ANDREW CHAPMAN CEO and Co-Founder
Andrew began his hospitality career with Café Picasso, later transformed into August, located in the West Village of New York City. He recently reopened the Blue Parrot, East Hampton's renowned Tex-Mex eatery. Andrew’s other partnerships include the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern and Sail Dulcinea, a yacht business based in Turkey.

NILS NOREN Vice President, Restaurant Operations
Nils served as the chef de cuisine of Aquavit for 5 years, working side-by-side with chef Marcus Samuelsson before being promoted to executive chef in 2003. Nils has traveled extensively across the globe & has cooked in every continent. He continues to bravely explore the future of food. Nils left the restaurant in 2006 to accept a prestigious appointment as Vice President of Culinary Arts for The FCI’s culinary, pastry, bread, and Italian food departments. He successfully built the school’s culinary program to one of the best in the world.

CHRISTINA WANG Vice President, Strategy
Christina was the Director of Education, Consulting Services and Special Projects for The French Culinary Institute. She is a Certified Specialist of Spirits and holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University. She has also worked for JP Morgan and Booz & Co prior to joining the Samuelsson Group.

RANDY MCNAMARA Vice President, Corporate Operations
Randy brings a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry, providing value to both public and privately held restaurant companies. Prior to joining the Samuelsson Group he has served as Vice President of Operations for Chart House Restaurants, Cosi and Heartland Brewery and was the Managing Member of Gravy Hospitality, a restaurant development and consulting company. During that time, Randy also served on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Restaurant Association.

TRACEY KEMBLE Executive Vice President
Tracey has over 16 years of experience within the entertainment industry. She started her career at the Walt Disney Company, and after four years become Vice President of Production for HBO NYC. She has also worked at VH1 and Teen Nick, a division of Nickelodeon.

DEREK FLEMING Business Development Director
Derek was the economic development director of the NY Empowerment Zone, where he managed a fund that financed the start up and expansion of numerous retail, restaurant, hotel and non-profit operations. Previously, he did acquisitions and developed sustainability strategies at Cherokee Investment Partners. Derek received his MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

ERICA MORRIS Director of Special Events
Erica has an extensive culinary and media background with a focus on event sales and production. She was Director of Events and Strategic Partnerships at Gourmet magazine, where she oversaw the brand's signature event, The Gourmet Institute. Erica has also worked in events at New York and People magazines. Erica is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

KOUROSH KARIMKHANY Digital Media Director
Kourosh has extensive experience in operations, content production, and business development of new media. He was Vice President of Corporate Development at Condé Nast, where he was responsible for acquisitions and investments. Kourosh also served as the general manager of Wired Digital, and was a product manager at Yahoo, working with Yahoo News, Yahoo Weather, and Yahoo Games.

MAHIR HOSSEIN Digital Media Manager
Mahir has been developing online strategies and marketing for several years. He oversees all aspects of social media networking and marketing. He also manages the websites and online presence for the Samuelsson Group.

EDEN FESEHAYE Project Coordinator
Eden began her food and hospitality career in her family-owned restaurant, and continued her training at Townhouse Restaurant Group in New York City. Eden has worked with Chef Samuelsson for the past several years, and assisted him with his latest cookbook, New American Table.