Participating Chefs

Born in San Francisco, California, Charles Lazzareschi inherited an interest in cooking early by spending time at his father’s Italian restaurant. He has worked in hotels for the past ten years and prior to moving to Madison Charles was the executive chef for five years at the Embassy Suites in Denver, Colorado. He studied at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

Charles manages the day-to-day food and beverage operations, which includes overseeing The Dayton Street Café and Ovations. Ovations, the hotel’s newest fine dining restaurant serving contemporary cuisine with Mediterranean influences, unveiled a new menu this fall featuring dishes such as prosciutto and manchego terrine, roasted rack of lamb with artichoke mashed potatoes, and the chef’s signature dish, confit of duck with porcini-filled crepes and orange-raspberry reduction. http://www.concoursehotel.com/

Charles resides on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin with his wife, Shelley, and two daughters, Isabella and Ava.

Gail Ambrosius (her real, given name) studied in France with the renowned Valrhona and Cluziel families of chocolatiers. Upon completing her studies, she settled in Madison, where she took courses at the University of Wisconsin Small Business Development Center. In 2004, she launched her Chocolatier business, making chocolates by hand at her kitchen on Atwood Avenue. She continues to produce her delicious creations to this day. View her website here.

Sami Fgaier grew up in Tunisia's Kerkennah Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea. Life in the islands taught him much about fish and seafood. He also worked in his mother's bookshop, where friends and strangers alike were welcomed to sit and talk over tea and yu-yu (doughnuts).

Arriving in Madison in 1995, Sami earned earned his computer science and business degrees, but quit his first professional job after just five weeks when he realized his real passion was serving food. He waited tables, bartended, learned the restaurant business, and opened Le Chardonnay in 2003.

A self-taught, creative and exacting chef, Sami shops daily for fresh ingredients and annually treks to Tunisia for his favorite spices. He charms his customers with his personal attention, and effortlessly switches among French, English, Arabic and Spanish. Le Chardonnay’s casual, friendly atmosphere and its delicious cuisine are an expression of Sami’s love for people and food.Le Chardonnay

Heather Brinker, of Baraboo, Wisconsin, got her start in the kitchens at Java Café in Baraboo and Wally’s House of Embers in Wisconsin Dells. Educated at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, she competed in the worldwide cooking competition the Bocuse d’Or. She is now the restaurant manager at the Kaminski Brothers Chop House at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells. In her spare time, Heather enjoys teaching cooking classes, mentoring future culinares and competing in BBQ competitions with the Justin Sane Co. BBQ team. For more information about the Kaminski Brothers Chop House, please visit http://www.kaminskibros.com.

Eric Benedict is an innovative young chef with an agrarian background. He grew up on an organic dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin, where he learned a love of the land and all things natural. After graduating with a B.A. in Landscape Architecture, he fell into a kitchen and developed a love for food and creation. He enjoys creating new and interesting flavor profiles and is inspired by the bounty of the seasons. Eric believes in simplicity and clarity in flavors, multiple layers of taste, and feeding the eyes first. He is based in French technique but enjoys applying it to many different styles. With four years of gourmet experience, two as sous chef at the Ocean Grill, he consistently enjoys learning and utilizing new ideas in all things culinary. For more information, please visit http://www.foodfightinc.com/oceangrill.htm.