Ann Cooper is a celebrated author, chef, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children. In a nation where children are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than their parents because of diet-related illness, Ann is a relentless voice of reform by focusing on the links between food, family, farming and children's health and wellness.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY, Ann has been a chef for more than 30 years including positions with Holland America Cruises, Radisson Hotels, Telluride Ski Resort as well as serving as Executive Chef at the renowned Putney Inn in Vermont. She has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and Time Magazine and has appeared on NPR's 'Living on Earth,' ABC's Nightline, CNN, PBS' To The Contrary and the CBS Morning Show and many other media outlets.

Ann is the author of four books: Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children (2006), In Mother's Kitchen: Celebrated Women Chefs Share Beloved Family Recipes (2005), Bitter Harvest: A Chef's Perspective on the Hidden Dangers in the Foods We Eat and What You Can do About It (2000) and A Woman's Place is in the Kitchen: The Evolution of Women Chefs (1998).

Nora Pouillon is a pioneer and champion of organic, environmentally conscious cuisine. Born in Austria, Nora promotes and embodies healthy, sustainable living. Her inspiration in the kitchen comes from her parents who understood the value of simply prepared seasonal foods. When Nora came to the US, in the late 1960s She was disturbed by the amount of processed and chemical-laden foods Americans were eating. That’s when Nora began her search for seasonal and organic food and her crusade for healthier living.

Nora made a lifetime commitment to nutritionally wholesome food, balanced eating and sustainable living that is based on the premise that you are what you eat, drink and breathe, and that it is important to take responsibility for one’s own health. Her approach also includes a daily exercise routine that strengthens and focuses the body and mind.

Nora opened Restaurant Nora in 1979 and was immediately recognized for her ability to create not only healthy but also delicous organic dishes. In 1999, twenty years later, the restaurant became the nation's first certified organic restaurant. Only three other restaurants have since achieved this goal.

Edward Kwitowski is currently the Director of School Food Services at DC Central Kitchen. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America class of 1996 and he has over 20 years experience in the food service industry.  Over the course of the last three years he has implemented a pilot program cooking over 4,000 locally sourced, scratch-cooked meals for students attending DC Public Schools.

Prior to coming to DC Central Kitchen he worked in many fine dining restaurants in the District of Columbia, most notably nine years at Bisto Bis and Vidalia under the direction of James Beard award winner Chef Jeffrey Buben. Prior to that he worked as Chef de cuisine under Celebrity Chef Ris Lascoste at Restaurant Ris and at the Ritz Carlton, among others.

Dr. Sikka earned her undergraduate degree at Cornell University and attended medical school at State University of New York College of Medicine in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Sikka completed her pediatric residency and pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Her resume includes a faculty position at the University of Rochester. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive systems of infants, children, and adolescents and performs complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.