Alexander Smalls is a restaurateur and co-owner of the celebrated Harlem jazz club Minton's. As the former chef/owner of Caf Beulah, Sweet Ophelia's, Shoebox Cafe, and The Cecil, Smalls has received great acclaim in the restaurant scene--including cooking at the James Beard House and being named one of Zagat's 19 NYC Restaurant Power Players. His memoir and cookbook, Grace the Table, features recipes from his upbringing of Southern Revival cuisine. Smalls is also a world-renowned opera singer and the winner of both a Grammy and a Tony Award. He lives in Harlem, New York.
Joseph "JJ" Johnson is a James Beard-nominated chef. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson went on to hone his skills in some of New York's most esteemed kitchens, including Centro Vinoteca, Jane, Tribeca Grill, The Cecil, and Minton's--and to cook in Ghana at the country's leading boutique hotel, Villa Monticello. He was named one of Rolling Stone's ten breakthrough rock star chefs in 2016, one of Zagat's and Forbes's 30 Under 30, as well as Chef of the Year by New York African Restaurant Week. He lives in Harlem, New York.
Together, co-owner Alexander Smalls and Executive Chef J.J. Johnson won Esquire's Best New Restaurant in America for the acclaimed Harlem restaurant The Cecil, which is now part of Minton's.
Veronica Chambers is the bestselling coauthor of 32 Yolks with Eric Ripert and Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson and the critically acclaimed author of Mama's Girl and The Meaning of Michelle.