About Us

Our Mission

The Coalition to Stop Restaurant Tariffs represents restaurants and suppliers in all 50 states. Led by renowned chefs and restaurant owners, the coalition seeks an end to tariffs on European food, wine, and spirits that harm small and independent restaurant owners already struggling to survive the debilitating Covid-19 pandemic.

Leadership Team

Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud, originally from Lyon, France, is widely celebrated as one of America’s leading culinary authorities. Since arriving in New York City in 1982, he has continually evolved his cuisine and expanded his reach to properties across the U.S., as well as Toronto, Montreal, Singapore, and Dubai.

His culinary empire has brought him many accolades, yet his inspiration remains grounded in the rhythm of the seasons. From his Michelin-starred flagship, Daniel, to his properties across the globe, Daniel’s signature remains the contemporary appeal he brings to soulful dishes rooted in the French tradition.

Chris Bianco

Chris Bianco is the chef/owner of Pizzeria Bianco, with two locations in Phoenix, along with two Pane Bianco restaurants. Bianco’s white-tablecloth restaurant Tratto, also in Phoenix, features handmade pastas and seasonal favorites with mainly local ingredients from artisans and farmers. When Chris started Pizzeria Bianco in the back corner of a Phoenix grocery store in 1988, he had no idea he would become a driving force in the artisanal pizza movement. All he knew was that his food would reflect the respect and sincere intention that he brings to each of his recipes as the result of his relationships with farmers, local producers, customers, and staff.

Chris won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southwest” in 2003 — the first pizzaiolo to receive the honor — and helped spawn a generation of independent and artisanal pizzerias, lending his advice, wisdom, and food philosophies to dozens of fellow chefs and restaurateurs.

Nina Compton

Nina Compton is chef/owner of award-winning Compère Lapin and highly acclaimed Bywater American Bistro (BABs) in New Orleans. Born and raised in St. Lucia, Nina grew up with the flavors and beauty of the Caribbean. At Compère Lapin, Nina creates robust dishes that meld the flavors of her Caribbean upbringing with French and Italian cuisine while highlighting the Gulf and Louisiana’s beautiful indigenous ingredients.

Nina won a 2018 James Beard Award for “Best Chef: South” and was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs 2017. Since opening in June 2015, Compère Lapin has received critical acclaim including recognition as one of Eater National's Best Restaurants in America 2017, a rave review in The New York Times, and a top ten spot in Playboy's Best New Bars in America 2016. Bywater American Bistro was named to Eater National's Best New Restaurants in America 2018.

Mark Firth

Mark Firth is the restaurateur behind Prairie Whale in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Born in Yorkshire, England, Mark grew up in Zambia. By the time he moved to New York in 1994, he had traveled thousands of miles. His first job in New York City was at The Odeon in Tribeca. By 1998, he and his roommate/business partner Andrew Tarlow had secured the lease to an old diner on Broadway and Berry and convinced talented chef Caroline Fidanza to sign on to the project which became Diner. Many years of fun followed, resulting in more restaurants (Bonita, Marlow & Sons) and a family. Mark and his wife Bettina eventually came across a small farm in the Berkshires and by 2010 decided to give up city life to experience country living. Mark commuted a while longer before deciding to sell his share of the New York businesses to his partner. But it didn’t take long for Mark's love of "restaurateuring" to kick back in, and so Prairie Whale opened its doors in 2012.

Andrew Fortgang

Andrew Fortgang is co-owner and wine director of Le Pigeon and Canard, critically acclaimed restaurants in Portland, Oregon that challenge the notions of classic French cuisine. Born and raised in New York City, Andrew’s profession is also his passion. He started in the kitchen of the famed Gramercy Tavern at the age of sixteen. After spending time in the kitchens of Jean-Georges and Aureole, he graduated from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. Andrew went on to serve as the beverage director at Craft Restaurant, later developing the beverage programs at Craftbar, Craftsteak New York, and Craft Dallas.

Under his direction, Le Pigeon and Canard have both been named Restaurant of the Year by The Oregonian in 2008, 2018 and 2019, listed consecutively to Wine Enthusiast’s 100 Best American Wine Restaurants list, and nominated in 2020 for “Outstanding Wine Program” by the James Beard Foundation. Andrew was named a Food & Wine Magazine Sommelier of the Year in 2019 and has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and SevenFifty Daily.

Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller is the owner of globally acclaimed restaurant The French Laundry in Yountville, California. His restaurants also include Bouchon Bistro, with locations in Yountville and Las Vegas; Per Se in New York City; Ad Hoc + addendum in Yountville; The Surf Club Restaurant in Surfside, Florida; Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, Las Vegas, and the Middle East; and the Mexican eatery La Calenda in Yountville.

He is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide, as well as the first American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of The French Legion of Honor. He has received countless accolades, including The Culinary Institute of America’s “Chef of the Year” Award and the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and “Outstanding Restaurateur” Awards. In 2017, Thomas led a team from the United States to its first-ever gold medal in the Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious biannual competition that is regarded as the Olympics of the culinary world. For embodying the state’s spirit of innovation, he was inducted into the 2018 California Hall of Fame.

Cheetie Kumar

Cheetie Kumar is the chef/owner of Garland, an India and Asia-inspired restaurant in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. As a child in India, Cheetie could often be found in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother, watching and learning as they prepared daily meals. Her family held strongly to their culinary heritage, thoughtfully passing on generations-old techniques and authentic preparation. Upon moving to North Carolina, she embraced the area's culture of readily available renowned agriculture, and incorporated these seasonally evolving foods to fit her multicultural menus at Garland.

Cheetie was profiled in the New York Times in October of 2018, in Southern Living in September of 2019, and in the Wall Street Journal in 2020 among other national publications. She was a James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best Chef: Southeast” consecutively from 2017-2020 and is a finalist in 2020.

Mike Lata

Mike Lata is chef/partner of FIG Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, which he opened in 2003 with partner Adam Nemirow. In December 2012, Mike and Adam opened The Ordinary, a classic oyster bar and seafood hall in Charleston’s Upper King district, to much local and national acclaim. A native New Englander, Mike started his culinary career at an early age, working in kitchens in Boston, New Orleans, Atlanta, and France before landing in Charleston in 1998. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to supporting local farmers, fishermen, and purveyors has cemented his position as a notable champion for Charleston’s flourishing culinary renaissance.

Nominated in 2007 and 2008 for the James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast,” Mike took home the award in 2009. Mike competed on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and was featured on the same network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” He was profiled on Dateline’s “Platelist,” which described Mike’s food as “so good it will buckle your knees.” FIG has been consistently voted Best Restaurant in Charleston by Charleston City Paper readers and continues to be a favorite local destination.

Neal McCarthy

Neal McCarthy is the general manager and co-owner of Miller Union, an award-winning, seasonally-driven restaurant located in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood. A certified sommelier, Neal carefully selects wines from small producers who focus on biodynamic and organic practices. These selections balance the menu’s simple, Southern-inspired fare while reinforcing the restaurant’s sustainable mission.

Wine Enthusiast magazine has recognized Miller Union’s as one of the top 100 wine lists in the country, specifically praising its commitment to sustainability. The restaurant was also a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Wine Program” in 2018 and a finalist in 2019 and 2020.

Danny Meyer

Danny Meyer is the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), which comprises some of New York’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino, and more. Danny and USHG founded Shake Shack, the modern-day “roadside” burger restaurant, which became a public company in 2015. Born and raised in St. Louis, Danny grew up in a family that relished great food and hospitality. Thanks to his father’s travel business, which designed custom European trips, Danny spent much of his childhood eating, visiting near and far-off places, and sowing the seeds for his future passion.

Danny has been generously recognized for his leadership, business achievements, and humanitarianism, garnering the 2017 Julia Child Award, the 2012 Aspen Institute Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership, the 2011 NYU Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, and the 2000 IFMA Gold Plate Award. He was named to the TIME 100 Most Influential People list in 2015. Together, Danny along with USHG’s restaurants and individuals have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including “Outstanding Restaurateur” in 2005 and “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America” in 1996.

Kwame Onwuachi

Kwame Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef and author of “Notes from a Young Black Chef,” published by Alfred A. Knopf. He was born on Long Island, New York and raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana. Kwame was first exposed to cooking by his mother in the family’s modest Bronx apartment. He took that spark of passion and turned it into a career. From toiling in the bowels of oil cleanup ships to working at some of the best restaurants in the world, he has seen and lived his fair share of diversity.

Kwame trained at the Culinary Institute of America and opened five restaurants before turning thirty, including the groundbreaking Afro-Caribbean restaurant Kith/Kin. A former “Top Chef” contestant, he has been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, Esquire Magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, and a 30 Under 30 honoree by both Zagat and Forbes.

Steven Satterfield

Steven Satterfield is the executive chef and co-owner of Miller Union, an award-winning, seasonally-driven restaurant located in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood. Steven’s dedication to seasonal cooking and his unwavering support for local farmers is the driving philosophy behind his restaurant and everything he does.

Since opening in 2009, the restaurant has received various honors on many national lists including Eater, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Esquire. In 2015, Steven released his first cookbook, “Root to Leaf,” to broad critical acclaim. In 2017, after four previous nominations, he received a James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast.”

Chris Shepherd

Chris Shepherd is the chef/owner of Houston’s Underbelly Hospitality and the co-founder of the Southern Smoke Foundation. Chris began his fine dining career at Brennan’s of Houston, where he spent seven years in the kitchen and ran the wine program for two years. He left Brennan’s in 2006 to open Catalan Food & Wine, which was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America that same year.

Chris was named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2013 and was then awarded the 2014 James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southwest.” In 2019, all three of his restaurants — UB Preserv, One Fifth Mediterranean, and Georgia James — nabbed the number one spot on Texas Monthly's list of the Best New Restaurants in Texas, and Georgia James was included on GQ's list of the Best New Restaurants in America. Chris’ first cookbook, “Cook Like a Local: Flavors that Will Change the Way You Cook — and See the World,” was published by Clarkson Potter in September 2019 and was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Foundation Book Award.

Alice Waters

Alice Waters is a chef, author, food activist, and the founder and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California (est. 1971). She has been a champion of local sustainable agriculture for over four decades. In 1995, she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which advocates for a free regenerative school lunch for all children and a sustainable food curriculum in every public school.

In 2015, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, proving that eating is a political act, and that the table is a powerful means to social justice and positive change. Alice is the author of sixteen books including her critically acclaimed memoir, “Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook,” the New York Times bestsellers, “The Art of Simple Food I & II,” and “The Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea.”

Mashama Bailey & Johno Morisano

Mashama Bailey and Johno Morisano are the proprietors and operators of The Grey and The Grey Market in Savannah, Georgia. Since they first opened The Grey in 2014, they have been committed to serving their guests Port City Southern food and great wines in a uniquely adapted space that originally served as a Jim Crow-era Greyhound Bus Station from 1938 to 1964. Their commitment to providing their guests with a transportive and elegant experience is matched by their commitment to their team and community.

Grant Aschatz/Nick Kokonas

Danny Meyer

Danny Meyer is the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), which comprises some of New York’s most beloved and acclaimed restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Maialino, and more. Danny and USHG founded Shake Shack, the modern-day “roadside” burger restaurant, which became a public company in 2015. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Danny grew up in a family that relished great food and hospitality. Thanks to his father’s travel business, which designed custom European trips, Danny spent much of his childhood eating, visiting near and far-off places, and sowing the seeds for his future passion.

Danny has been generously recognized for his leadership, business achievements, and humanitarianism, garnering the 2017 Julia Child Award, the 2015 TIME 100 “Most Influential People” list, the 2012 Aspen Institute Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership, the 2011 NYU Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, and the 2000 IFMA Gold Plate Award. Together, Danny and USHG’s restaurants and individuals have won an unprecedented 28 James Beard Awards, including Outstanding Restaurateur (2005) and Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America (1996).