Brandon McGlamery

Position: Executive Chef

Property: Luma on Park, Winter Park

Education: California Culinary Academy

Highlight: 2010 Celebrity Chef Seafood Ambassador/Monterey Bay Aquarium

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter "Things like social media are really helping the local food scene grow"

Local. Sustainable. Those are the only two words you need to know about Brandon McGlamery's position on seafood. "You have to make sure you're walking the walk as you're talking the talk. You have to know where stuff is coming from. If a particular fish is on the watch list, question why it's there."

He says across the board, offering local is important, it's easier to obtain. McGlamery estimates 70% of his produce comes from a single Florida farm.

"It's going to be exciting to see where we are in 10 years. I would like to see more chef driven restaurants than chains in 10 years."

Tyson Grant

Position: Executive Chef/Partner

Property: Parkshore Grill, St. Petersburg

Education: Self-Trained

Highlight: Opening one of the Tampa area's top restaurants

Social Media: Facebook and Twitter, "during the freeze, we used Facebook to promote a Cabin Fever party and it was a bit hit.":

St. Petersburg native Tyson Grant managed to benefit from the tutelage of the right people early in his career. At 21, he suddenly found himself at the helm of a local restaurant. "I was my own boss, making good money at the time, but I now think I should have stayed a student of the craft a little longer." He, like other chefs, is deeply concerned about the Gulf spill, but right now the biggest problem is perception. "Fish are smart, they avoid contaminated water, but guests are asking 'where did that come from?" he says. Focus for 2011- sourcing. " We need to appreciate the people who work hard to bring us our food."

Costa Magoulas, MHA, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC

Position: Chef/Instructor

Property: Daytona State College

Education: Citadel, South Carolina

Highlight: Winning National Lamb Weston contest with an everyday Greek dish

Social Media: Facebook, doesn't use it personally but "I do believe the social media will continue to grow and expand."

Costa Magoulas may be the toughest Chef around. A pair of common thugs nearly took his life in a restaurant robbery. He was told he'd be permanently disabled. He instead completed his bachelors, tried his hand working for the local school system, and has been teaching now for 20 years. "Teaching is the culmination of everything we do, the satisfaction that comes from it, seeing the expressions in students' eyes, it's very fulfilling, I know I've found my home," he says. A recent recipient of the ACF Presidential Medallion, Magoulas tries to instill the value of local sourcing in his students. Focus for 2011: "There's a big push across the country to understand how our food is produced, it will not drop off, it's going to be a big issue."

Robert Uzzillia

Position: Executive Chef

Property: The Venue, Clearwater

Education: Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park

Highlight: Cooking for President Clinton at the 21 Club in New York

Social Media: Facebook, "We use it to extend offers and keep our guests in the loop."

A product of the Clearwater area, Rob Uzzillia didn't have a plan to base his career in his home turf. He was experiencing good success in New York when an ailing grandparent prompted him to return home. A chef committed to organic and all-natural ingredients, Uzzillia says 90% of his fish and 60% of his produce is sourced locally. "It's much easier to source locally now, a lot of the local farmers will now deliver to you," he says. He says the lessons of 2009 need to be held close as we aren't out of the woods yet, but going forward the industry should focus on staying local. "Do the research, find good local sources."

Kevin Fonzo

Position: Chef/Owner

Property: K Restaurant, Orlando

Education: Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park

Highlight: Invitation to White House "Chefs Move to School" summit

James Beard Awards 2010 Long List

Social Media: Email blasts, Facebook. "We get the best response from email blasts."

Lessons from 2009: Chef Kevin Fonzo, - arguably one of Central Florida's most notable chefs- adopted this philosophy: "I'm just a line cook, I'm back on the line every night." Forced to condense his two properties, he was able to retain the entire staff from both. He also continued with volunteer work in the cafeteria at Orlando Junior Academy, resulting in an invitation to the White House. Fonzo's belief in local sourcing is so deep seated that he maintains his own gardens, "It's getting a lot easier to source around here, and we're seeing that people are taking more responsibility for their food."

Bram Fowler

Position: Chef/Owner

Property: Journeys at Alaqua, Longwood

Education: Apprenticeship, South Africa

  Philosophy: “I believe strongly in giving back to the community, it’s very important to us”

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, email blasts. "I like it because it's so cost effective."

Printing was the family business, a pretty good business at that. But 8 years ago, when Chef Bram Fowler and his wife moved here from South Africa, Fowler's father encouraged him to "pursue his dream." Thus, Journeys, a nod to life's journeys, was born. Fowler says he is committed to local sourcing, with 40-50% of his menu featuring area products. As for 2011, he sees the fine dining sector looking for ways to serve less expensive food while maintaining its creativity. "I love what I do, and people need to understand that they should support the local restauateur."

Reimund Pitz

Position: Chef/Owner

Property: Le Coq Au Vin, Orlando

Education: Apprenticeship, Germany

Highlight: Watching my students who've become successful

Social Media: No, however "we're looking at the possibility of using Facebook"

Veteran culinarian Reimund Pitz sees the lessons of 2009 as being very simple, "serve the highest quality product possible at a reasonable price." For Pitz, it means growing some of his own produce and herbs. Otherwise, he sources locally, including chickens that he hand selects prior to slaughter. Focus for 2011- "the trend is sustainable products, smaller portions, and being sure to give the customer what he wants." He is proud Le Coq Au Vin, its 28 Zagat rating and a recently honored server inducted into the Food Servers Hall of Fame. "To work for others for so many years and then to have your own place, its very inspiring."

Greg Richie

Position: Chef de Cuisine

Property; Emeril's Tchoup Chop, Loew's Royal Pacific Resort, Universal Orlando

Education: Johnson and Wales

Highpoint: The opportunity to work with great chefs like Roy Yamaguchi and Emeril Lagasse

Social Media: Facebook "it's fun, people seem to enjoy it"

For Greg Richie, the start of 2009 settling in at a new property as the entire country struggled to find its footing. Happily, he had a local following from his time at Roy's. "I would like to see even more locals, because they get to be your friends," he says, but adds that Tchoup Chop fights the perception that it's hard to get to because it's on Universal Studios property. Emeril's corporate mission supports Richie's own interest in sourcing local product, and he says he will support the Gulf fishing industry for as long as conditions allow it. As for looking ahead, "I think we're all on the same page here, we're trying to get Orlando recognized as a place with great chefs."

Scott Hunnel

Position: Chef de Cuisine

Property: Victoria & Alberts, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Walt Disney World® Resort

Education: Joliet Culinary Program

Highlight: Cooking in Japan for 10 days opening of Tokyo Disney Resort

Social Media: No, however- "A lot of our guests blog about their experiences."

http://disneyparks.com/blog

Across the board, chefs are coming out of 2009 with a renewed focus on quality and customer satisfaction, and Scott Hunnel is no exception. "Treating guests exceptionally well has always been our standard, but our focus now is how to do an even better job."  Hunnel's personal philosophy is to never stop evolving, and this past year he was able to watch the crown jewel of Disney dining expand into 3 separate concepts. 2010 again landed Hunnel on the James Beard Awards long list. Focus for 2011- "Never sacrifice the quality of your product. Stay the course of your concept while considering new options."

Ken Bourgoin CEC

Position: Chef/Instructor

Property: Valencia Community College, Orlando

Education: Southeast New Hampshire University

Highlight: 2010 ACF Southeast Region Chef Educator of the Year Award

Social Media: Facebook- "it's great, it's target marketing."

After being forced by parental authority to discover the kitchen (as in "make your own lunch"), CEC Ken Bourgoin developed an interest in cakes but was advised by culinary professionals that there's no money in pastry." Working at Victoria & Albert's and his current job at Valencia are career highpoints, "I love the successes of the students around me, and I love interacting with Chefs all over Central Florida." Lessons from 2009: Learn to change, "Culinary is now bringing in seasonal help; it's a new concept for the industry."

Larry Sinibaldi

Position: Executive Chef

Property: The Palm, Orlando

Education: Johnson & Wales

Highlight: Working with Paul Bocuse, “It was an amazing learning experience”

Social Media: Facebook "It's a good tool, I love seeing the comments."

Larry Sinibaldi reflects on 2009 as an interesting year. "It's the year I learned to do more with less, it was about keeping customers instead of going after new business." The Palm did that by offering rewards programs and other specials. Sinibaldi says those moves, along with an emphasis on customer service, kept the local following strong enough to get through the year, a significant statement for a restaurant geared toward convention business. Focus for 2011- "We have to make sure we're prepared, that we're really taking care of our core base of guests, and that we're really focusing on food quality."

Tim Keating

Position: Chef de Cuisine

Property: Flying Fish Cafe, Disney's Boardwalk, Walt Disney World® Resort

Education: Self-Trained

Highlight: 4 consecutive James Beard Award nominations

Social Media: http://disneyparks.com/blog

As an impressionable 13-year old, Chef Tim Keating washed dishes in a South Jersey restaurant in what he calls a very "Sopranos" atmosphere. "It was a very exciting place," he says. Apparently it was exciting enough to set him on his career path. Today he is a chef dedicated to helping small farmers and growers. "It's a matter of principal for me, it's what I've believed in for a long time. We utilize local dayboats, Florida has soome impressive aquaculture, you can even find organic citrus, but you have to do the research," he says. Focus for 2011- "High quality products prepared simply, people are appreciating simplicity right now."

Vincent Gagliano

Position: Chef/Owner

Property: Chez Vincent, Winter Park

Education: Apprenticeship, France

Highlight: Finished 1st in his school, 3rd for all French apprenticeships that year

Social Media: No, "have not found the need"

Like so many accomplished chefs, Vincent Gagliano has cooked all over the world. But when he visited Winter Park, he "fell in love" with the town and opened his restaurant. He says he prefers to source locally because he likes to support the small entrepreneur, whom he finds to have a strong focus on quality. Lessons from 2009: "You have to take care of business. Period. Quaility of food, and quality of service are very important." Focus for 2011: "Make sure your guests know you need them, make the experience meaningful for them. The best chef in the world will lose customers to bad service."

Russell Scott, CMC

Position: Executive Chef

Property: Isleworth Country Club, Windermere

Education: Johnson & Wales

Highlight; Recently received a B.S. in alternative medicine

Social Media: No, "it's a private club, so we don't do any advertising"

Russell Scott is clearly a person who never stops learning. He graduated culinary school, completed two apprenticeships, and more recently earned a degree in alternative medicine to better understand the relationship between food, nutrition and health. "It helps with menu writing and obtaining ingredients," he says. Focus for 2011- "Our food supply, we really need to peel back the curtain on how we produce food," he says.  Scott says sustainability is an important issue with many complicating factors. Organic food shipped in potentially harmful packaging, farmed fish may receive suspect feed and so on. "We have to keep putting pressure on our suppliers to provide more options and better options."

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