Sammy Monsour

Sammy Monsour is a Michelin award winning chef, cookbook author and food activist. He is a third-generation chef and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, with roots stemming from his parent’s neighborhood joint in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His food and restaurants in Boston and Los Angeles have received acknowledgment and acclaim from James Beard Foundation, Eater, Food & Wine, and Zagat. His sustainable business practices have awarded him a spot on the Good Food 100 list, as well as a Green Star from the City of Los Angeles. You may recognize him from his frequent appearances on a variety of Food Network programs, along with Viceland’s The Untitled Action Bronson Show, Hulu’s Chefs vs Wild, and Hallmark’s Home & Family (to name a few). His work outside the kitchen focuses primarily on ocean conservation and sustainable food systems. He is a highly active member of the Chefs Manifesto—a SDG2 Zero Hunger Action Network—and was the American chef diplomat during the World Food Day processions at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations headquarters in Rome. He serves on the board of Chefs Collaborative and James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch Impact program and is a member of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Blue Ribbon Task Force. He currently serves as a consultant to the Environmental Defense Fund, where he helped launch the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture and leads a national team of chef ambassadors. When he’s not living the saltwater lifestyle in Charleston, SC, he spends his time in sunny California at his new restaurant, Joyce—a Modern Coastal Southern restaurant located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.