recognized expert on New Orleans food and culture, he is the author of Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country and co-producer and writer of Smokestack Lightning: A Day in the Life of Barbecue, the documentary based on that book.BACK
Susan Spicer has been cooking professionally since 1979, mostly in New Orleans, with a stint in Paris in 1982, and numerous guest chef appearances around the world. She has been chef of Savoir Faire and the Bistro at Maison deVille. In June of 2000, she opened Wildflour Breads, a wholesale artisan bakery, with partner Sandy Whann of Leidenheimer Baking Company. She was a founding partner and chef of Herbsaint Restaurant, with former Bayona sous chef, Donald Link, and for the last 20 years, has been chef and co-owner with Regina Keever of Bayona, in the French Quarter. In June of 2010, she embarked on a new adventure as owner and chef of Mondo in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans, where she resides with her husband and stepchildren. She is proud to serve on the board of the Gulf Restoration Network, as well as participating in various charity events both nationally and locally.BACK
Melissa Harris-Perry is host of MSNBC’s “Melissa Harris-Perry.” The show airs on Saturdays and Sundays from 10AM to Noon ET. Harris-Perry is professor of political science at Tulane University, where she is founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South. Harris-Perry is author of the well received new book, Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America (Yale 2011) and the award winning text Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought (Princeton 2004). Harris-Perry is a columnist for The Nation magazine where she is also write a monthly column also titled Sister Citizen. She lives in New Orleans with her husband, James Perry, and is the mother of a terrific daughter, Parker.BACK
Brian Landry, a New Orleans native, is a passionate chef, supporter of regional foodways, and dedicatedconservationist of Gulf seafood. As the executive chef at Borgne, Landry pays homage to Louisiana’s coastal, indigenous cuisine while using the freshest local ingredients.Being on the water surrounding New Orleans has always been part of Brian’s life. With uncles and cousins who wereavid outdoorsmen, the Landrys would take regular family fishing trips. His earliest memories of food in New Orleansrecall those large family gatherings, featuring oversized pots of gumbo and jambalaya.Previously, Landry worked as the head chef for the Louisiana Seafood Board, where he acted as the spokesperson. Prior to that he worked for five years as the executive chef at the New Orleans institution, Galatoire’s, where he was frequently recognized for his creative talent and cuisine.BACK
Since 2004, Ms. McKay has been working extensively in large, mixed-income project management, community development, real estate finance, and data analysis of large projects in distressed urban areas. Ms. McKay is a native New Orleanian and is a proud of her Post Katrina contributions to the redevelopment of her beloved city. In her current position as Project Manager at McCormack Baron Salazar, Ms. McKay is responsible for the coordination and implementation of mixed-income and mixed-use projects. Her activities include working with local agencies and officials, securing and leveraging project financing, and coordinating public and private partners. Ms. McKay’s current projects include serving as a consultant partner on the B.W. Cooper mixed-income public housing redevelopment and managing the development of the commercial phase of Harmony Oaks. She is serving as project manager for the off-site components of the Iberville Revitalization project, which was awarded a 2010 Choice Neighborhood Initiative award.BACK
Christopher Papagni holds a master’s degree in education from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from New York University. As school director of The French Culinary Institute, Christopher worked tirelessly to ever increase the quality of education at the school and address student needs and concerns. In his current role as senior vice president of Education and Student Affairs, he continues on with his dedication to the school’s mission, constantly working to improve every facet of the educational process in order to give students attending The International Culinary Center the best possible culinary education and learning experience. BACK
Chef Jeff Mattia
Jeff Mattia is the Executive Chef at American Sector, the John Besh restaurant in The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA. Growing up in Connecticut, his passion for cooking started at a young age when he would accompany his grandfather on fishing trips on Long Island Sound. Following high school, Chef Mattia joined the United States Marine Corps, during which he had the opportunity to travel the Mediterranean region and learn about their cuisine. Following his service, Chef Mattia returned to the United States and enrolled in Johnson & Wales University to complete their culinary arts degree program. After graduating, he worked at several prestigious restaurants in the Northeast, before moving to New Orleans with his family in 2010, where he had taken a position at Restaurant August as Executive Sous Chef. Chef Mattia became the Sous Chef at American Sector in the summer of 2011, and was named Executive Chef in 2012. BACK
Chef Lisa White
Chef Lisa White attended The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. While attending the program, she worked at the Wine Spectator restaurant, baking bread at night. After leaving the CIA, worked as a pastry cook with Della Fattoria in Petaluma, California where she worked with Kathleen Weber, the founder and owner. Having previously worked as a Red Cross Volunteer after Hurricane Katrina, in April 2009, White decided to move to New Orleans and make it her own. She found Chef John Besh after hearing about his own Red Cross efforts after Katrina and decided he was the kind of person she wanted to work for. White quickly earned a pastry cook position at his Restaurant August. From there she became part of the opening team at Domenica, where she’s expanded into many areas from bread production and pastries to house-made liqueurs and pickling. BACK
