THE CHEFS OF CHEFX:
THE BERKSHIRES IN HUDSON on SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Bjorn Somlo. Chef-owner of Nudel Restaurant, a creative American bistro, which takes its inspiration from the bounty provided by local farms and food producers of the Berkshire region. Somlo is committed to using local, organic, ethical and natural ingredients whenever and as much as possible. He started out bussing tables at the county fair when he was 16 years old. Since then, he has worked in the kitchens of restaurants across the region. After living in New Orleans and New York City and working abroad, he returned home to the Berkshires. Somlo opened Nudel in August of 2009.
Photo of Bjorn Somlo by Daniel Schmolze
Brian Alberg. Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage at The Red Lion Inn and a staunch supporter of the local food movement in the Berkshires and Hudson Valley. He is President of Berkshire Grown, an organization dedicated to promoting the support of local farming and strengthening the relationships between local farmers and restaurants. A native of Copake, NY, Alberg began his culinary career as an apprentice at the former l’Hostelierre Bressane. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1987, he oversaw the kitchens in a number of high-profile Berkshire restaurants. He left the area in 1993 to become Executive Chef at Dudley’s 
Restaurant in Westchester, NY, went on to work as executive chef and later Director of Food & Beverage at the Old Saybrook Inn & Spa, and then moved into the corporate world with Marriott where he helped open a number of hotels. He began his tenure at The Red Lion Inn in July of 2004. Alberg resides in Kinderhook, NY.
Photo of Brian Alberg by Edward Acker
  
Jamie Paxton. A graduate of The French Culinary Institute and Duke University, Jamie found her way to the professional kitchen through many years of work in the restaurant industry and her personal pursuit of local and sustainable foods while living in Hoboken, NJ, and New York City. Her food is grounded in her French training, English and Irish heritage and her time spent living and traveling in Latin America and the American South, and driven by her interest in sustainable meat production, traditional food craft and local food systems. After graduating from culinary school, Jamie worked in the kitchens of Telepan and ABC Kitchen before leaving New York in pursuit of a life situated closer to farms, trees and fresh air. Jamie moved to the Berkshires in the summer of 2012 to join The Meat Market team and is thrilled to be living and working within this community of passionate and talented farmers and craftspeople.
Photo of Jamie Paxton by Silka Glanzman
Stephen Browning. Graduated from the Culinary institute of America (CIA) in 2001. During his training at the CIA, Stephen worked an externship at the 21 Club in New York, where he later served as a Poissonier for one year. He worked as Garde Manger and Patissier at Lutece, and Poissonier and Sous Chef at Bayard’s Restaurant in NY. 
Crafting seasonal French fine cuisine, this is where he began cooking with ingredients from local farms. Stephen opened Flatbush Farm Restaurant in Brooklyn and was Executive Chef for three years. Using local farms and meat exclusively, he started working with whole animals and creating nose-to-tail dining for the restaurant. He then went on to work at his favorite restaurants, Marlow & Sons and Diner in Brooklyn. Stephen was Sous Chef for both restaurants in the mornings and in charge of their SummerStage concession in Manhattan during the concert season. He met Mark Firth, then co-owner of Marlow & Sons/Diner and current owner of Bell & Anchor. Mark offered Stephen a position at his new restaurant in the in Great Barrington, Mass. He fell in love with the Berkshires and the restaurant concept and they opened Bell & Anchor in September of 2012.
Photo of Stephen Browning by Silka Glanzman
Matt Rubiner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongers.