 Colin and Renée Alevras
Colin and Renée Alevras opened The Tasting Room Wine Bar & Café in
November 1999 with a vision of great American wines paired with innovative
cuisine created with the freshest local ingredients. After years of success,
they have now opened The Tasting Room Restaurant on Elizabeth Street, and
the original location at 72 East First Street has new life as a café and
wine bar. Both Colin and Renée had worked in NYC restaurant kitchens
after graduating from Peter Kump's NY Cooking School (now known as ICE
The Institute for Culinary Education), before they traveled to Paris to
apprentice in the 3 Star Micheline rated Arpege. After returning to New
York, Colin worked as a private chef to a UN ambassador and Renée
managed a hotel restaurant while they began preparations to open their
own restaurant. They have two children and live in the East Village.
|
 Sean Conway
Celebrated garden designer and television host Sean Conway combines
his zest for outdoor living with his innovative style to create outdoor
spaces
that bring great design to life.
In 2008, Conway expands his Sean Conway™ Garden Style collection
for Target with a wider assortment of cast aluminum patio furniture. Building
on the dining set, the line now includes deep seating, all-weather wicker,
balcony height, sling and chaise lounges — all with woven cushions
in classic Conway colors. The assortment was designed to mix and match.
Antique-inspired décor pieces including oil lamps, gnomes statuaries,
weathervanes and outdoor thermometers help guests bring their own style
to life.
Conway is the host and executive producer of Cultivating Life, which
appears on public television stations nationwide and features tips and
ideas for
outdoor living. In addition to his own show, Conway has been a repeat
guest on both Martha Stewart Living and NBC’s TODAY show. |
Willi Galloway
Willi Evans Galloway is the West Coast Editor of Organic Gardening magazine. She is a weekly guest on Seattle’s popular KUOW 94.9 gardening
program, Greendays, has appeared on gardening segments for Fox Q13, and
regularly
speaks at gardening events. Willi is a Master Gardener and also serves
on the Board of Directors for Seattle Tilth, a non-profit that teaches
urbanites how to garden organically. Willi is also the Garden Expert for
eHow.com and is at work on DigginFood.com, a new blog dedicated to edible
gardening and cooking. Willi grows vegetables and flowers at her neighborhood
community garden and also gardens in her small Seattle yard with her husband,
a dopey Labrador retriever, and four pet chickens. |
 Dana Jacobi
Dana Jacobi has authored six cookbooks and written for Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and the New York Times. Her work has won a Gourmand World Cookbook Award and has been twice nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award. She teaches cooking classes in New York City, where she also lives. Photo credit © 2008 Maren Caruso. |
 Rebecca Kolls
Master Gardener Rebecca Kolls knows her dirt — she's been digging in the
garden most of her life! It was a passion passed down from her mentor,
her grandfather. For 11 years Rebecca hosted NBC's nationally syndicated
show Rebecca's Garden. She was the lifestyles and gardening
contributor for ABC's Good Morning America for many years,
is the author of the book Rebecca's Garden: Four Seasons to Grow
On, and now publishes her own magazine, Seasons by Rebecca.
Rebecca has appeared on many national talk shows such as: Oprah, CNN, The
Rachel
Ray Show, Regis and Kathy Lee, Tony Danza, NBC's Weekend Today Show, The
Other Half, and many more. She has been featured in numerous national magazines
and newspapers. |
 Brian McGovern
Brian began studying magic at the age of six, after befriending
an elderly vaudeville magician and sometime card cheat in Coney Island.
In return for running errands, the old wizard taught Brian everything he
knew about the art of deception. As a teen he perfected his sleight of
hand skills performing on the streets of New York City. He went on to perform
at corporate events and comedy clubs across the country. Now he produces
comedy and magic shows for events all over the world as president of Hijinx
Entertainment.
|
 William Moss
Teaching is my vocation; nature and gardening are my passions. I've been
fortunate enough to combine these interests in many projects, such as working
with teens and adults at the Chicago Botanic Garden, teaching about landscape
design on Discovery's Channel's Rally Round the House and Town
Haul, and
now as an urban gardening expert with the National Gardening Association.
At heart I’m a southerner from Spartanburg, South Carolina. But
since moving to attend Northwestern University, Chicago has been my home.
After
several years teaching in the city's public schools, I enrolled in the
Chicago Master Gardeners course, and horticulture has been my life ever
since. I'm a full-fledged urban gardener, with a roof deck, balcony containers,
dozens of houseplants, a local community plot, and a backyard oasis at
my mother-in-law's brick bungalow. In these varied spaces I grow edibles,
tropicals, succulents, alpines, prairie denizens, woodlanders, woodies,
and water garden plants — all within a bustling metropolis. |
 Charlie Nardozzi
Charlie Nardozzi has worked for more
than 20 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners
through radio, television, and the printed
page. He delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun and
accessible to everyone. His energy, exuberance, and love of the natural
world also make Charlie an exciting public speaker and presenter. He presently
is the senior horticulturist and spokesperson for the National Gardening
Association (NGA). He also writes the national news for the Regional Reports
Newsletter, conducts media interviews about gardening and NGA provides
horticultural consultation to NGA programs and writes a free Edible
Landscaping e-newsletter.
For 12 years he was an editor with National Gardening magazine,
writing stories on a variety of gardening topics from roses to tomatoes.
He has
written for national magazines such as Organic Gardening and contributed
to many of the “Gardening for Dummies” titles, authoring Vegetable
Gardening For Dummies. He also contributed to other book project such
as
7 in 1 Gardening for Dummies and the Better Homes and Gardens’ Yard
and Garden Owner’s Manual.
Charlie’s skills as a garden communicator extend beyond the printed
page. In 2005, he was the host of PBS’s Garden Smart, reaching more
than 60 million households. He has also been a gardening expert on many
national syndicated television shows such as HGTV’s Today
at Home and Way to Grow, Discovery Channel’s Home
Matters, DIY’s Ask DIY, as well as appearing
on QVC and the Home Shopping Network. At his home in Vermont, he co-hosts In
The Garden tips on the local CBS affiliate television station (WCAX-Channel
3), a weekly, call-in radio show on WJOY-1230AM and is a commentator at
Vermont Public Radio. |
 Vicki Payne
Vicki Payne has hosted the lively and informative For Your Home show on
PBS and the Create Channel since 1996. Vicki brings viewers the latest
trends, tips and products for improving their homes, their gardens and
their lifestyle. For Your Home is carried by more than 292 stations and
is the #2 most aired home and garden show in the country, airing more than
1,400 times per week. Vicki is an internationally recognized lifestyle,
garden and home improvement expert. In addition to her work in television,
she is an accomplished writer, speaker, and educator. She is frequently
published in shelter, craft and trade magazines. She is the author of many
home organization and glass crafting books. |
 Pat Stone
Pat Stone is the coauthor of Chicken
Soup for the Gardener’s Soul: 101 Stories to make the Heart Bloom,
part of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He
is also editor, publisher and creator of GreenPrints, “The Weeder’s
Digest,” the only magazine devoted to sharing the
human side of gardening in fine prose and art. |