Carla Kaya Perez-Gallardo was raised by three Ecuadorian women in Queens, New York, in a home with a busy kitchen. In seventh grade, she started Saborines, a summer pie company named after her grandmother. She graduated from Bard College with a studio arts degree before plunging headfirst into the restaurant world.

Hannah Black was born and raised in Alabama and attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied painting and developed a passion for cooking elaborate meals for her community. She has previously worked at Mission Chinese Food in New York City and Hartwood in Tulum, Mexico, before laying down roots in the Hudson Valley.

Meshell Ndegeocello is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and just a soul on the planet. She is based in Hudson, New York, where she writes, records, and composes for film and television.

Wheeler graduated from Bard College with a literature degree and was the general manager and wine guy at Lil' Deb's Oasis from 2017 to 2021.