Featured Chefs

	Main Course Chef Nirmal Monteiro started his career in Mumbai, the most cosmopolitan city in India. He is trained in classical and traditional Indian cuisine and methods of cooking. From the ancient Mughlai style to the modern, he brings a touch of history to every dish he makes. Monteiro’s international food and restaurant experiences span multiple countries including India, Italy, Guam, Iraq, Switzerland and Japan. After starting over 20 successful concepts around the world, Chef Nirmal Monteiro embarked on a journey of his own at Nirmal’s.

	Appetizer Yuie Wiborg developed her passion for food while growing up in Thailand, where she helped her mother wash, prepare and cook at their market food stall. She went on to study at the prestigious Dusitani cooking school in Bangkok before arriving in Seattle. She's currently pushing the Seattle area’s understanding and expectations of Thai food to another level. Owner and chef of both Soi in Seattle and Banyan Tree at Kent Station, Yuie crafts and prepares Thai food that few people know about and makes you feel is if you were eating in Thailand.

	Starter Chef Masa Nakashima grew up in Hokkaido Japan and started his culinary training after high school in Osaka, Japan in traditional Japanese cuisine (Kaiseki style). Chef Masa began making sushi when he moved to Vancouver, B.C. over 30 years ago, in 1981. He arrived in Seattle in 2002, where he was the Executive Chef at I Love Sushi in Bellevue for 10 years before joining Japonessa. He’s currently working with Chef Billy Beach to open Japonessa East at the Lincoln Square Extension this fall.
	Dessert Chera Amlag bakes for smiles, the aroma and a little decadence in our lives at Hood Famous Bakeshop. As a self-taught pastry chef, she enjoys bringing community together around food and utilizing taste buds to express culture. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Chera found baking with tropical flavors and incorporating them into popular American desserts was not only an homage to her Filipino American identity, but made for a memorable, sweet experience.