Alison Roman is a New York-based food writer, cookbook author, and newsletter publisher who turned unfussy home cooking into a cultural phenomenon. Best known for viral recipes like #TheCookies, #TheStew, and #ThePasta, she has authored four solo cookbooks - including the NYT bestsellers 'Nothing Fancy' and 'Something from Nothing' - and built a fiercely loyal subscriber base through her candid, witty voice. After stints at Bon Appétit, BuzzFeed, and the New York Times, she went fully independent, launching a newsletter, YouTube series, a Catskills corner store called First Bloom, and her own tomato sauce line in 2025.
Jason Kessler is an Emmy-winning writer, food and travel journalist, TV writer, and creative director who penned episodes of NBC's The Office, wrote a weekly column for Bon Appétit, hosted Trip Testers on Travel Channel, and created the Fly&Dine travel and dining platform. A North American Travel Journalist Award winner, cancer survivor, documentary filmmaker, and classical guitarist, Kessler is a rare multi-hyphenate who moves between advertising copy, primetime TV, and long-form journalism with the same easy wit he brings to rating airline food.