James McNair
Head Judge
James McNair has been Head Judge for Build a Better Burger® since the recipe contest began in 1990, and now also serves as the Honorary Chairmen of BBB. The Napa Valley cookbook author spends much of each summer immersed in burger recipes in order to help select finalists for the national cook-off. He also invites well-known chefs, cookbook authors, and other noted food authorities to join him in St. Helena each year to judge the cook-off. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of BBB in 2005, James wrote and produced Build a Better Burger, a book about the recipe contest and cook-off, which includes all winning recipes.
With forty other cookbook titles published and almost four million copies sold, James has been hailed by food writers from coast to coast as the "king" and "master" of the single-subject cookbook. In the late 1980s, book reviewers credited him with single-handedly launching a new look in cookbook formats. His highly acclaimed kitchen library series published by Chronicle Books has been translated into several languages. Three of his books have received International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Book Award nominations.
In addition to writing, James has often been the photo designer, food stylist, and graphic designer for his books, and he photographed twelve of his titles. He was honored as the recipient of IACP's first Award of Excellence in Food Photography "in recognition of exceptional achievement and a commitment to excellence."
Bon Appetit magazine chose James as a member of "Who's Who in American Barbecue." The San Francisco Chronicle included the author among the 100 reasons why the Bay Area is "America's culinary Mecca," and their Sunday magazine listed him among the "101 Reasons Why We Love the Bay Area."
James has taught at cooking schools throughout the United States and in Canada, and he has contributed articles to Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has made numerous appearances on local and national television shows and radio programs from coast to coast, and has delivered presentations at the IACP's annual conference, The Symposium for Professional Food Writers, and Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts, as well as lectures on "picture-perfect cooking" to various organizations.
Prior to beginning his cookbook series for Chronicle Books, James co-owned Twin Peaks Grocery, one of San Francisco's first upscale gourmet emporiums, and Picnic Productions, a fanciful party planning and catering service. Before yielding to the lure of retailing and catering, he had written and edited both cooking and gardening books for Ortho Books and Sunset Books. For several years he was a designer and co-manager of a Fifth Avenue plant and flower shop in New York City, designed tabletop decorations for Tiffany and Company, and operated a "Celebrate Nature" boutique in Bloomingdale's.
A native of Louisiana, James learned to cook from his parents, grandmothers, and church ladies in his father's congregation. He began his professional life as an ordained Southern Baptist minister, serving as director of public relations for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Now he ministers to the palates of American cooks and diners.
Sondra Bernstein
Sondra Bernstein is the proprietor of the nationally acclaimed restaurant the girl & the fig and the newly opened ESTATE (Regional Italian Cooking & Festive Drinking) restaurant in Sonoma, California, and the fig café & winebar in nearby Glen Ellen. She is the author of the girl & the fig cookbook and the creator of “Wine Country Fig Food” products, which are distributed throughout the nation.
D.C. born and Philadelphia bred, Sondra received a BFA in photography from Philadelphia College of Art and is a graduate in culinary and restaurant management of The Restaurant School. For TGI Friday’s, she was trainer and team leader for the chain’s national restaurant openings. Before moving to the Sonoma wine country as Director of Operations for Viansa Winery, she was operations manager for Fish Market and Marabella’s restaurants in Philadelphia and Alice’s Restaurant and Tavern on Main in Los Angeles.
Sondra describes her wine-country restaurants and products as a tribute to the efforts of the farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, and, of course, grapegrowers and vintners in Sonoma County’s bountiful landscape.
Over the years Sondra has participated in numerous food and wine events, including the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction, Auction Napa Valley, March of Dimes Star Chefs, Rhone Descouvertes in the Rhone region of France, Hospice du Rhone in Paso Robles, Worlds of Flavor Conference at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Sonoma Valley’s Olive Festival, and Sonoma International Film Festival.
Hugh Carpenter
Hugh Carpenter is a popular Napa Valley chef, cooking teacher, and writer. During the last 34 years, over 100,000 people have attended his classes at cooking schools throughout North America. In addition, he operates his own cooking schools, Camp Napa Culinary in Napa Valley and Camp San Miguel in the Mexican colonial town of San Miguel de Allende.
In partnership with his wife, Teri Sandison, Hugh has authored 15 cookbooks, including The Great Wings Book, The Great Ribs Book, and a series of “Hot” books (Barbecue, Pasta, Chicken, Vegetables, and Wok) and a “Fast” collection (Appetizers, Fish, Entrees, and Wok).
The duo’s first book, Pacific Flavors, won the International Association of Culinary Professionals award for Best Asian Cookbook and the Who’s Who of Cooking Best Food Photography Award in 1988. Their second book, Chopstix, received the IACP nomination for Best Food Photography, and was followed by Fusion Food Cookbook, which was nominated for a James Beard Award.
Articles by Hugh have appeared in many newspapers and leading food magazines, and he has been featured in People magazine. In addition, he makes frequent television and radio appearances nationwide.
Teri Sandison
Teri Sandison has the enviable job of making America’s mouth water. One of this country’s most successful food photographers, she has photographed over 60 cookbooks, including 15 creative collaborations with her husband, chef Hugh Carpenter.
Born in Glendale, California and raised in La Canada-Flintridge, Teri began her art career by graduating in fine Arts/Painting and Drawing from UCLA. She then specialized in commercial photography at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and later served on the photography faculty there for three years. She had one of the busiest food advertising photography studios in Hollywood for 12 years.
In 1990, Teri and Hugh moved to Napa Valley, where she operated a studio in St. Helena, with clients coming from across the country for their food and wine photography needs. Teri was also an adjunct instructor in Food Photography and Styling at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone in St. Helena for four years after the school’s opening.
Teri’s unique sense of style and total personal involvement in every step of the photo design have earned her many photography awards, both in advertising and in cookbooks.
Scott Warner
Scott Warner is the Executive Chef at Donna and Giovanni Scala’s wildly popular Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa Valley.
During Scott’s childhood, the family table was the center of the house and food was the main event. Summer vacations in Europe were opportunities for Parisian cooking classes for his mother and regional eating in France and Italy for the rest of the family. A good cook by the time he entered college, Warner earned his living by catering while in the master's program in music at University of Southern California. By the end of his music studies, he decided to pursue his love for food and cooking with equal focus. He spent several years cooking in small bistros in New York before returning to Los Angeles to work as day chef at Rockenwagner for three years.
Next, Scott made his way up the coast to San Francisco and the popular Restaurant Lulu, where he soon became head sous chef under Chef Reed Hearon. Two years later, Hearon appointed Scott as Executive Chef at his new North Beach restaurant, Rose Pistola. Early on, the two chefs traveled through Liguria, the Italian region that inspired the restaurant's food, and going to the source under Hearon's tutelage enabled Scott to collaborate on the seasonally changing menu. Together they created dishes that garnered high praise of food professionals and food lovers and won the 1997 James Beard award for Best New Restaurant in the country. Scott’s role then expanded to Corporate Executive Chef of Rose Pistola, Rose’s Café, and Black Cat, a late night restaurant and jazz bar inspired by the jazz and beat era of San Francisco.
In his spare time, Scott performs with the all-chef musical group, The Back Burner Blues Band.