Xenia Turner

• A front-of-house service industry veteran, she's worked for James Beard-nominated chefs from coast to coast.
• She's a big proponent of the "Slow Food" philosophy — similar to "Farm-to-Table" practices — its main principles promote local and seasonal consumption, fair market practices, and food sustainability.
• An inspired mixologist, she designed the cocktail menu for her wedding, creating four signature, crowd-pleasing, and whimsically gothic drinks.

Experience

Xenia, the daughter of a chef/restauranteur duo, has been immersed in the food and beverage industry from a young age. In 2013, she helped her parents open their third restaurant, an après ski tavern in Vermont, designing a bar program that featured seasonally inspired craft cocktails. While an art student in the foodie city of Philadelphia, Xenia developed a deep interest in the intersections of food, history, and culture, and she sought out ethnic culinary traditions during her travels across the country. An avid home cook with a love for hospitality, Xenia regularly hosts dinner parties for friends, modernizing her family's old-world scratch recipes and mixing up signature cocktails to pair with them.

Education

Xenia has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in ethnic studies and a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Manhattanville College in creative writing.