*All meals other than Hudson Valley Gather will be billed upon consumption. All additional bookable experiences, such as wellness treatments, program or a private class, will be billed accordingly.
*Troutbeck Members, please note that member pricing and monthly dining credits are not available for this event, as Hudson Valley Magazine is a third party.

ABOUT SHAINA LOEW-BANAYAN

Shaina Loew-Banayan is the chef and owner of Cafe Mutton in Hudson. Loew-Banayan grew up in New Jersey and has been cooking since high school. They sometimes wonder what could have otherwise been had they not discovered this fascinating, yet fairly inconvenient, world of food. And yet, here they are, making their little sausages and terrines, full of gratitude for the pigs and many other animals, who give their lives to be thusly transformed into lesser forms, or, as some lesser ones among us might argue, more, only to be partially eaten and then unceremoniously cast into the garbage bin. Loew-Banayan has been nominated for three James Beard Awards, and Cafe Mutton has been named both one of Bon Appetit’s best new restaurants and one of the New York Times’ top 50 in 2022.

ABOUT EFRÉN HERNÁNDEZ

Efrén Hernández is the Executive Chef at Casa Susanna and Rivertown Tavern in Upstate New York. A first generation Mexican-American raised in Los Angeles, Efrén moved to New York City to attend film school at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. While living in Brooklyn, Efrén took a job working in the kitchen at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamburg, which kickstarted an unexpected love of cooking. From there, Efrén was brought on to teams behind various city hotspots including Faro, an acclaimed Italian restaurant in Bushwick, where his team earned a Michelin star. Following this prestigious award, Efrénbecame Executive Chef at popular West Village sister restaurants MIMI and BABS. After relocating Upstate in early 2020 with his wife and daughter, Efrén has since taken over the Tavern at Rivertown Lodge in Hudson. In March of 2023, he opened Casa Susanna at Camptown in Leeds, NY. Casa Susanna serves authentic Mexican cuisine with a masa program - the first of its kind in the area. Focused on fresh produce that celebrates his family heritage, Efrén’s menu offers a variety of flavorful dishes meant to be shared. In 2024, Efrén was recognized as a “Rising Star Chef” in Esquire’s list of The Best New Restaurants in America while Casa Susanna was named on the same list as one of the Best New Restaurants in America. He was nominated for a 2024 and 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State.

ABOUT VINCENT GILBERTI

Chef Vincent Gilberti is Executive Chef at Troutbeck, where his menus celebrate his love of the region — its produce and farmers — and care for the environment. Fervently committed to sourcing seasonally from nearby and supporting regional husbandry, Gilberti specializes in farm-to-table cuisine and whole animal butchery and cooking, that manifest as elegant and plentiful on the plate. Vincent served as Troutbeck’s Chef de Cuisine from 2020 to 2022, before exploring new horizons on the West Coast, as Chef de Cuisine at lauded, Michelin-starred Californian-Italian restaurant SPQR in San Francisco, where he crafted fresh, handmade pasta daily — a passion first fostered during his childhood. Vincent cut his teeth at Keith McNally’s Pulino’s, before joining the opening team at modern American eatery Battersby in Brooklyn, where he worked his way up to Executive Sous Chef, and then went on to open Dover with chef Walker Stern. But it was Gilberti’s time at Michelin-starred Clinton Hill restaurant, The Finch — where he was Chef de Cuisine — that lead him to Troutbeck. During the height of Covid-19, The Finch’s Executive Chef Gabe McMackin asked Gilberti to join him in overseeing culinary at Troutbeck, Gilberti jumped at the opportunity to return to to his native Hudson Valley terroir. Vincent grew up in Carmel, NY where he unofficially began his culinary career assisting his grandmother with making fresh pasta every Sunday. When not in the kitchen, Gilberti enjoys immersing himself in nature, exploring the Hudson Valley, foraging for ingredients and inspiration.

ABOUT EMMA ISAKOFF

Emma Isakoff is the Pastry Chef at Troutbeck, the lauded estate hotel—with a MICHELIN Key—and restaurant in Amenia, NY. A Washington, DC native, Emma earned a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College but turned toward pastry, a passion since childhood baking with her grandmother. Emma worked at notable Southern hospitality property The Fearrington House Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property in Pittsboro, NC, as Pastry Chef, Chocolatier, and Cake Designer. Emma was also Pastry Chef of The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, FL, and Cake Designer at Carmella’s Kitchen in Charleston, SC where her cakes were featured in Southern Wedding Magazine. Since joining Troutbeck and returning to the Northeast, Emma lets the changing seasons and local ingredients inspire her pastries and dessert menus. Enormously caring and community oriented, Emma donates her craft and time to making cakes and pastries for non-profit organizations such as the NECC, Sharon Historical Society, Saint Thomas Pantry, among others. “I love to feed people sweet things. It creates a moment of joy that I get to be a part of.”—Emma Isakoff