Talent

Newly named as the Executive Chef of Graduate Nashville, Vannesa Bordoy has been in the industry for 15 years—with two years already under her belt at Graduate Nashville. Built from the flavors of her childhood – born and raised in Colombia, South America – and the inspiration from her many travels since she was a child, Bordoy draws creativity from her background, her friends, and everyday experiences, constantly trying new foods and recreating them in her own uniquely genuine way. Arriving in Nashville in 2019, Bordoy first started at Nashville hotel Noelle before moving to be a part of the opening team of the Margaritaville Hotel Nashville and then the Music City staple, Pancake Pantry, before her time as sous chef for White Limozeen, Cross-Eyed Critters, and Poindexter. Dedicating time to disconnect and be present when not in the kitchen, Bordoy puts an emphasis on granting herself space to recover from the high demands of the industry by taking care of her physical and mental health—allowing herself to bring her all to her job and innovation to the restaurant’s South-meets-French cuisine.

After leaving Louisiana Tech University, Desi graduated from the New England Culinary
Institute in 1998 obtaining an AOS in Culinary Arts. Most of his career was spent in corporate
dining as an Executive Chef and Director for companies like JP Morgan Chase, Cirrus Logic
and most recently Google, Austin. With more than 25 years of corporate experience behind him,
Desi, with the support of his wife, Dianne, ventured out on his own in Ruston, Louisiana, the
town in which he began his culinary career.

Bourgeois Restaurant Group, LLC. was created in 2017, its first concept Grown and Grazed
opened as a food truck in February 2018. The mission of BRG is to enhance the local food
economy by promoting local producers, farmers, and growers, while educating the public about
how food gets to the table. A second concept Staple Sandwich Co. was developed in 2020 to
further that purpose. With the addition of Staple Sandwich Co. BRG solidified its place and set a
new standard in the Downtown Ruston culinary scene.

In 2021, Desi and Dianne purchased the property that housed Grown and Grazed and Staple
Sandwich Co. to create Heard Freighthouse Food Park, an Austin styled food truck park,
complete with a stage and plenty of seating for the building of community. Grown and Grazed
and Staple Sandwich Company anchor the park occupying two of its six spaces.

Currently, BRG, LLC and Heard Freighthouse Development, LLC are developing the former
Heard Wholesale Grocery Warehouse located on the park’s property. The space, known as,
The Heard will contain a commissary kitchen, a full-service restaurant and a craft cocktail bar to
open in late 2025.

It was all a dream.

Chef Phillip’s culinary roots began with his grandmother’s cooking. Childhood memories of Sunday lunch at grandma’s watching her “cook up a storm” to feed her family inspired his early love of cooking for others. He entered the restaurant business as a dishwasher and tried his hand at other roles until eventually making his way onto the cooking line.

Since then, he has worked in many kitchens and served thousands of happy customers. Chef Phillip has also competed and placed in multiple international cooking competitions, creating a national following for his famous gumbo. Today, he offers his culinary talents through Chef Phillip’s Creative Foods, a catering and private chef service serving Mississippi & beyond.

Brittany Cochran discovered her passion for food at a young age, learning how to “plow, plant and pick” the ingredients for her family’s meals. “Nothing fancy… just simple, fresh dishes made from scratch… with lots of love,” she explains. “I call it cooking from the heart; caring about the food and the people you’re feeding. If I have a style, that would be it.”Brittany’s style was honed by her first job at the prestigious Jack Nicholas Golf Club, which she leveraged to earn a scholarship at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC where she excelled as a student. Her big break came when she was offered a position at New York City’s famed Italian spot Restaurant Marc Forgione, working under Forgione himself. It was these skills that impressed Chef Bruce Moffet of Moffett Restaurant Group, who brought Brittany back to Charlotte as Executive Chef at Stagioni, where the loyalty of her customers is only surpassed by the loyalty of her employees.

Luke Joseph leads the team at Current Charcoal Grill as Executive Chef-Partner of the lauded Birmingham, Alabama restaurant that celebrates the diverse flavors, ingredients, and techniques of Asian cuisine. Joseph comes to the Southern US from Waiheke Island, New Zealand, where everyday experiences such as diving for scallops in the Pacific Ocean and tending to gardens deeply influenced his path to becoming a chef. Helming the kitchen at Current Charcoal Grill, he utilizes an authentic centuries-old approach to cooking with traditional Binchotan charcoals to curate an ever-changing menu that showcases spear-caught fish and sustainably harvested seafood from the Gulf, as well as produce from local farmers and thoughtfully sourced, high-quality proteins.

Before partnering with Chef Adam Evans to open Current in 2024, Joseph worked as a chef at Automatic Seafood & Oysters where he developed a brunch program emphasizing sustainably sourced seafood and seasonal local produce. His culinary career began while earning a degree in biomedical engineering from The University of Auckland in New Zealand when he worked part-time as a baker at a traditional Swiss bakery, igniting his passion for cooking. While in New Zealand, Joseph worked under Chef Al Brown at Federal Delicatessen, collaborating closely with Chef Kyle Street to bring it to life and in 2013, his culinary journey took him to Melbourne, Australia, where he joined the team at Vue de monde. Driven by a desire to broaden his culinary expertise, he spent time exploring the cuisines of Southeast Asia, South America, and Japan before returning to Australia to work with renowned chef Andrew McConnell at Marion Wine Bar and Cutler & Co. He later became Chef de Cuisine at Alimentari Smith Street. In 2019, Joseph moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to lead the kitchen at Woodlawn Cycle Cafe, a formerly beloved all-day restaurant. 

Austin Sumrall, is the chef and owner of White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge in Biloxi, MS. He is a native of McComb, Mississippi, a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Austin met his wife, Gulfport native, Tresse Young Sumrall while in school at Ole Miss. The couple married in October 2012, and moved to Birmingham for Austin to begin his career at the famed Hot and Hot Fish Club under Chef Chris Hastings.

 In 2015 the Sumralls welcomed their son Ollie to the family and began making plans to move back to Mississippi and pursue their dream of opening their own restaurant in their beloved home state. They officially opened the White Pillars in December of 2017 with the goal of championing Mississippi culture and food through farm to table cuisine.

 In 2020 he was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for “Best Chef South.” In 2021 he brought home the title of “King of American Seafood 2021.” after winning top prize in the Great American Seafood Cookoff. This year he was featured in two Food Network televised cooking competitions. He came in second on the Southern round of Chopped National tournament and brought home the winning title against Iron Chef, Alex Guarnaschelli on her show, Alex vs America.