5/18 - Lee Woodruff, Ross Kamens, Rocco DiSpirito, Cathy Thomas,

 CHEF ROSS KAMENS -   GETTING YOUR FAMILY TO EAT "VEGETABLES"

In recognition of his culinary acumen and continued success in the quick-casual category, Chef Ross Kamens has been the recipient of several awards including Restaurant Business’ Menu Masters award. In addition, he is highly regarded in the industry and is regularly quoted in restaurant industry publications including Nations Restaurant News, Flavor & the Menu and Restaurants & Institutions to name a few. Ross Kamens, Noodles & Company’s founding chef, has been with the company since its founding in 1995 and formulated all of its original and popular recipes. Chef Kamens has more than 20 years culinary experience, including serving as an executive chef, and food and beverage administrator at several mountain resorts. It is the dinner trifecta: you want it healthy, you want it cheaply, and you want it quickly. But how often do you really manage to find something that incorporates all three? And how do you get your kids to even eat what’s healthy? Especially the dreaded ‘V’ word – vegetables!   Chef Ross Kamens, founding chef at Noodles & Company, will tell you how you can come up with meal solutions that do it all. Chef Ross has developed recipes, tips and tools to help parents teach their kids to love foods that are good for them

Lee Woodruff -  "Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress"

My first book In an Instant was co-authored with my husband Bob, the ABC News Anchor who was critically injured in Iraq in 2006. No one was more surprised than we were when it hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for four weeks. We were proud that the book helped to put a face on the serious issue of traumatic brain injury among returning Iraq war veterans, as well as the millions of Americans who live with this often invisible, but life-changing affliction. In the end, people tell me it is a love story; a story about a family, a marriage and a journey to heal.  Following Bob’s injury and miraculous recovery, we founded the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Remind.org to assist wounded servicemen and their families receive the long-term care that they need and help them successfully reintegrate into their communities. We both continue to speak and raise awareness about the plight of our returning veterans.


Celebrity Chef Rocco DiSpirito - "Secrets from the Heart of Italy"

Celebrity Chef and TV personality Rocco DiSpirito recently traveled through Tuscany, filming the online series “Into the Heart of Italy,” with Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and television personality Dan Cortese. Rocco will share culinary secrets the trio of Italian-Americans learned while in Italy, bringing a taste of Italy straight to your dining room.  Specifically, Rocco will show viewers how to cook an authentic Italian meal with simple ingredients that won’t take hours to prepare. He’ll share some of his favorite shortcut foods, as well as give tips for creating a dining experience worthy of a Tuscan restaurant. Rocco will also share some stories from his time filming on-location in Italy for this new culinary adventure -- part Amazing Race and part Top Chef.  Rocco DiSpirito – #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List for his new cookbook, "Now Eat This!"
 Cathy Thomas  - "MELISSA’S EVERYDAY COOKING WITH ORGANIC PRODUCE"

As the Food Columnist for The Orange County Register for 20 years, I’ve chronicled culinary trends and the people that make them – written about everything from avocados to zucchini, haute cuisine to down-home favorites, soup, yes, to nuts. Beer Can Chicken with Steven Raichlin, raspberry tarts with Jacques Pepin, tuna sandwiches with Julia Child, and weight-loss recipes with Pam Anderson.  Because I’ve studied with chefs across America, Europe and Asia, I have a passion for ethnic cuisines. I love to embrace new flavors, new aromas and new techniques. When it comes to cooking and eating, there is always something new to experience.