Luke Owen Smith has been an advocate for the craft chocolate industry for the past eleven years, during which time he’s hosted many chocolate tasting and talks throughout New Zealand.

Colombian-born, Canadian-raised Mary Luz Mejia is a twice-NATJA-nominated freelance food and travel journalist, a Gemini-nominated former food television producer, and Canada’s first Level III IICCT Certified Chocolate Taster.

Estelle Tracy is a French-born chocolate sommelier based in the Philadelphia area. She discovered the world of bean-to-bar chocolate after reviewing 37 chocolate bars in honor of her 37th birthday on Halloween 2015. That personal challenge opened her eyes to the flavors, stories, and people behind craft chocolate.

A community builder based near Washington, DC, Barb Genuario has been connecting people through craft chocolate for over a decade. She brings hands-on experience from her work with DC craft chocolate maker Harper Macaw and firsthand knowledge from visits to cacao farms in multiple origin countries.

Anna Mindess is a multi-award writer living in Berkeley, California, who focuses on food, culture, and travel. Her work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, AFAR, Gastro Obscura, Fodor's, and Lonely Planet, among others.

Rebecca Frey is a freelance recipe developer, food photographer, stylist, and classically trained pastry chef. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu London, where she earned the Diplôme de Pâtisserie (French Pastry Techniques Diploma)