Karl Uri is the Executive Director of the Sun Valley Culinary Institute in Ketchum, Idaho, an innovative nonprofit culinary school launched in 2020 to develop the next generation of culinary professionals. The Institute develops culinary workforce talent in partnership with restaurant and hospitality leaders throughout the Wood River Valley and provides food enthusiasts with unique culinary experiences that support the school’s mission and programming.
Karl’s career reflects a lifelong dedication to the sustainable food movement, community engagement, and the food industry. He has spent several decades working in seafood and commercial fisheries, particularly in the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands, and previously served as Foodservice Marketing Manager for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
A longtime advocate for culinary education and the hospitality industry, Karl is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the James Beard Foundation. He currently serves on the board of FARE Idaho and previously served on the St. Olaf College Alumni Board, as well as the board of the Northwest Fisheries Association. In recognition of his leadership and contributions to Idaho’s nonprofit and culinary communities, Karl was named to the Idaho 500 by the Idaho Business Review, recognizing the 500 most influential business leaders in the state.
An active member of the Wood River Valley community, Karl supports Ketchum Community Dinners and is passionate about animal welfare, adopting senior dogs through Mountain Humane so they may live out their lives in comfort. Karl and his husband, John, live in Bellevue, Idaho, with their senior dogs.
Hunter Owen White is Senior Category Manager at Thrive Market, the nation’s leading online grocery service focused on better-for-you food products, where he leads the Seafood and Meat categories.
Raised along the coasts of New England, he grew up immersed in the region's seafood traditions. Hunter later studied Mandarin, East Asian Politics, and Environmental Science as a college student in Maine, and spent a few years living and working in China and Taiwan. Upon returning to the U.S., Hunter leveraged his language skills to break into the grocery industry, with a particular focus on seafood.
He began his grocery career at UNFI, the nation's largest specialty grocery distributor, working out of its Tacoma office, where he handled key global sourcing programs including seafood. He then served as a category manager for an imported Asian food retailer, and later served in the same function at KeHE Distributors, where he directed various seafood programs.
With deep experience spanning global sourcing, category management, specialty retail and e-commerce—and a lifelong love of seafood!—Hunter brings both technical expertise and genuine passion to the judging table.
Levi has nearly 20 years of experience across the food system, with a growing focus on sustainably sourced seafood. His background in category management, sourcing, and organic standards, combined with hands-on farming experience, provides a strong foundation for translating producer’s stories, values, and production practices into compelling retail-ready products. As Director of Business & Partnership Development at Good Now Foods, he works at the intersection of manufacturers, buyers, and consumers to help food producers and fisher folks access new markets, build resilient partnerships, and develop products that succeed on shelf while supporting local communities and ecosystems.
Emma Ciciriello is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, with a degree and focus in Accounting and Hospitality, Restaurant & Tourism Management.
Ciciriello is currently Senior Manager of Food and Beverage Product Development for Holland America Line & Seabourn, focusing on leading the development of new initiatives, programs, and guest experience enhancements. Her oversight is specific to the creation, innovation, and enhancement of food and beverage offerings to align with company strategy and guest expectations.
She has grown her career at Holland America Line over the past 9+ years in the F&B team but also held roles in the Safety & ISM and Maritime Business Services teams, learning multiple areas of the cruise industry. This breadth of experience has given her a cross-functional understanding of onboard operations, allowing her to bring both strategic insight and hands-on knowledge to the projects she leads.
Other notable experiences include:
- Level 1 Sommelier certification
Ciciriello is a native of Rochester, NY but has spent the last 10 years living in Seattle, WA.
Born and raised on her family’s small farm in Missoula, Montana, Chef Elizabeth Kenyon developed an early appreciation for farming, hunting, fishing, whole-animal cookery, and seasonal ingredients.
A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, Kenyon’s career has taken her from Portland and Atlanta to Italy, where she apprenticed with renowned butcher Dario Cecchini, before settling in Seattle. There, she became Executive Chef of Manolin and later helped lead Rupee Bar and Old Salt, developing a cooking style rooted in sustainable agriculture, whole-animal butchery, responsibly sourced seafood, and the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.
Kenyon was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2020 and Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific in 2022. Rupee Bar was also recognized among GQ’s Best New Restaurants in America.
After nearly a decade in Seattle, Kenyon returned home to Missoula with her husband, butcher Nathan Kenyon, where they are currently developing their next chapter in food and hospitality.