Alex Guarnaschelli

Alex Guarnaschelli is the daughter of esteemed cookbook editor, Maria Guarnaschelli. She spent her childhood surrounded by global cuisine dictated by whatever book her mother was working on at the time. This early emphasis on her palate shaped her future in food, and upon graduation from Barnard College in '91, Alex decided to further explore her culinary interests.

Throughout her culinary career, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli has worked in some of the world's top restaurants including Guy Savoy's eponymous Michelin three-star kitchen in Paris, Larry Forgione's An American Place, Daniel Boulud's namesake Daniel in New York City, and Joachim Splichal's Patina restaurant in Los Angeles. Since 2003, Guarnaschelli has helmed the kitchen as executive chef of Butter Restaurant, where she brings New Yorkers a menu of eclectic American and green market-inspired fare.

In addition to her restaurant work, Guarnaschelli inspires millions of viewers with her shows on Food Network. She is a recurring judge on the popular prime-time series "Chopped" and a chef coach on "America's Best Cook." In 2012, she bested nine rival chefs to win "The Next Iron Chef: Redemption" and joined the ranks of Kitchen Stadium's Iron Chefs. Alex has also appeared on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" as both a challenger and a judge.

Alex released her premiere cookbook, Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook in spring 2013, and has a weekly column on People.com where she blogs about her favorite seasonal ingredients, up and coming food trends, tips and techniques for the home cook, and cooking with her young daughter, Ava.

When Alex is not in the kitchen or filming for one of her shows, she enjoys traveling to new locales, browsing the Union Square Greenmarket, and cooking with her daughter.