JUNIOR BORGES
Chef/Owner Borges Hospitality

Raised in Mimoso do Sul, a small town north of Rio de Janeiro, Junior Borges came of age as a chef in New York City after graduating from the French Culinary Institute. Borges splashed onto the scene in Dallas in 2014 as opening executive chef at Uchi — earning a rare 5-star review from The Dallas Morning News. While the Executive Chef of Meridian- the first modern Brazilian fine-dining restaurant in the U.S.- Borges was hailed by Star Chefs as the “Game Changer” among its 2021 Dallas-Fort Worth Rising Stars. Under Borges' direction the Meridian was recognized by Robb Report’s The Best of The Best in 2022 in the restaurant category. Junior has most recently been recognized as a 2023 James Beard Award Semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category.

NIC YANES
Chef & Co-Owner of Excelsior Hospitality

A native Texan, Nicholas Yanes is a restaurateur, chef and co-owner of Excelsior Hospitality, a hospitality group with popular Austin-based concepts. After earning his associate's degree in culinary arts at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, Yanes established a career in the hospitality industry that boasts esteemed roles at concepts like Uchi before establishing Excelsior Hospitality and opening his flagship restaurant, Juniper, in 2015. As Yanes states of his culinary success: “It is the ability to connect people through hospitality, food and beverage that gives us the energy needed to continue looking for the next thing that the city [of Austin] needs."