Jeanne Bischoff
VP/Publisher, Hotel F&B magazine and HFB Online
jbischoff@hotelfandb.com

Jeanne grew up all over the United States and Canada . She has been in print publishing for over 25 years, working for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler and the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Lodging magazine. In 1993, she founded her own independent advertising sales and consulting firm. In 2002, she became a founding partner, owner, and publisher of Hotel F&B…
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Keith Branche
General Manager, The Tuxedo Club
keithbranche@hotmail.com

Keith has enjoyed a very diverse 20 year hospitality career. He specializes in controls, operational analysis, staff relations, and revamping F&B systems. Starting in the kitchens, where his heart lies, Keith is a 1991 culinary graduate of Johnson & Wales University. Driven to develop a greater understanding of the business, Keith ventured to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where he graduated in 1997. Keith has experience in varied sized facilities, from small independent hotels to large chain properties, such as the Famed Waldorf-Astoria…
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Kurt Bjorkman
General Manager, Pacific Edge Hotel, Laguna Beach, California
hotelkurt@gmail.com

Kurt Bjorkman began his 20-year hospitality journey at a very early age, and has never held a job outside the hospitality industry. Starting with the obligatory job at the local burger joint, Kurt discovered that he loved the pace and the concept of serving others.
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Dr. Fred DeMicco
Professor and ARAMARK Chair, Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, the University of Delaware
FDeMicco@udel.edu

Dr. Fred DeMicco, professor and ARAMARK Chair in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management at the University of Delaware, was formerly director in the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreation Management at Penn State University, where he was Professor-in-Charge of the HRIM undergraduate program (and graduate program for five years). He is presently a Conti Distinguished Professor at the Pennsylvania State University’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreation Management.
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Joe Dunbar

President, Dunbar Associates
jdunbar401@aol.com

As president of Dunbar Associates, Joe Dunbar designs and implements portion control systems for hotels, resorts, restaurants, caterers and onsite feeders. He specializes in complex operations with mixed revenue streams. Projects involve central purchasing and production, transfer control systems, competitive bidding, usage variance control, strategic planning, and operations research.
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Chef Len Elias

Executive Chef, Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree Hotel
Len.elias@dolce.com

Chef Elias is a life long hospitality professional and currently the Executive Chef at the Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree Hotel (Formerly Aberdeen Woods Conference Center) in Peachtree City, Georgia. He is a 1980 Culinary Institute of America Graduate and is certified as an executive chef through the American Culinary Federation. Chef Elias is a also a recipient of over 20 industry awards including the 2007 International Association of Conference Centers USA Chef of the year.
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Duncan Firth

Chef de Cuisine, Borona Valley Ranch Resort
dfirth@barona.com

Since beginning his professional career, Chef Duncan Firth has worked for Thomas Keller at the original Bouchon and Normand Laprise at is AAA Five-Star restaurant Toque, in Montreal. Prior to coming to Barona, Chef Duncan ran the kitchens of a catering company in Malibu, whose clients included Kelsey Grammar, Mel Gibson, Pamela Anderson, Adam Sandle,r and Suzanne Sommers. Duncan now divides his time between the fine dining operations at Barona and the ACF accredited Barona Culinary Institute.
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Jason Frazzini

Executive Chef and Director of Banquets, Embassy Suites
chef@eshgateway.com

Jason Frazzini was born and raised in Denver Colorado and is currently Executive Chef and Director of Banquets for The Embassy Suites Denver Aurora. Jason is a Certified Executive Chef from the American Culinary Federation as well as Certified Food & Beverage Executive and Master Certified Food Executive. He has been in the hospitality industry for 18 years …
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Peter Gebauer

Executive Chef, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
pgebauer@paysbig.com

Peter is a native of Germany, born in the Bavarian city of Rosenheim and raised in the picturesque countryside of the Chiemgau, famous since the times of the Bavarian King Ludwig II and his luxurious castles. He found his passion for cooking at an early age, when he helped his grandmother, a great chef, prepare the local specialties of the region. At age 15, he was accepted into a formal apprenticeship program at the Parkhotel Crombach and graduated in 1974, then worked in the kitchens of the Steigenberger Hotel chain as well as Hilton International, becoming familiar with the various culinary regions of Germany.
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Chase LeBlanc

Founder/CEO, Leadagers LLC Hospitality Consultancy, LLC
Leadagers@gmail.com

Chase LeBlanc is the founder and CEO of Leadagers, LLC, and is a hospitality management performance coach. He is also the author of High Impact Hospitality: Upgrade Your Purpose, Performance and Profits! More than 25 years ago, Chase began his career as owner/operator of a nightclub development and management company. After  selling that business, he has since led a variety of F&B operations on local and national levels as general manager and multi-unit regional manager and has also served corporations as vice president and president…
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Joseph La Fleur

Director of Restaurants, Harbor Beach Resort and Spa/Marriott International
joseph.lafleur@marriott.com

Joseph LaFleur brings a lifetime of hands-on experience as well as a strong business acumen to his current role as director of restaurants at Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joseph oversees the day-to-day operations of seven food and beverage outlets including three restaurants, two bars, room service, and mini bars—together exceeding $8 million annually at the 650-room property.
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Meg McDonough

President, Luxury Hospitality Consultants, LLC, Sarasota, Florida
SRQHotelMgmt@aol.com

Meg McDonough (née Gianelloni) grew up in Havana, Cuba, and came to appreciate at an early age the diversity of dining in an international setting as the island cultivated not only its own flavors indigenous to the area but was also home to people from all over the world, who brought their own food styles with them. As the family traveled throughout Europe in the early 1960s, the added exposure to dine at some of the world’s finest hotels provided an endless array of important recollections respecting service, quality hospitality performance and fine dining within a beautiful setting…
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Karl Prohaska

Executive Chef, Handlery Hotel & Resort, San Diego
probear21@hotmail.com

Karl Prohaska has been a chef for 12 years and was previously executive chef for SunBear Culinary Services, a consulting company, and executive chef at both the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Hilton Ocean Front Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
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Geoffrey M. Sagrans

Assistant Director of Materials Management, The Breakers Palm Beach, Florida
geoffrey.sagrans@thebreakers.com

Geoffrey M. Sagrans, CFBE, FMP, MCFE, works alongside the director of materials management in the operation of the purchasing, receiving, warehousing, and mailroom operations at this 560-room resort. Geoffrey is also a part-time chef instructor at the Florida Culinary Institute, where he teaches in the bachelor’s program.
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Susan Sarfary

Director of Catering, The Hilton Fairfield, California
susl731@sbcglobal.net

Susan remembers falling in love with travel as a little girl when she’d frequent LAX with her family to pick up her Grandpa, who flew quite a bit for his job. Fascination with the hustle and bustle, watching the planes land and take off, she knew she’d end up in the travel industry. Susan’s first job in hospitality was at the Anaheim Marriott where she held a front desk position. Soon, though, Golden West Airlines (now defunct) was calling for a corporate office job, where she learned how airline capacities worked and schedules were created. After the airline went bankrupt, she dabbled as a travel agent, but found herself missing her early hotel exposure. This time she landed a catering secretary position back at the Anaheim Marriott, and knew that hotel catering is where she would ultimately stay; what fun and excitement…

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Keith Schroeder

Executive Chef, Westin Atlanta Perimeter North (Davidson Hotels)
kschroeder@westinatlnorth.com

Keith Schroeder began his culinary career at the Mobil 5 Diamond and DiRoNA award-winning Nikolai’s Roof at the Atlanta Hilton & Towers in 1994 after graduating at the top of class from the School of Culinary Arts at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Mr. Schroeder went on to work for the legendary French Master Chef Jean Banchet at the highly celebrated restaurant Riviera before earning the role of Chef de Cuisine at the French-country hideaway Countryside Café. In addition to his passion for food and beverage, Schroeder maintains an appetite for life-long-learning, technology, and the arts…

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Heather Turner

Chief Log-roller, Forfeng Designs
heather@forfengdesigns.com

Heather Turner is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has spent more than 20 years in the restaurant business. She trained under one of the PBS series “Great Chefs of America,” Chef Yves Labbe at 4 Star acclaimed restaurant Le Cheval D’or and has been the executive chef at Bellini’s Restaurant, The Cliff House at Stowe Mt. Resort, the Harvest Market in northern Vermont, and at The Olde Inn on Cape Cod. She currently runs her own hospitality consulting business located in Connecticut …
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Ron Wichowski

Assistant General Manager, Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center
ron.wichowski@jqh.com

Ron has been working in hotel and private club food service for the last 17 years. He began his career working at Tavistock County Club as a busser in the fine dining restaurant. While in college, he progressed through the ranks and worked at several private dining clubs such as the River Club of Jacksonville, the University Club of Jacksonville, and Epping Forest Yacht Club. After college, he returned home to New Jersey, becoming banquet manager at the Regency Palace Hotel….
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Douglas G. Zeif

Senior VP, F&B & Asset Management Services, LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels
dzeif@luxuryresorts.com

LXR is a portfolio company of the Blackstone Group, which Doug joined in early 2005 to help develop the LXR brand. During 2008 and 2009, Doug helped with the transformation and corporate relocation of Hilton Worldwide, which also is owned by the Blackstone Group. Prior to joining LXR, Doug spent eight years as a gastronomy and concept consultant to many multi-national companies, most notably for Darden Restaurants, Karstadt Quelle AG and Gastro-Consulting in Germany, and Grupo Zena in Spain.
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