Doni is an inveterate traveler, she's been to nearly 70 countries. She's obsessed with food, from gourmet Michelin star level meals to pigs in a blanket. She relishes finding that unique place with the chef who really cares about what he or she is putting down on the plate. Doni hails from Nebraska and she's lived most of her life in New York since 1984. She wrote the book Paris Cocktails, published by Cider Mill Press in 2015. Doni has also written countless travel articles and blog posts for Matador Network, Hip Paris Blog, Huffington Post, and more.

As the youngest daughter of Chef Iliana de la Vega, Isabel was fortunate to spend her days hiding under restaurant tables and learning to cook (and eat) Mexican food. Though Isabel always imagined she too would be a chef one day, she came to realize that her food-related talents lay more with eating than cooking, so she became a cultural anthropologist and journalist instead. Isabel’s work has appeared in Atlas Obscura, Food52, Slate Magazine, LA Review of Books, The Art of Eating, Edible Austin, and Eater, among others.

Iliana de la Vega grew up in Mexico City at a time when only European cuisines were seen as worthy of being served at restaurants. Wishing to share how elegant—and worthy of fine-dining establishments—Mexican food can be, she moved to Oaxaca and opened El Naranjo, a restaurant and cooking school featured in The New York Times and Bon Appetit. A passionate teacher, Iliana has served as the Mexican/Latin Cuisines Specialist for The Culinary Institute of America for five years. She’s a twice-nominated James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef.