Amy Berman
HMSHost partnered with nationally renowned baker Amy Berman to feature her bakery, Vanilla Bake Shop, in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. This trendy Los Angeles favorite presents travelers with award-winning, made-from-scratch-daily, cupcakes with a focus on contemporary design and taste. Amy Berman has accumulated countless accolades and praise from respected culinary figures including Martha Stewart and Giada de Laurentiis. Her masterful creations routinely land on “best of” lists of numerous magazines and culinary shows.
Bryan Caswell
A true Southerner at heart, Chef Bryan Caswell partnered with HMSHost and noted food and beverage director Bill Floyd to debut 3rd Bar Oyster & Eating House at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Caswell’s influences come from working with some of the world's great chefs in Barcelona, the Bahamas, Hong Kong, Bangkok and New York, as well as a lifetime spent entrenched in the food cultures of South Texas and Louisiana. In 2008, Bon Appétit magazine named Caswell and Floyd’s Houston restaurant Reef the number one seafood restaurant in the United States. Caswell has accumulated an impressive list of accolades, including the 2009 Best New Chef Award from Food & Wine, Semifinalist for the James Beard 2011 Best Southwestern Chef, and a spot on the Continental Airlines Congress of Chefs.
Jeff Steelman
Chef Jeff Steelman is Head Chef and Vice President of Culinary for HMSHost, overseeing all culinary activities and menu development. He leads a team of corporate executive chefs, highly seasoned and motivated to deliver the best food operations in the world. Chef Steelman has managed world renowned culinary operations including the Hilton Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in Uncasville, CT, and Todd English Enterprises out of Boston, MA, where he was most recently Vice President of Culinary prior to joining HMSHost.
Kathy Casey
Celebrity chef, mixologist and pioneer in the bar-chef movement, Kathy Casey partnered with HMSHost to bring Dish D’Lish, Casey’s popular fast-casual dining concept, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Together, HMSHost and Casey successfully transported the spirit, creativity, and flavor of the original Seattle Pike Place Market location to the airport location. A savvy spotter of what's hot in the culinary and cocktail scene, Kathy is a frequent TV and radio guest and speaker on trends, and has been featured by Esquire, USA Today, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning.
Lorena Garcia
One of the country’s leading Latina chefs, Venezuelan-born Lorena Garcia partnered with HMSHost to bring her healthy twist on traditional Latin cuisine to travelers with both LorenaGARCIA Cocina in Miami International Airport and Lorena Garcia Tapas in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Garcia’s passion for food stemmed from her family gatherings in her hometown and inspired her to bring that comfort to overwhelmed travelers. Her success has earned her spots on television shows including Top Chef Masters and NBC’s America’s Next Great Restaurant in addition to inspiring her own cookbook and line of kitchenware. View recent Twitter chat with Lorena Garcia
Rick Bayless
HMSHost partnered with celebrity chef Rick Bayless to bring the authentic Mexican cuisine of Tortas Frontera to Chicago O’Hare International Airport for travelers to enjoy. Bayless is an internationally acclaimed chef, television personality, restaurateur/airport concessionaire, award-winning cook book author, and innovator in sustainable restaurant practices. His renowned restaurants in Chicago include Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO.
Tim Love
HMSHost has partnered with Chef Tim Love, known for his signature urban western cuisine and quick business sense, to bring his uniquely delicious “Gourmet to Go” menu to HMSHost’s Z Market location in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. As chef and owner of beloved Texas restaurants Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Queenie’s Steakhouse, Love Shack, and White Elephant Saloon, Love’s inspired and innovative dishes have earned critical and popular acclaim. He was a winner on Food Network’s Iron Chef, and has appeared on NBC’s TODAY Show and Good Morning America, and in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Wall Street Journal, and Men’s Health.
Michael Voltaggio
Chef Michael Voltaggio established a reputation for what critics herald as “serious” food that is playful, visually stunning, and flawlessly executed. In partnership with HMSHost, he brought his legendary street-side Los Angeles restaurant Ink.Sack to the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. Voltaggio earned the title of Top Chef on Bravo TV’s Emmy Award-winning show in 2009. He was later named “Best New Chef” by Angeleno magazine in 2010 and his first restaurant ink earned the title of America's best new restaurant by GQ Magazine in March 2012, cementing a place within the Los Angeles culinary community.
Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger
Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" and Food Network's "Too Hot Tamales," paired their formal culinary educations with their knowledge of down-home Mexican cooking to create Border Grill, a low-key neighborhood cantina brought to travelers by HMSHost and groundbreaking empire with locations in Santa Monica, Downtown LA, and Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. The strength of the brand also led to a line of prepared foods under the “Border Girls” name at Whole Food Markets. In June 2013, Susan and Mary Sue were awarded the California Restaurant Association’s Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award and most recently were inducted into the 2014 Menu Masters Hall of Fame.
Silvana Salcido Esparza
Chef Silvana partnered with HMSHost to bring Barrio Café, one of the hottest and original southern Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, to travelers. Named one of the Top Latino Chefs in the country by Latino Magazine and Top 9 Mexican Chefs by MSNBC, awarded Best Mexican Restaurant by the Arizona Republic consecutively from 2002 to 2010, and inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame, her list of accolades and achievements is endless. Chef Silvana has played an influential role in placing Phoenix on the map as a culinary destination with a flavor all its own.
Hugo Ortega
HMSHost partnered with Chef Hugo Ortega to bring the vibrant authentic flavors of Mexico to travelers with Hugo’s Cocina at George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport. Executive chef/co-owner of four of Houston’s top restaurants and winner of Best Chef: Southwest at the 2017 James Beard Foundation Awards, Ortega has been recognized locally, nationally and globally for his inspirational story. Passionate about sharing the traditional foods and culture of his native Mexico with diners, he opened the critically acclaimed Hugo’s streetside location in 2002, which brought authentic regional Mexican cuisine to the forefront of dining.
