Dari Ruff is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. She is a current resident of Nashville, TN. She attended Howard University School of Business where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management. Dari is currently the Director of Food and Beverage Operations and General Manager for Humble Baron Bar.

Dari has nearly 20 years of experience as hospitality professional. Prior to joining Humble Baron, she was the National Director of Strategic Operations for SodexoMAGIC, a joint venture between Sodexo and Magic Johnson Enterprises. Dari has held multiple management roles with Caesars Entertainment, Ritz Carlton, Mandalay Bay and Hyatt Hotels where the importance of world class food and beverage, service, operational excellence and client retention were the hallmarks of the brand. Dari also received her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) Designation from the Convention Industry Council in 2004. She is active in her community donating her expertise and time to various causes.

Ms. Ruff is also member of several professional organizations including LGW, Women in Food Service, Meeting Professionals International, National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, HIP Network, and former member Potomac Meeting Planners International.

Chef Jay Craddick has always had a love for food. Being a military brat, he and his family traveled quite a bit which exposed Chef Jay to many different types of cuisine and styles of cooking. Summers were spent at his grandmother's house watching her cook for him and his cousins. The ability of being able to feed him and his family with ease and delight truly impressed him.

As Chef Jay continued to travel, he became more fascinated with the thrill of cooking and the smiles it brought to those that indulged in his culinary creations. Throughout the years Chef Jay Craddick has provided amazing cuisine via his mobile kitchen, as well as, private and event catering. With many projects underway, Chef Jay is preparing to become the latest phenom in the culinary industry.

Master Mixologist, Cocktail Aficionado, Luxury Concierge Specialist.
In 2012, DeAndre Jackson started in the service industry in Miami at 17 years old working at Starbucks as a Barista. Barista by day, luxury concierge by night. Heavily embedded into the Miami nightlife at a young age, DeAndre worked for two of the top luxury concierge services in South Florida, OSA Group Miami and WhosWho Worldwide. He specialized in providing luxury real estate, yacht and exotic car rentals, and VIP club access.

He makes a transition in 2014 to a company called IPIC Theatres, a luxury movie theatre and restaurant concept in North Miami to begin his career in the restaurant industry starting as a busboy and 6 months later becoming a bartender. Working closely with the Head Mixologist of the company to create company-wide menu cocktails. This experienced led him to travel to New York City In 2017 to be a part of the opening bar team for IPIC Theatres Fulton St location in Manhattan. This led to being a part of the next few openings around the country. From New York to DC, and DC to Arizona, DeAndre parted ways from IPIC in 2018 to move on to working at Four Seasons location in Scottsdale, AZ. Now gaining new experience in hotel hospitality, a newfound love and passion was formed for providing anticipatory service and creating memorable guest experiences, DeAndre took his talents back to South Beach to be apart one of the best bar programs in country at Le Sirenuse, Champagne Bar located at Four Seasons Surf Club in 2019. Here he worked alongside Valentino Longo, MIB (Most Imaginative Bartender) winner 2020 and Jacopo Rosito, General Manager, 54mint San Francisco, and some of the worlds most decorated bartenders, to become recognized by Tales of a Cocktail, also to be the #1 Bar in the world awarded by Virtuoso, a leading global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel.

In 2020, he left Miami to sunny California where he opened a successful rooftop bar concept during a pandemic called Bar Bohemien in Culver City, CA. Getting known for his craft around Los Angeles he then became the Bar Manager at the world famous “Pretty Woman” hotel, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, another Four Seasons concept in Beverly Hills, CA.
During this time, he entered the 2021 Uncle nearest Honor Your Legacy cocktail competition and put on an amazing display of cocktail creation, perseverance, and legacy which wowed the judges. So much that he was offered the great task and honor of opening and operating the longest bar in the world. In summer of 2022, DeAndre moves one last time to Tennessee to become the Beverage Director of Humble Baron, home of the fastest growing whiskey in the world, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, located at Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee. DeAndre has a nomadic personality which allows him to adapt to new settings and situations with ease. “Your network is you net worth!” This is a saying DeAndre lives by and helps him strive to be better each day.

Restaurateur, Culinary and Hospitality Consulting Specialist, and Chief Culinary Advisor for SodexoMAGIC. Chef Garvin started his culinary career at the age of 13 in his hometown, Atlanta Georgia. Within 3 years, he was working at the Ritz Carlton-Downtown as the youngest line cook working with German Chef Vulker Shupp. He would later move to Palm Springs, California working under Chef Jean Pierre Dubray at the Ritz Carlton-Rancho Mirage.

As his culinary career continued to show promise, Garvin relocated to Los Angeles, California, where his career evolved from Sous Chef to Executive Chef, to eventually opening his own catering & events company and signature restaurant. He continued to make a name for himself, and within a short span of time, make the leap to TV with his “Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin” show. After 7 seasons, 3 books, and numerous accolades, his increasing popularity would lead to shows on the Cooking Channel, the Travel Channel, and his first James Beard Award nomination.

Garvin can now be seen as a special guest on Good Morning America, or on Food Network
alongside hosts such as Guy Fieri. He has also opened numerous restaurants in Atlanta through his “LowCountry Restaurants” brand and is actively working to educate and inspire the next generation of culinary professionals with his “G Garvin Culinary and Hospitality Foundation”.

Through Garvin's efforts, he hopes to aid in breaking down the diversity barriers within not only the cooking industry but in society as a whole where chefs of color are often categorized more often by race than a profession.
race than a profession.