Chef Brooke Smith is the executive chef at the Esquire Tavern, and has climbed the ranks of the culinary scene in San Antonio in an organic and grass-roots style. Her mentor, Executive Chef Mark Bliss, is legendary in the city, and Chef Brooke began her career under his close guidance early on. Educated at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, she launched her professional career at Silo and La Frite in San Antonio, Enoteca Vespaio in Austin, and the Red Star Tavern in Portland, Oregon. Brooke takes great pride in the fact that she designed the current menu at the Esquire Tavern, as well she should; her free spirit, Texas roots, and culinary training are apparent in each and every dish. Chef Smith is the defending champion of the Sprouts Culinary Showdown.

Chef Ceasar Zepeda is the owner and operator of Sangria on the Burg. His love for food started young, while he was growing up in the small Texas town of Banquete. Chef Ceasar worked at La Fonda on Main for 12 years and Ácenar before opening Sangria on the Burg in September 2016.

Chef Teddy Liang serves as head chef at Hanzo, San Antonio's only Japanese gastropub. A San Antonio native, Chef Teddy brings energy and passion into the kitchen daily.

Kimberly Crawford is the host of San Antonio's hippest lifestyle and entertainment show, Daytime @ 9. The show focuses on all the great things about living in San Antonio, including festivals, music, theater and fashion. Kimberly loves to keep viewers in the know and keep them entertained at the start of their day!

Kimberly grew up in Three Rivers, Texas, about an hour south of San Antonio. After high school, she went on to earn her degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. Hook'em!

Before getting her start in television news, Kimberly moved to Los Angeles to pursue her love of acting. She was cast as "Miss Maine" in Sandra Bullock's hit movie "Miss Congeniality". She is also a former "Miss Corpus Christi, USA". Kimberly recently served as entertainment reporter for the San Antonio Spurs during live game broadcasts on Fox Sports Southwest.

As much as she loves her gig hosting on Daytime at Nine, nothing in this world brings her more joy than her family. She is a mom of two.

David Elder is an enthusiastic foodie and San Antonio TV personality with SA Live on ABC KSAT 12. David has filmed, edited and fronted multiple TV segments that have received millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes, shares, and comments on social media. He is an award-winning graphic designer and web designer working for top companies and nonprofits in the San Antonio area. David went to high school in New Braunfels, TX, and moved to San Antonio to attend San Antonio College for Web Design & Graphic Design and the University of Texas at San Antonio for Marketing.

David was raised in Southern California by his two military parents, is the youngest of three children, and is a passionate California sports fan. David and his wife, Mallory, live in San Antonio with their French bulldogs Clementine & Penelope and love to visit local eateries for their food blog. Follow and like David Elder on social media @davideldertv.​

Roma Villavicencio is a Co-host, Reporter, and Associate Producer for Great Day SA on KENS 5 TV. The Alamo City is not Roma’s hometown, she’s a California native but admits the Texas charm has stolen her heart. She enjoys all the history and culture San Antonio has to offer (especially the food). Most of all, Roma loves the energy in the Alamo City and all the people who live in it!

Suzanne Taranto-Etheredge's roots expand from her German-Italian upbringing to the ever-expanding culinary fabric of San Antonio. She holds fond memories of her mother's vibrant Texas garden and the verdant aromas while preparing freshly plucked produce that turned into large family meals.

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.

In addition to covering the restaurant scene for CultureMap, she is also a columnist for San Antonio Magazine and has written guest blog posts on various food and beverage outlets. She has her finger on the city's culinary and cocktail pulse like no other. 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.

Tom Fiorenzi is the Director of Brewery Operations at The Gambrinus Company. He joined the Gambrinus Team in 2012 and manages three Breweries: The Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner Texas, The Trumer Brewery in Berkeley California, and the Bridgeport Brewery in Portland Oregon. Tom’s career as a brewer began at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Missouri twenty-eight years ago. He started as an engineer working on Brewery Expansions and Modernizations. Since then, he has held multiple roles including Process Engineer, Maintenance Manager, and Assistant Brewmaster at multiple breweries.

Tom’s educational background includes a Mathematics degree from Eastern Illinois University and a Civil Engineering degree from Southern Illinois University. He is also a graduate of the U.S Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and Anheuser Busch’s Brewing School. He is the father of three Texas A&M Aggies. Brian 13, Kate 14, and Claire 18.

Since moving to the Alamo City in 2004 to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio, journalist Jessica Elizarraras has spent the last decade writing about (and eating her way through) her adopted city. The Rio Grande Valley native enjoys climbing giant towers of seafood, drinking too much rosé, putting too much Lucas on her fruit cups and spending time with her pasta-making boyfriend TJ.

She is the dining and nightlife editor at the San Antonio Current.