Fortune Global Forum Chefs

 

Chef Yesenia Castañon
Birdsong, San Francisco, CA

Chef Yesenia Castañon began honing her skills in bakeries and cake shops in San Francisco. In 2010, she attended the California Culinary Academy. Her interest in restaurants led her to Restaurant Gary Danko, followed by a stint at Spruce. Chef Yesenia joined the opening team of Birdsong as a Pastry Assistant and rapidly worked her way to becoming Birdsong’s Chef de Cuisine. 

Tala Bashmi
Fusions by Tala, Manama, Bahrain

Tala Bashmi is often referred to as the Voice of Modern Bahraini Cuisine, on a mission to bridge the gap between food and gastronomy by modernizing her region’s culinary scene. She was awarded Best Female Chef in the MENA and her restaurant, Fusions by Tala, was awarded the No. 3 Best Restaurant in MENA by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Chef Hylton Espey
Culture, Falmouth, Cornwall, U.K.

Chef Hylton Espey, originally from South Africa, has made Falmouth his home since 2016. He and his wife opened Culture in July 2022. All dishes are prepared in an open plan kitchen, with ingredients sourced directly from individual farmers and fishermen and menus created from what is available. Culture’s Journey is a set tasting menu that takes you on a culinary tour of Cornwall. Culture was awarded Falmouth’s first Michelin Green Star in 2023.

Chef Raphaël Grima
Spelt, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France

Chef Raphaël Grima offers a simple cuisine, made from local products, accompanied by sauces, condiments, and a good sense of gastronomy. He trained with renowned chefs Gerard Besson, Roland Durand, and Michel Rostang, then joined Les 110 de Taillevent with Emile Cotte in Paris and London as executive chef, where he won awards for his Spelt lobster risotto. He has now opened his own restaurant, Spelt, in the south of France, with his wife, Marion, a renowned pastry chef. 

Chef Seth Lai 
Ce Soir, Singpore 

Seth Lai, Chef/Owner of Ce Soir, attained his first one Michelin star at the age of 27. His culinary philosophy revolves around deep and intuitive understanding of ingredients, flavors, and their interplay. Chef Lai’s cooking combines the elegance and techniques of modern European cuisine with rich flavors and innovative elements.

Chef Himanshu Saini 
Trèsind Studio, Dubai, UAE

Chef Himanshu Saini, one of Dubai’s most acclaimed chefs, spent a decade creating numerous successful restaurant brands as the corporate head chef for the Passion F & B Group. His mission—to elevate the perception of Indian cuisine—has culminated in his flagship restaurant, Trèsind Studio, his ode to the culinary legacy of his Indian roots and his unique perspective on Indian cuisine in the gastronomic world at large.

Luigi Stinga
Talea by Antonio Guida, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Chef Luigi Stinga combines traditional Italian dishes with an oriental influence, a perfect mix enhanced by his broad culinary experience. He is currently chef de cuisine at Talea by Antonio Guida, a Michelin-starred restaurant located in the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi. Chef Stinga was honored with a Young Chef award by Michelin Guide in 2023

Maša Salopek
Cap Aureo, Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Croatia

Maša Salopek was the head of pastry at Hiša Franko, a three-star Michelin restaurant in Soca Valley, Slovenia, for five years. In 2021, she won the award for the Best Pastry Chef at the Best Chef Awards in Amsterdam. Currently, Chef Salopek is working for Cap Aureo restaurant at the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Croatia.

 

Zoee Wong 
Birdsong, San Francisco, USA

Chef Zoee Wong pursued her culinary education in Le Cordon Bleu London, then trained at Saison in San Francisco, Nobu and Ed.ju Omakase in Kuala Lumpur, and Restaurant Nouri in Singapore. She also has experience in private dining and events, food writing, food aid, and restaurant operations. These career moves and her Malaysian-Chinese roots allow her to pursue less conventional ideas in executing her role at Birdsong.

 

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