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6:00 PM RECEPTION | 7:00 PM DINNER
ZOES STEAK + SEAFOOD
713 19TH STREET, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
Years writing: 54 years, 30 years professionally
Training: on-the-job writing; Johnson & Wales University culinary
First industry job: Food editor, Suffolk News-Herald at age 31
Food writing philosophy: to always be honest and true in my words, and to use them to paint a word painting of my experience of the eat, the drink, or the place that I’m telling you about so you can relive it with me. I do this through my blog and socials, on my radio show, The Virginia Eats + Drinks Show on AM790 WNIS, in my reports on Coast Live on WTKR News-3, through my books, and more.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: oysters, because no other ingredient quite defines their sense of place as they do. There are eight distinct oyster-growing regions in the Commonwealth, each flavoring the bivalves there uniquely with their merroir, or the way the water and environment there influences with nutrients, salinity, temperature, tidal flow, and more. And there is nothing like a Virginia oyster anywhere else in the world. How lucky are we?
Why are you excited for the benefit of the James Beard Foundation? The James Beard Foundation does tremendous work and is the standard-bearer of culinary excellence. I have been fortunate to be associated with it for some 15 years now, including helping bring this event here. Many areas have great chefs and great restaurants, but we have all that plus our unique culinary history here, the Birthplace of American Cuisine. It’s time for Coastal Virginia to shine.
Years in wine: 36 years, 26 as a certified sommelier. Today Marc is an Advanced Master’s sommelier candidate.
First industry job: waiter at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club while in college at age 19.
Wine philosophy: to try to find a wine for everybody, for everyone, as well as to never be pretentious, and to share as much knowledge as possible.
One favorite wine: I taste more than 50,000 different wines a year, and, yes, a lot of them are pretty spectacular. Here are two standouts: So my death row white is a 2004 Domaine de la Romanée Conti Montrachet, and my Red is a 1994 Harlan Estates Cabernet Sauvignon. But my overall is a 1995 Salon Champagne.
How you are selecting the wines to pair at Beard at the Beach: I’ve done a deep dive with each chef on the ingredients that they are using, with an important focus on acid, fat, and sugar levels on each of the dishes to make sure that we end up with a proper pairing.
Why are you excited for the benefit of the James Beard Foundation? Virginia Beach and all of the area have so many incredible ingredients, both produce and seafood. That is, I think, important. It’s special, and it’s unique to be able to showcase and share that. The event is going to be a pinnacle point for the region.
Years cooking: 29 total, 27 professionally
Training: Johnson and Wales University; trained under chefs from French Laundry and Commander’s Palace
First industry job: dishwasher at Flying Fish Restaurant on the Outer Banks, age 19
Cooking philosophy: Respect the ingredients as you cook and always try to think about how this product was either grown, raised, or caught.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: Scallops are one of my favorite ingredients because of their flavor and texture. It’s always a game on who can get the best sear in my kitchens.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: My dishes use a lot of local ingredients that everyone is familiar with, but are created in a new way for a different experience that will be memorable and enjoyable for a great event
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? It’s a great honor to cook under a great foundation. I have actually cooked at the James Beard House and have a lot of respect for Chef James Beard for his teaching and raising the bar in the culinary world
+ Local corn puree with jumbo lump nugget with truffle oil powder
+ Seared scallop ceviche with lime creme fraiche, red onions, Royal Ossetra caviar, baby cucumber
+ One-bite caprese salad stuffed into a squash blossom on house-made roasted garlic focaccia
+ Foie gras custard with fresh fig balsamic and crispy prosciutto
Years cooking: 22 total, 13 professionally.
Training: Virginia Chef’s Association culinary apprenticeship; Reynolds Community College culinary school.
First industry job: McDonald’s at age 15
Cooking philosophy: My cooking philosophy blends creativity, sustainability, and education. I craft thoughtful dishes with stylized presentations and surprising, fun flavor profiles, using seasonal ingredients. Through cooking, I inspire curiosity, confidence, and connection, encouraging others to explore food with imagination, respect, and joy.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: benne seeds because they are a fun ingredient that can add an unexpected flavor and texture to many different types of dishes.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: I have multiple dishes that I wanted to showcase local Virginia ingredients in all of them. I will be highlighting benne seeds, Virginia peanuts, paw paw, Virginia berries, rainbow trout, Mt. Vernon Gristmill flour, and sorghum.
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? I am excited to cook for this event to support the JBF especially given the core ideas of education and mentorship, sustainability, and culinary excellence. It is getting the best chefs in the area together to showcase their skills and have a great event to enthrall the community.
+ Blistered Shishito Peppers: pimento cheese | benne seed lavash | Virginia peanut streusel
+ Laughing King Oysters | oysters | paw paw yuzu glee | Virginia berry frozen mignonette | finger lime | chili oil
+ Smoke in Chimney’s Trout Salad | trout | Mt. Vernon Gristmill blini | chive blossom | quail egg | cucumber
+ Sorghum Glazed Pork Belly | pork belly | popcorn grits | blueberry | horseradish | popped sorghum
Years cooking: 40 total, 30 professionally.
Training: Lots of on-the-job training at first, training under several great mentors, and a degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
First industry job: dishwasher at Cafe Society at age 14.
Cooking philosophy: Simple really, use quality ingredients and classic techniques to create quality fresh food. I’m also a huge believer in passing on my knowledge to the next generation of young chefs, which I do daily.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: Pungo tomatoes for their flavor. I use green ones for fried tomatoes and red ones for sandwiches.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: I was pretty much told I was doing my Crab Soup. This is definitely an honor with so many other restaurants’ soups to choose from. Mannino’s Crab Soup has been a Coastal Virginia staple for almost 20 years now.
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? For an executive chef and restaurateur, being invited to cook for a James Beard Foundation event is far more than just a charity gig. It is a major career milestone and a powerful business lever. I am honored to be one of the few chefs in this region to be chosen for this collaboration dinner.
+ Mannino’s Award Winning Crab Soup
Years cooking: 45 total, with 15 professionally
Training: self-taught
First industry job: Cafe Stella, at age 45.
Cooking philosophy: Food is an act of hospitality. Inspired by my Filipino heritage, global influences, classical pastry techniques, and Virginia’s coastal ingredients, I create food that is both comforting and refined, simple and celebratory. As a baker and café owner, I intend to bring people together through memorable experiences, balancing craftsmanship, tradition, creativity, and generosity in every dish.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: Pecans because they bring warmth and richness to many of my dishes. They embody hospitality, both comfort and elegance, appearing in many of my desserts friends and family share when they are together.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: For the palate cleanser, my bright lemon and cool cucumber granita will refresh the palate before Chef Paul’s fish course, while the sea lettuce reflects the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
The intermezzo is deeply personal. It blends my Filipino heritage through congee with Virginia’s agricultural history through Carolina Gold rice. For the “smoke” I’m adding a pinch of Chesapeake finely minced smoked oyster. This dish says comfort food and fine dining in a single spoonful.
Why are you excited to cook at Beard at the Beach? This dinner brings together my Filipino roots, years as a chef and baker, and Virginia’s coastal ingredients, and showcases my passion for hospitality and for bringing people together through food.
+ Eastern Shore Cucumber-Lemon Granita with Sea Lettuce and Herb Oil
+ Carolina Gold Rice Congee with Ginger, Scallion, and Chesapeake Smoke
Years cooking: 22, all of them professionally
Training: mentorship under several Coastal Virginia chefs, especially Erick Heilig
First industry job: fry cook at Bodega at age 16
Cooking philosophy: Complexity can be found in simplicity. Look, preparing a dish simply, but when you actually look at it, it’s so very complex, and that’s a beautiful thing.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: Oysters; it’s like my food philosophy. Look at them; they seem simple, but they are really very complex. There are so many different layers to an oyster. Its flavor profile is salinity, grass, and mineral. And you know, there’s also a whole spectrum of the way to finish with the cucumber and the melon. It’s just such a beautiful and complex creature.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: This dish is where the land meets the ocean. The Surryano ham brings warmth from our soil, as well as the sweet corn and tomatoes and other produce used, while the rockfish and crab carry the salt of the bay. It’s a celebration of everything that shaped me, where the fields embrace the tide, and where the Chesapeake’s story becomes my own. I’m honored to share this dish, a piece of my heart, at this James Beard House Dinner.
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? Growing up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, I learned early that the water wasn’t just scenery; it was life, a way of life, a movement, something special. The Bay’s rhythm shaped my days, and its bounty inspired my craft. For Beard at the Beach, I’m honored to share a dish that holds a piece of my story, my heart, and my nod to our region.
+ Chesapeake Rockfish | Blue Crab Imperial | Summer Succotash | Surryano Ham | Shellfish Nage
Years cooking: 35 years total
Training: On the job and multiple trips to Italy and across Europe, working under regional and Michelin-star chefs.
First industry job: Pot scrubber at Grazianos Italian Restaurant in Lisbon, Maine, at age 14.
Cooking philosophy: It’s important to understand and respect the ingredients you’re using, and also the style in which you are using them and Cultural etiquette. And patience is key to truly understanding the process.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: I like Inner Coastal ingredients such as pork, collards, sorrel, and mushrooms. The coastline offers amazing things, but the region has so much to offer.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: I’m doing a fresh tortelloni with pasta from local eggs, filled with braised pork jowl, and collard mascarpone. It sits in a prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano bone broth with crispy sorrel and guanciale. I’m doing this to showcase the ingredients that may not be from the water but absolutely sustain our area and its farmers in Coastal Virginia, from the Eastern Shore all the way down the Inner Coastal waterways.
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? This is an amazing opportunity to bring the amazing chefs and regional talent to the forefront of such an honored foundation. I’m honored to represent the many talented chefs and foods of our region.
Handmade Cappelletti filled with fresh housemade ricotta, collards steeped in aged vinegar and cured pork jowl | brodo crafted with prosciutto di Parma, fennel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds | Chef Tony’s garden herbs | crisp-skinned porchetta of slow-roasted pork belly
Years cooking: 40 years total; 23 professionally.
Training: Incredible mentors, massive cookbook collection, and travel to dine in the best restaurants
First industry job: making cheesesteaks in the dining hall at James Madison University at age 18
Cooking philosophy: find the best ingredients and don’t mess them up.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: I’ve recently started cooking peanuts, and that has been fun. I’ve lived in Suffolk, the peanut capital of the world, since 2004. I’ve been surrounded by the peanut industry through family and community for years. Recently, I decided, what the heck, let’s start making some cool peanuts.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: We’ve riffed on so many variations of this dish over the years at Harper’s Table. It’s become a summer signature and many guests’ favorite thing that we make. We char the peach on the grill and play with the line between sweet and savory. Salty country ham, toasted pecans, brown butter, and local honey.
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? I had the exciting opportunity to cook at the James Beard House over a decade ago in New York City. It was amongst the greatest cooking adventures I’ve been lucky enough to have. I’m excited to support the organization to hopefully give the next generation of young chefs the same opportunities I had cooking there.
+ Grilled Saunders Brothers peaches | shaved country ham | watercress | arugula | herbs | brown butter, pecan, and honey dressing
Years cooking: 29 years, all cooking professionally.
Training: on-the-job, no formal training.
First industry job: Der Wienerschnitzel fast food at age 15
Cooking philosophy: I enjoy blending classic techniques with fresh ideas, creating flavorful dishes that respect tradition while offering something unique. Every meal is an opportunity to connect people through great food.
Favorite Coastal Virginia ingredient: Rockfish; it is one of the most iconic fish of the Chesapeake Bay. It has excellent flavor, versatility, and great texture.
Explain the dish you are creating for Beard at the Beach: Virginia Apple Orchard celebrates the flavors of the Commonwealth through apples, Virginia peanuts, and sorghum. I selected this dessert to showcase local ingredients, seasonal traditions, and the balance of texture, sweetness, and warmth that defines Virginia hospitality.
Why are you excited to cook to benefit the James Beard Foundation? I’ve wanted to cook at the James Beard House for decades, so when
asked to cook for this event, it was a no-brainer!
+ Virginia Apple Orchard: Virginia apple, raw and roasted | Sable Breton tart crust | Virginia peanut brown butter tuile | apple cider gelee | fall spice Chantilly | gold leaf | miso sorghum glaze
+ Luster powder dusted chocolate bonbon
