http://starchefs.com/events/nra/index.shtml

Want your own restaurant empire? StarChefs.com's CEO Antoinette Bruno will moderate a panel with Adam Block (Time Warner deal making guru) and Chef Michael Kornick (MK and Nine) that addresses the structures, pitfalls and benefits of culinary business deals and the risks and compensations for both chefs and equity partners. Learn the ins and outs of culinary business deals from major players on both sides of the court. Topics addressed will include:

• Finding (and keeping) investors
• Risks, pitfalls and common mistakes
• Protecting your concept and vision
• Owning, licensing and selling

About the Panelists:

Adam Block founded Block & Associates in 1987, and since then has been engaged in more than 1200 food and beverage projects worldwide. He is an essential resource for chefs looking to expand their brands and make sound business deals - he aids clients in management consulting, strategic planning, development, asset management and more. Past and current clients include celebrity chefs such as Charlie Trotter, Paul Bertolli, Terrance Brennan, Masa Takayama, Jean-Louis Palladin, Thomas Keller... the list goes on.

At the age of 28, Michael Kornick was the youngest executive chef to ever be hired by the Four Seasons properties. He spent 2 years at their Boston operation. Returning to his native Chicago, Kornick found success launching Marche and Red Light with the KDK Restaurant Group. In 1998 he opened MK, and then MK North in 2001. Currently he serves as a consultant-partner for Nine in Chicago and Las Vegas, and is working on a new venture: Milano Italian Grill.

Antoinette Bruno travels extensively throughout the US and the world to meet leading chefs and taste their food in order to bring StarChefs' audience a first-hand perspective on the top chefs and their ingredient and technique-focused recipes, as well as industry trends and controversial issues. Prior to joining StarChefs.com, Antoinette worked for over 15 years in the fields of finance, operations and marketing. Antoinette attended the Chefs' Program at the Ritz Escoffier in Paris and worked as an apprentice for Chef Jean Pierre Callaud. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, and a post-graduate degree from the London School of Economics. She brings more than a decade of experience in the foodservice industry to StarChefs.com, the first online food magazine which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005.