Born in the mountainous Chinese province of Guizhou, Kristina Zhao is no stranger to bold flavors and long-observed traditions. While her eateries Sichuan House and Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar dole out Sichuanese cuisine inspired by the traditional food of the region, diners quickly discover that the food isn’t the only aspect of Zhao’s spots that intrigues. At either of Zhao’s restaurants, expect complex, flavorful dishes and unmatched service.

Born and raised in Laredo, Texas, Chef Jesse Kuykendall — or “Chef Kirk” to colleagues — learned about authentic Mexican cuisine from their mother. Professionally trained at San Antonio's Culinary Institute of America and Oaxaca's Season of My Heart Culinary School, Chef Kirk is the Executive Chef of Hotel Havana’s Ocho, infusing the influence of their mother’s traditional Mexican style of cooking with their own collection of culinary techniques. Most recently they created a menu of overlooked Mexican street foods for their own endeavor, Milpa, and became the first San Antonio-based chef to win a cooking series with their win on the 47th season of Food Network’s “Chopped” in 2021.

After serving ten years in the Army, Chef Nicola Blaque followed her passion for cooking from Hawaii to San Antonio to attend the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating in 2016, Blaque launched her flagship restaurant, The Jerk Shack, with her husband Cornelius Massey just two years later — to rave reviews. The restaurant has been named one of the best in the U.S. by Eater and GQ, and Current readers have voted it Best Caribbean Restaurant three years running. Blaque’s second concept, casual Caribbean-style concept Mi Roti, is open now in Pearl’s Bottling Department. 

With over 15 years of experience in produce distribution and food manufacturing, one would be hard-pressed to find someone with more chutzpah than Jamie Gonzalez. She signs her emails with the phrase Puta de la Fruta, after all. Indeed, the five-foot-tall San Antonio native has spent the last decade and a half building a name for herself via a network of chefs and community leaders, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg. Creator of the Big Fresh Market Box — which has delivered over 15,000 boxes of fresh produce to SA households since June 2019 — and co-creator of Mercado por tu Corazon, a traveling produce market, Gonzalez strives to nourish the community in nontraditional ways.

Chuck is the arena host for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team and is known for electrifying crowds both on and off the basketball court. He has been master of ceremonies for events held by corporate giants such as Valero, UT Health, Texas Travel Industry Association and the Associated Builders and Contractors. Chuck is a professional actor and has appeared in Emmy-nominated TV shows and major motion pictures, bringing his engaging personality and emcee skills to center stage in all entertainment capacities.

Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, Rebecca has been living in San Antonio for 10 years and loves covering lifestyle stories for all  audiences. She's a huge sports fan, a former NBA dancer and a big time foodie. You can catch her on the show or out in the community, bringing you the best of living in and around San Antonio.

Clarke joined the Great Day team in January 2020 after spending 2 years as a journalist in West Texas. She began her career as a reporter for the ABC and Fox Duopoly, Big 2 News/FOX24. Outside of work, Clarke is a die-hard foodie who loves finding trendy restaurant spots. She also loves a good true crime podcast and finds time to listen to her favorites in between bites. She stays active by spin cycling and playing with her pit-bull mix, Chance.

David Elder is the host of the San Antonio food show, Texas Eats and its accompanying social media segment, Elder Eats. The kitchen experience David gained from an early age ingrained essential cooking fundamentals and a working knowledge of American cuisine. David worked both back of house and front of house positions in restaurants across Central Texas, learning how to serve guests and create unforgettable dining experiences. Now, he shares those experiences with millions across central and south Texas as a Multimedia Journalist for SA Live, host of Elder Eats and host of Texas Eats.

As president and CEO of Culinaria, Suzanne brings her passion for farm-fresh family dining into the lives of thousands of San Antonians yearly with Culinaria's events and outreach. She is known in San Antonio as the "Goddess of Food Festivals" and continues to support the food and beverage industry by giving back through various campaigns as well as building the city's only chef garden in 2016.

She has her finger on the city's culinary and cocktail pulse like no other, and covers the San Antonio restaurant scene for several local food-focused publications and various food and beverage outlets. When she is not organizing a grand tasting or tracking down a wine owner, she is plucking tomatoes from her backyard garden with her husband, Sean, and three dogs.

Ty Chumbley is the Central Texas VP of Heartbrand Beef, not to mention an Animal Science Professor and Livestock Judging Coach at Palo Alto College.

Jimmy Mauric is the Brewmaster at Shiner Beer. You might say that Jimmy Mauric was born to make Shiner beer. Jimmy started working at the brewery at age 17 (we still don’t know what took him so long). He graduated from the prestigious Siebel Institute of Technology and became our sixth brewmaster in 2005. Stop by the brewery for a chance to see the master at work — probably in the middle of some important “product testing.”

Nina uses nearly 20 years of experience in the foodservice industry to tell the stories of movers and shakers in the food scene in San Antonio. With a penchant for the snarky and relatable, Nina's approach to food and drink — and the people that create those culinary commodities — is irreverent and thoughtful. Her unique culinary background, both in the front and back of the house, supports genuine relationships with food and drink professionals, garnering honest and insightful takes on industry-specific challenges, victories and everything in between.