Meet the 2018 sofi Judges

Phillip Arons is the National Director of Category Management for UNFI, a distributor of natural, organic, and specialty foods in deli, bakery, produce, chill, frozen, lifestyle wellness and grocery. His background in the specialty food industry spans over forty years. Throughout his career, he has held several positions that have brought a vast diversity of retail experiences. In the early 1980s, as a sales manager of a specialty wholesale distribution company in the Northeast, they serviced single and multi-unit independent grocery stores, natural stores (back in the eighties they were referred to as “health food” stores) and specialty stores and has observed over several decades hundreds and hundreds of once emerging products becoming mainstream giants. He later advanced to supermarket management, merchandising management, and was later named the VP of Specialty Food Marketing for an East Coast company. With a B.S. in chemistry, for a short time in the late seventies Phillip was employed as a chemist and earned his company a patent with the development of a ruthenium electroplating bath. His passion and love for the food industry redirected his career and the benefits derived from that experience were fully realized. He was able to intertwine science with his intuitive industry knowledge gained from his years of practical experience to create a unique, innovative, and practical approach to category management—which has become a key point of delineation for UNFI.

Megha Chopra is passionate about sourcing great food and championing small food businesses. In her current role on the Public Markets team at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, she is tasked with launching the New Essex Street Market, a historic community hub for affordable, accessible, and authentic food experiences. Previously, Megha was on the menu development team at Pret a Manger, a U.K.-based food and coffee shop. As Pret’s first American buyer, she was an instrumental part of the team, helping to curate the menu to local tastes and flavors. Prior to joining Pret, Megha was a Category Manager at FreshDirect where she worked closely with both large CPGs and smaller local manufacturers to launch and develop new food products. During her time there, she maintained a significant focus on working with makers to develop innovative products that were both new to the marketplace and exclusive to FreshDirect. Megha is also a lifelong lover and advocate of street food, she currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Street Vendor Project, working to ensure that New York City protects and supports its most vulnerable small food businesses, street vendors

Beth has 20+ years’ experience in food distribution. In her current role as VP of Vendor Relations, she focuses on developing strategies that build strong vendor partnerships to maximize the effectiveness of the Vendor-Distributor relationship driving smooth execution down through to the customer.

Margaret Furniss co-founded Caviar & Bananas gourmet market in 2008. The upscale eatery is designed in the style of an NYC market. C&B currently has 4 locations in South Carolina and will open a 5th in Tennessee in 2017. Prior to her role with C&B, Margaret worked in brand creation and marketing in NYC.

Kimia Kalbasi is the founder of KimiasKravings.com. She is a content creator, social media strategist, and writer based in NYC who specializes in food, travel, and lifestyle intertwined with positivity. She will travel for food as far as she can go. From unique and tantalizing eateries to hip, trendy shops and rooftop lounges to scenic beaches, she is your ultimate go-to gal for when you don’t know where to go. She truly appreciates the essence of food - from the preparation and story to the social aspect and gatherings to tasting it, of course. Some of her favorite go-to's include: peanut butter, sweet potato fries, sushi, and dark chocolate. She also loves red wine, coffee, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Follow her foodie and travel adventures on Instagram: @KimiasKravings. She has been featured on Good Morning America Digital, ABC News, PA Live, Thrive Global, and Huffington Post.

Maria is a self-taught lifelong cook, and followed her passion to become an authority on Greek and Mediterranean cuisines. She is the Global Ambassador of Greek Gastronomy, as appointed by the Chef's Club of Greece, and was re-elected for another term unanimously in 2016. Additionally, she is a member of Les Dames D'Escoffier New York Chapter, the premiere invite-only women's culinary society. In addition to having her own restaurants in Greece (Kouzina Maria Loi) and Manhattan (Loi Estiatorio), she has written 36 cookbooks including Ancient Dining, the official cookbook of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, and The Greek Diet, her latest book highlighting the 12 Pillar Foods of the Greek diet, which is the basis of the Mediterranean Diet. She is currently working with Harvard University on the Fire Fighter Study and their Diabetes study, which they are writing two books highlighting the effects of the Mediterranean Diet (with coordinating recipes) on the health of firefighters and diabetics (both type 1 and 2), respectively, across the US. She teaches at several schools, both culinary and universities, including the International Culinary Center, Harvard, and NYU, culinary classes and techniques as well as culinary theory, food history she consults for many companies, restaurants, and organizations on culinary and business-related pursuits, especially related to product development, including recipe R&D, packaging design, and launch strategies.

Max is a world-renowned cheese expert, scholar, and author of books including Cheese, a Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best, and Mastering Cheese, Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. He is a James Beard Award winner and a member of the board of directors of American Cheese Society.

Greg Morago is the award-winning food editor for the Houston Chronicle where he covers Houston chefs, restaurants, dining trends, cookbooks and recipes. He was the restaurant critic for the Hartford Courant for 15 years before joining the Chronicle. A longtime James Beard Award restaurant judge, Morago is also a founding member of Foodways Texas, an organization dedicated to preserving Texas food culture. He has attended the summer Fancy Foods show for 10 years and written about gourmet food trends. He has worn many hats as a features editor and reporter covering pop culture, fashion, travel, home design, beauty and fragrance. He’s proud to cover the dynamic Houston restaurant scene that has had three James Beard Award-winning chefs in the past four years. Texas-style barbecue is also a passion: Morago is a barbecue judge for the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest in Houston and hosts a barbecue podcast called BBQ State of Mind.

Charles Passy is a veteran food and entertainment writer and critic who’s worked for The Wall Street Journal and its affiliated publications since 2010. His stories, including several front-page features, have covered topics ranging from cafes and restaurants that specialize in rare and pricey coffee (as in $40-plus a cup) to the growing use of ash in high-end cuisine. Prior to joining the Journal, Passy was on staff at The Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, Fl., from 1992 to 2010 and was a longtime stringer for both the Journal and The New York Times. A native of New York City, he studied voice at the High School of Music and Art (now the LaGuardia School of “Fame” fame) and majored in English at Columbia University. He once contemplated a career as an opera singer – until he realized journalism was a much easier calling.

Mitch joined Chobani to help run the Chobani Incubator as its Program Specialist. Prior to Chobani, he spent two years in Detroit as a Venture for America Fellow. While in Detroit, Mitch worked alongside the Founder at a small tech startup and then served as Strategic Project Manager for the City of Detroit’s Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Jill Ford. He gained valuable experience working on initiatives to provide resources and support for small businesses throughout the city. Mitch is originally from New York and graduated from Duke University with degrees in Political Science and Market & Management Studies.

As senior buyer for Market Hall Foods, the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading specialty food store and its e-commerce site, markethallfoods.com, Linda Sikorski is responsible for buying and managing hundreds of products. Market Hall Foods enjoys a national reputation for excellence and is a recognized leader in the specialty food business. Markethallfoods.com, a welcome resource for home cooks across the nation, offers one-stop shopping for artisan products from around the world and a growing selection of local and regional products, including California certified extra virgin olive oil. In addition to leading the buying team and the direct import program, Sikorski champions small family producers from nearby, throughout the United States and abroad. She searches out and identifies these artisans, often providing advice while simultaneously showcasing these unique products to a broader consumer audience. She also develops staff training tools and produces in-store customer tastings, classes, events, and myriad annual in-store promotions. Previously to joining Market Hall Foods (then known as The Pasta Shop), in 1992, Sikorski worked in senior management and as the specialty food buyer with Andronico’s Markets and San Francisco International Cheese Imports. She continuously lends her leadership skills and expertise to professional trade and culinary organizations via committee and board work. She served for several years on the board of directors for both the San Francisco Professional Food Society, and the California Olive Oil Council. With her vast experience, she is a popular panelist at food industry symposia and a judge for the Good Food Awards.

Tina Ujlaki was the Executive Food Editor at Food & Wine until September 2016. In her 30+ years at the magazine, she had the pleasure of editing many of the most inspiring food writers and chefs, including Paula Wolfert, Jacques Pepin, Marcella Hazan, Julia Child, Barbara Tropp and Judy Rodgers. Tina currently works as a consultant and freelance editor.

Joanne Weir is a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, international cooking teacher, chef and television personality. Her award-winning PBS series, “Joanne Weir Gets Fresh” began airing nationally in the US January 2015 with a second season beginning January 2016. Joanne’s newest 26-part PBS cooking television show called Joanne Weir’s PLATES & PLACES premieres nationally February 2018. Her ultimate calling is teaching others to cook throughout the world. Joanne spends several months each year in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Great Britain, South America and Mexico, sharing her extensive background in technique, nutrition and food theory. Her award-winning Culinary Journey’s program takes students to study with her along the Mediterranean in Italy, Spain, France, Morocco and Greece. With the release of her book Tequila: A Guide to Types Flights, Cocktails and Bites (Ten Speed Press 2009), in 2012, Weir’s career took an exciting twist as she opened Copita, a modern Mexican restaurant and tequileria in Sausalito, California along with restaurateur extraordinaire, Larry Mindel. Copita was named Best Mexican Restaurant in the Bay Area by 7x7 Magazine and featured on the cover of San Francisco Magazine as one of the best Mexican restaurants in San Francisco. Joanne recently opened Tavola, a Mediterranean café, within the University of Massachusetts Student Union, her alma mater. Joanne has received many awards and accolades during her career. She was one of 20 American women chefs appointed by the State Department to the American Chef Corp in 2012, named to promote world relations through food. She was awarded the first IACP Julia Child Cooking Teacher Award of Excellence, two Taste Awards for her television work, one for Passion in 2011 and the other for the Best New Television Series for Cooking Confidence in 2013. That same year, Joanne was honored with the Tour Operator of the Year Award from the IACP for her highly acclaimed Culinary Journeys.