Deborah Smith is the owner and Executive Editor of JerseyBites.com. Launched in 2007, Jersey Bites began as a home for Deborah’s growing collection of recipes, but soon grew into a hub for food news in the Garden State. In addition to her duties on Jersey Bites, Deborah is the owner of Foxtrot Media, a full service digital marketing company and is the soon-to-be author of the Jersey Shore Cookbook, 50 Recipes from Restaurants from Keyport to Cape May coming April 2016.
No one knows New Jersey better than Peter Genovese. The feature writer at The Newark Star-Ledger is the author of ten books, including “Jersey Diners,” “The Jersey Shore Uncovered: A Revealing Season on the Beach,” “The Food Lovers’ Guide to New Jersey,” and “New Jersey Curiosities.”
By day he is just an average guy with an ordinary job, but by night, he and his wife, Kat, are wanderlust gastronomes in search of taste bud tantalizing cuisine and thirst quenching libations. Michael’s food inspired prose has been printed in a myriad of publications and is featured on numerous websites, including his own blog, TheBlueCollarFoodie.com.
Chef Chris specializes in new American fusion cuisine with an emphasis on food & beer pairings, at times cooking with actual brewers ingredients; always uniting people through flavor. He is a huge craft beer enthusiast / supporter & has been an executive chef / partner at several prominent craft beer establishments. He is best known for his beer pairing dinners and has received several statewide awards for his culinary creations. Currently, Chef Chris has launched a new endeavor called ‘Wild At Hearth- Roaming Cookery’ which is a wood fired-brick oven food truck serving ‘modern-rustic comfort food’. Having 30 years chef experience in many cuisines coupled with a full on board kitchen, he is able to customize and rotate his menus to best suit the needs of the festival, event, or party for which he is cooking.
Tim “The Brew Chef” Schafer is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Chef Schafer is an accomplished restaurateur, caterer, culinary instructor and beer and food columnist. The Brew Chef has been writing and sharing his passion for cooking with beer for over two decades. His work has been featured in numerous cookbooks and publications.
Chef Schafer has made many television appearances, including the Food Network and has been invited to cook aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2. The Brew Chef can be found conducting beer dinners, demonstrations and beer and food events. He is a New Jersey native and graduate of Morristown High School.
Al Gattullo has been employed on various talk, sports and music shows on radio for more than 25 years. Al’s has been drinking beer since it was legal for him to do so. In fact, he loves Craft Beer so much he hosts a radio program on it. Listen to Al talking all about Craft Beer and the business of beer, Saturday night’s at 8pm on the Al Gattullo Craft Beer Cast on AM 970 The Answer out of NYC. www.am970theanswer.com
Editor of Beer Bites a monthly feature about Breweries, bars and good beer in the Garden State.
Jenna Intersimone is an award-winning food writer and local features editor at the Courier News, Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com, where she writes about everything from the region’s most high-end eateries to the coolest craft beer bars to the food trucks you just have to try. Plus, she blogs about food, travel and fun on her internationally recognized website, LifeAboardTheTravelin
Michael DeSimone been a part of the NJ craft beer scene for over 10 years as a GM and beer buyer for Morris Tap & Grill, Paragon Tap & Table, The Shepherd & Knucklehead & Barcade! He has been the judge at this event prior as well as a VIP restaurant for the early years of Big Brew in Morristown. Aside from the beer world, he has eaten his fair share of bacon and bbq and is so excited to see what NJ can bring this year!