DAN WOOD
Owner/Operator/Chef of Café 66, Dan started his restaurant career washing dishes and prepping at a local beachside gourmet market where he quickly worked his way up to Chef. He attended the Culinary Arts program at IRSC and has been mentored by accomplished local Chef’s at fine dining restaurants, resorts, and country clubs. In 2017 he left his job as Banquet and Catering Chef at Capt. Hiram’s to take on the roll of Chef at Café 66. In 2019 he and Lacy purchased the restaurant which moved from its location on 66th Ave to its current iconic location, formerly Fat Boys, on US 1 in Vero. Dan has held many positions over the last 25 years but Café 66 is his greatest accomplishment. Cafe 66 won the 2021 Golden Fork Awards in three categories: Judges' Pick, People's Choice and Kids' Choice. They moved on to the Master Chef competition where they won both Judges' Pick and People's Choice! When he is not stirring something up in the kitchen, he enjoys spending time with Lacy and Abbie, fishing and boating.
SUE TORRES
Sue Torres has been setting the standard for gourmet Mexican fare for over twenty years. She’s a highly accomplished chef, television personality, consultant and philanthropist. Her impressive culinary career has been marked by creativity, critical acclaim, and passion for good food. Born to an Italian mother and a Puerto Rican father, Chef Torres grew up on Long Island, where her grandparents grew vegetables in their home garden and taught her the basics of preparing meals with organic, locally grown, seasonal ingredients. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Torres officially earned her cooking stripes at some of New York City’s best restaurants: The “21” Club, La Grenouille, Isabella’s, Lola’s, Arizona 206, Rocking Horse Café Mexicano, and Hell’s Kitchen. An artist of the kitchen as well as a humanitarian, Chef Torres has used her renown to serve as a role model and to actively participate in various fundraisers. Chef Torres has been honored by the White House as “Champion of Change” for participating in the “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative, which intends to make children's lunches more healthful and curb childhood obesity.
THOMAS MILLER
Thomas Miller, aka “The Treasure Coast Foodie” and “The Foodie Guy,” is now the host and producer of the brand new show called Holy Grail Eats! He has been a professional food blogger for the past 7 years and is very passionate about finding “Holy Grail” dishes and supporting local mom and pop owned restaurants! He has reviewed over 250 local restaurants in the last 7 years and his food photos are devoured by 10’s of thousands each month on his website treasurecoastfoodie.com. As a Google Maps Level 8 Local Guide, he has submitted over 3,000 photos that have been viewed over 50 million times. His foodie tribe is over 125,000 strong on the Treasure Coast and his Foodie Meetups and Chef’s Table Dining events are some of the Top Culinary experiences on the Treasure Coast!
LEANNE KELLEHER
Chef Leanne Kelleher moved to Vero Beach from Watertown, CT in 1982. She completed her senior year and graduated from St. Edward’s School in Vero Beach 1983. She attended and graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY in 1991 followed by a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University in 1993. For the next seven years Chef Kelleher worked at a number of restaurants including The Black Pearl and Café du Soir gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to eventually launch The Tides in April 2000. Since then The Tides has received numerous awards and accolades, the most recent being Trip Advisor’s “Traveler’s Choice Award,” placing The Tides in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. With a strong sense of community, Chef Kelleher has supported many charitable organizations including United Against Poverty and many others.
2021 APPLE PIE EATING CONTEST
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