Roy Handler
Chef Roy Handler didn’t immediately know that he wanted to pursue a career in the culinary arts. He worked odd jobs for several years after high school before he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. After graduating from culinary school, Chef Roy spent a decade in country club restaurants and hotel fine dining working up from production chef to executive chef. Then he took the reins at a Northern Italian restaurant where he spent roughly another decade mastering the cuisine. In 2009, he moved to Los Angeles, CA to work as a private chef for his sister, comedian Chelsea Handler. Officially, Chef Handler was the owner and chef of Haute Mess Catering, and the job also resulted in 16 appearances on her semi-scripted comedy show, Chelsea Handler's After Lately on E! (2011-2013). In 2015, Chef Handler left LA for what was supposed to be a month-long opportunity to help a friend train new kitchen staff in Palau, Micronesia. Years later, he still lives in Palau, and is the executive chef at Elilai Seaside Dining.
Lara Paul
Chef Lara Paul spent roughly a decade working in various restaurant kitchen roles in Austin, TX. In 2017, she transitioned to institutional cooking as the chef at a dual-language daycare, providing healthy meals and snacks to kids. This led to her current role as the co-founder/co-director (and chef) of The Homegrown School, a homestead-based daycare program, where kids learn about gardening, exploring foods, making healthy choices, and being mindful of nature.
Mogan Anthony
Chef Mogan Anthony was born and raised in Malaysia. He started in the hospitality industry as a teen, working at several luxury hotels in Southeast Asia, including the Four Seasons Singapore. It was there that Chef Anthony found a passion for the culinary arts and also met his future wife, Chef Seleste Tan. Together they moved to New York City, NY where he had the opportunity to work in several well-known fine dining restaurants, including several years under Chef Jean-Georges. In 2011, Chef Mogan left the city for the Hudson Valley area and joined the Village Social Restaurant Group as the executive chef of their eponymous flagship, Village Social. Since then, VSRG has grown to encompass four wide-ranging dining concepts with six locations. Their newest, Fatt Root, is fast-casual Southeast Asian food close to Chef Anthony’s roots. If all that doesn’t keep him busy enough, Chef Mogan is also involved with a boutique Southeast Asian pastry shop, Lady Wong Pastry & Kuih, launched by his wife during the pandemic.
Joseph Miller
Chef Joseph Miller spent the majority of his career as the executive chef and owner of Joe's Restaurant in Venice Beach, CA. Operating from 1991 to 2016, in its early years it was at the forefront of the farm-to-table cooking movement in Southern California. Chef Joe and his eponymous restaurant were known for applying French techniques to locally sourced ingredients, with Asian and Californian influences, and in 2007 he earned a Michelin star. In addition to Joe’s, Chef Miller was also an owner/partner of Bar Pintxo, a tapas-style restaurant (2007-2017), and a short-lived diner concept Rudy & Hudson (2017), both in Santa Monica, CA. In his final few years, he worked as a restaurant consultant and as an event manager at the famed Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York State's Hudson Valley region. Sadly, Chef Joseph Miller died in 2019 at age 60, due to complications from a cardiac arrest suffered while cycling. He is remembered for his longtime influences on Southern California dining and as a mentor to the many young chefs who worked in his kitchens.
Hungry for more?
Check out episode 31 of the Waiting on Fries: Inside Bars and Restaurants podcast, with guest Chef Mogan Anthony. Listen through your web browser now, or find it through iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
