Alexandra Guarnaschelli

There are few American chefs, much less female chefs, that can boast staying power in Michelin-starred restaurants.  Executive Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli of Butter Restaurant can boast indeed—she embarked on a culinary journey in France, and ended up working in some of the country’s top restaurants including esteemed chef Guy Savoy’s eponymous three-star kitchen.

In 2003, Guarnaschelli become the executive chef at Butter Restaurant, where she creates her own eclectic American and green market-inspired menu.  In addition to her restaurant work, Guarnaschelli is a member of The Southern Foodways Alliance and The James Beard Foundation.  Guarnaschelli also recently accepted and invitation to become part of the 15-member Chef’s Advisory Council at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education.

Guarnaschelli has many national television appearances including Iron Chef America as both a contestant and a judge, Food Network Challenge as both a contestant and judge, The Today Show and The Rachael Ray Show.  She has been featured in The New York Times, Elle, New York, Time Out New York and writes the Green Table blog on Yahoo.com

Guarnaschelli is currently the host of The Cooking Loft on Food Network. On The Cooking Loft, this successful restaurant chef invites four students into her cooking loft to learn her secrets and ask the kinds of questions at-home viewers would want to know the answers to.  The Cooking Loft airs on Food Network on Saturdays at 9:30 AM EST. She also is a regular judge on “Chopped”, a new Food Network prime time show and will be featured in the upcoming series “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”