Thank you for the generosity of the chefs and restaurants in our community for their support of St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.

2024 VIP Angel

Bret Thompson, Pez Coastal Kitchen
Executive Chef Bret Thompson’s culinary journey began at the renowned California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, where he then honed his skills at esteemed establishments such as Aqua in San Francisco, Roy’s in Hawaii, and Pinot Blanc in St. Helena, California. Seeking international inspiration, Bret traveled to Spain to study under Chef Martin Berasategui at Restaurante Martin Berasategui, a Michelin 2-star establishment in Lasarte, Spain. He further expanded his culinary repertoire in Lebanon at Atlas Café, then studied under Chef Bernard Loiseau at La Cote d’Or, his Michelin 3-star restaurant in Saulieu, France, and then L’Arpege, Chef Alain Passard’s Michelin 3-star restaurant in Paris. Throughout his career, Bret also had an extensive tenure with The Patina Group, working at multiple restaurants, running catering operations, and ultimately becoming the Corporate Executive Chef overseeing all restaurant operations for the entire group.

From 2007 to 2022, Chef Bret Thompson and Lucy Thompson-Ramirez owned Milk Ice Cream, and in 2015, they embarked on a new culinary adventure together as the proud owners of Pez Cantina, their seasonal, modern, coastal-inspired Mexican restaurant and bar located in downtown Los Angeles, which quickly became a beloved dining destination. In October 2021, they expanded with a new location in Montebello, California, LA Burrito Co. Thompson and Thompson-Ramirez’s newest venture, Pez Coastal Kitchen, continues their commitment to sea-to-table and farm-to-table cuisine. With Executive Chef Bret Thompson in the kitchen, the focus at Pez Coastal Kitchen is on innovative techniques such as curing, smoking, and the specialized dry-aging of seafood, which will be a distinctive feature. This new concept will extend beyond seafood, encompassing meat, poultry, and a unique emphasis on the curing and smoking of meats and seafood, known as Sea-cuterie.

2024 Culinary Angels

Keith Corbin, Alta Adams

Chef Keith Corbin is the two-time James Beard Award nominated executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams, The Los Angeles Times bestselling author of “California Soul”, and a sought-after public speaker.

During his youth growing up in the Jordan Downs housing projects in Watts, Corbin was involved with gangs and drug dealing, which eventually lead to his incarceration. It was in prison when he first started cooking and working in kitchens, which eventually led to a job with the LocoL restaurant group run by celebrity chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson. From there, Corbin partnered with Patterson on Alta Adams, a “California Soul” food restaurant utilizing local produce and healthier ingredients to put Corbin’s own spin on the food he grew up cooking and eating with his grandmother. Alta was named one of the best restaurants in the country by Esquire, Thrillist, and the Los Angeles Times, and called “Black Hollywood’s top restaurant” by The Hollywood Reporter.  

Corbin’s bestselling memoir, “California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival” was published in 2022 by Random House, named the LA Times Book Club pick of the month for August, and quickly optioned by a major studio to be made into a television series. Since the book’s release, Corbin has appeared on Dr. Phil, The CBS Morning Show, and many other national programs to share more about his incredible story and inspire others. His words have been featured across multiple media outlets including KCRW, The Grio, ABC7, Salon, Shondaland and Thrillist. In 2023, the book was nominated for a James Beard Media Award in the Literary Writing category.

Consistently giving back, Corbin regularly mentors youth from underserved communities and speaks at colleges and educational programs across the nation. Corbin has been invited to share his story from coast to coast with readers and food-fanatics alike on book tours, festivals and other inspirational events including the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Tucson Book Festival, and San Diego Writer’s Festival. In 2023, Corbin was included in the Philly Chef’s Conference, The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and most recently, the 2024 Pebble Beach Food & Wine.

In May 2024, Corbin appeared on the hit Food Network/HBO MAX show “Selena + Restaurant” in a featured episode. He is also set to appear on the national talk show “The Jennifer Hudson Show”, slated to air on May 30, 2024. In October 2024, Corbin and his culinary talent will be featured at the “Great American Beer Festival” in Denver, Colorado.

Gino Angelini, Angelini Osteria

Gino Angelini developed his love of food as a child growing up in San Clemente, a small town in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy famous for its rich gastronomic tradition.  He spent each day cooking with his mother and grandmother, savoring their simple, country meals, deciding to devote his life to food at the age of 14.

Gino became the youngest chef in the region’s top hotels and restaurants where his fame continued to rise. During his tenure overseas, Gino co-founded Italy’s most popular gourmet magazine, served as President of the Association of Chefs Romagnoli and was appointed the Italian Vice Commissioner of the Euro-Toques International, an organization committed to safeguarding and promoting quality and authentic food within the European network.

Gino first brought his culinary talents to Los Angeles in 1995, as chef of the legendary Italian eatery, Rex Il Ristorante.  In October 2001, he opened his own restaurant, Angelini Osteria, in the heart of Los Angeles.  Since its opening, Angelini Osteria has become known as simply everyone’s favorite Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, winning over the city with unassuming and authentic dishes in a warm, intimate setting.

Throughout the years, Gino has won numerous honors for his culinary artistry, including the 2007 Artusi Award, the 2011 Galvanina Trophy for Best Chef of the Year, and the 2011 Sigismondo Malatesta d’Oro, the highest civilian award of his home city of Rimini. He is consistently praised by patrons and critics as “the best Italian chef in Los Angeles.”

Gino has grown his expanding culinary portfolio into the Angelini Restaurant Group alongside his wife and business partner Elizabeth Angelini. Angelini Restaurant Group properties include Angelini Osteria, Angelini Alimentari, Angelini Catering and Gino Angelini Authentic Italian Artisanal Sauces. At the start of 2022, the Angelinis will open Angelini Ristorante & Bar at Palisades Village in partnership with Amici Restaurant Group and Caruso.

Mihir Lad, Arth Bar + Kitchen
A journey on its own pioneering a new movement of modern Indian cuisine, Arth Bar + Kitchen introduces Indian fare in a completely new way. With its contemporary atmosphere, eclectic dishes and innovative cocktails, Arth Bar + Kitchen is located right in the heart of Culver City!

An engineer by trade, but with an entrepreneurial spirit is how Mihir Lad came to be the Founder & Owner of Arth Bar + Kitchen. Lad had greater ambitions outside of the aerospace industry and found his passion in the hospitality industry. He dedicated time observing and studying how a restaurant’s life begins in the kitchen and flows all throughout the front of house while fully immersing himself into every area of the restaurant from: assembling a full restaurant team, analyzing concepts and their potential impacts on the business, and bringing creative ideas to life to perfectly compliment Arth Bar + Kitchen’s contemporary cuisine and bona fide hospitality. Lad shows exemplary leadership, creative vision, and a personal passion to deliver the best possible experience to every guest that visits Arth Bar + Kitchen.

Sam Marvin, Echo & Rig
Chef Sam Marvin is the Owner and Executive Chef of Echo & Rig Steakhouse in Las Vegas, Henderson and Sacramento. A California native with serious classical French training, Chef Sam earned his cooking stripes working in top-rated Michelin star restaurants. He previously owned and operated Bottega Louie in Downtown Los Angeles, before branching out with his own brands in Las Vegas and Sacramento.

His Las Vegas Echo & Rig restaurant was named LV Weekly’s “2021 Best Las Vegas Steakhouse.” Chef Sam competed in Food Network’s cooking competition, Beat Bobby Flay, and earned a prestigious win.

Nika Shoemaker-Machado, Georgia’s Restaurant
Georgia’s Restaurant does not stem from the deep south, but instead a suburb of Philadelphia where high school sweethearts Gretchen and George Shoemaker decided to leave the Keystone State and head west, settling in Lake Forest, CA. It was in their home, where George and Gretchen raised their three daughters, that Gretchen began her successful catering business built on family recipes that delivered a true home-cooked experience. Early every morning, Gretchen would rise to get a start in the kitchen with George by her side playing sous chef, as tunes of Teddy Pendergrass wafted through the air, harmonizing with the sweet and savory aromatics of Gretchen’s Southern soul cuisine. Then, after the untimely passing of George Shoemaker in the early 1990s, everything came to an abrupt halt as the Shoemaker family rallied around one another and Gretchen’s catering business was put on hold.

Twenty years later, with all three daughters grown, second daughter Nika Shoemaker-Machado and her husband Marlon Machado approached Gretchen, now known to most as Nana, to all come together and fulfill her lifelong dream of sharing her food on a much grander scale than ever before and they introduced Georgia’s Restaurant, a Southern Restaurant that celebrates authentic Soul Food, while sharing Nana Gretchen and the Shoemaker family’s story of survival, community and love.

For more information on Sponsorship & Donation, contact:

Christine Calderon Caruso
(213) 484-7112
events@svmow.org