to dine for

Emmanuel Acho is a New York Times best-selling author, host of FOX sports, and creator of “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.” Growing up in Dallas, Texas, the son of Nigerian immigrants, he never dreamed his life would take him all over the country as an NFL player for the Cleveland Browns, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, but it did. Turned out those “glory years” of playing football was really just the beginning of his career and what he says is now “his calling.” On the rooftop of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Beverly Hills, California at The Rooftop by JG, Emmanuel shares the emotional breaking point that led him to step into a whole new direction of this life professionally and how he is now using his time and talent to bring people of different races together to talk about what divides them and what can help unite them.

Jeanne Gang is one of the world’s most celebrated architects. With buildings and installations all over the globe, Jeanne gained international attention for her Aqua tower in Chicago which became the tallest building in the world designed by a female architect. Called the “World’s Most Influential Architect” by Time Magazine, Jeanne is currently a professor at Harvard exploring how design can help create beneficial connections between people and their environments. Over the flavors of her favorite restaurant in Chicago, Brindille, Jeanne shares her journey to create memorable and impactful buildings and her vision for the future of architecture.

With a laser focused work-ethic and no previous professional connections, Gary Vaynerchuk has risen from a former liquor store clerk to one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time and one of the most sought after speakers in business right now. An immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Gary and his family moved to this country with no material possessions and have an incredible story to tell of resilience, grit and never giving up. Currently the CEO of VaynerX and founder of Resy and Empathy Wines, Gary started at his family’s wine shop. He grew the business from 3-million dollars to 60-million dollars and began his love of business and entrepreneurship. Over the familiar bar food of Gary’s favorite haunt, The White Horse Tavern in NYC, Gary shares his hard-earned lessons of success and why he is so passionate about showing others how he hustled hard to create his version of the American dream.

Arlan Hamilton is the CEO and Founder of Backstage Capital which funds startup companies that are specifically owned and operated by Women, Black, LatinX, and LGBTQ founders, a group of people that typically receive only 3% of all funding available. Once homeless, Arlan shares what it was like to break into the almost exclusively white male world of venture capital. Her best-selling book “It’s About Damn Time” is based on her personal journey to create the “seemingly impossible.” With candor and curiosity, Arlan sits down at her favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, Hotel Cafe, to share her unique story and her vision for funding “underestimated founders" and catalyzing their mission and purpose.

Jon Bon Jovi is a musical icon and the voice of a generation. Born in New Jersey, Jon is the lead vocalist for the Grammy award-winning rock band, Bon Jovi, formed in 1983. Bon Jovi has performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. After a lifetime of being a true rockstar, his work has lead him to philanthropic efforts in his home state of New Jersey with the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. Over a nourishing meal in his home state at Soul Kitchen, Jon shares the hard-earned wisdom of a life on stage and how his journey has truly come full circle.

It takes a lifetime to become an expert in a field. And for Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, she has happily traded “a lifetime of research” to put in the work to become a travel expert, influencer, and journalist specializing in the Caribbean. Known simply as “Jet Set Sarah,” Sarah’s travels have taken her all over the globe but her love and passion resides in the Caribbean. Over the delicious flavors of Caribbean "crayfish" and drunken shrimp at Sandy Island Restaurant, Sarah shares her favorite restaurant in the world along with her unique way of seeing the world. Sarah talks candidly about what travel will and should look like in the time of COVID and beyond and how we can all find ways to “travel” remotely during this unprecedented time.

Beth Moore is an author and bible teacher who started teaching small group bible classes when she was 18. With no former theological training, Beth's bible classes started bringing together 2,000 women in the mid-90s. She is currently one of the most prominent evangelical voices in America and has sold millions of books and holds conferences in sold-out arenas around the country. Over the flavors of her favorite steakhouse in Houston, Taste of Texas, Beth shares her journey from a troubled childhood to one of the leading speakers and authors in evangelical America today and the vision she has for the church in the future.

David Copperfield is described by Forbes magazine as the most commercially successful magician in history. Growing up in New Jersey, David started doing magic tricks at 10 years old and by 16 was teaching a class in magic at New York University. He now has 11 Guinness Book records and has been named a Living Legend by the US Library of Congress. Over a meal at David's favorite restaurant in Las Vegas, L'Atelier de Joel Robochon, David shares how he got started and more importantly how he has remained so successful for so long with his sold-out acts, night after night in Las Vegas. We talk innovation, creativity, and the psychology of being a "master of illusion."

Becoming an actress in Hollywood is no easy feat, no matter who you are or where you came from. Catherine Reitman learned that the hard way after years of trying to break into Hollywood, taking bit parts and having no real luck despite being the daughter of famed Hollywood director Ivan Reitman. Catherine was able to change her luck and her career trajectory by taking one important step. In 2017, she wrote, created, and starred in her own TV series “Workin’ Moms” first broadcast on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company). The program has since been picked up by Netflix to international acclaim and 6 subsequent seasons. Her funny and fearless portrayal of the life of working mothers has struck a chord with viewers everywhere and has sparked a national dialogue on the difficulties working mothers face. Catherine shares her sometimes tumultuous and often hilarious journey from her favorite restaurant in Hollywood, Osteria Mozza, and explains the long road to creating her own show and her advice for anyone trying to start something new.

Gloria Estefan is a singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman. She started her career as the lead singer for the Miami Sound Machine. In 1985, her hit song "Conga" became Estefan's signature song and catapulted the Miami Sound Machine into super stardom. A living legend and Latina idol, Estefan has had a long and meandering road to get where she is today. She has won both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Kennedy Center Honors, as well as has amassed 38 number one hits on the charts. Over the flavors of her beloved Cuban food at The Wave in Vero Beach, she shares her journey, the hard-earned lessons she's learned along the way, and the road she has paved for so many other Latin artists.