Speakers, Experts & Headliners

Corporate Chef at Superior Foods

Chef Jeff Brandon began his cooking journey in 1990 in Mt. Pleasant Michigan working for the LaBelle Restaurant group while attending CMU as a music major.   Finding himself “skipping class” to pick up shifts at the restaurant Jeff decided to change his major and his life.  He and his wife Amy moved to Grand Rapids where he attended and graduated GRCC (now the Secchia Institute), graduating in 1997 with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts.    He spent the next 13 years “Chef-ing” at various Catering and Restaurant operations in the Grand Rapids area, including the Scheldes Restaurant Group, Executive Chef for the Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Railside Country Club.   As his family started to grow Jeff made the switch to the Food Distribution side of the business and took a job with Superior Foods in 2007 as their Corporate Chef.  Jeff enjoys consulting with customers and helping people problem solve in their operations.

TV Personality and Author of Meals from the Mitten

Gina Ferwerda is a recipe developer, food blogger, resort business owner, and photographer. Her food blog, Nom News, has been featured by The Chew, The Rachel Ray Show, and The Today Show Food Club, and she has appeared on Good Morning America. She lives in Silver Lake, Michigan.

In Meals from the Mitten: Celebrating the Seasons in Michigan, popular TV personality, travel/food blogger and business entrepreneur Gina Ferwerda shares her love of cooking, photography and adventurous lake life along the shores of Lake Michigan. From a summer charcuterie picnic with fresh vegetables overlooking Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes to Muffler Meatballs cooked on a snowmobile in a winter wonderland, Ferwerda inspires readers to get out of the kitchen and embrace the freshness of each season—which is exactly what Michigan food is all about. Ferwerda, a TODAY show food contributor who has also been featured by Good Morning America and ABC’s The Chew, showcases her passion for the Mitten state in every delicious bite of the 80-plus dishes featured in her debut cookbook, all perfectly designed for the home cook.