OUR TEAM

Allen was born in Jersey City, raised in West Orange and educated in New Brunswick. He’s been a Hoboken resident for over a decade.

But don’t let his modest Jersey roots fool you; he spent the past ten years traveling the world as a professional poker player, a career that culminated with a World Series of Poker bracelet and an experience that ignited his interest in food.

As someone who’s always followed his passion – he left a career on Wall Street to pursue poker – Allen acted on his latest entrepreneurial instinct by enrolling in the French Culinary Institute and founding Hudson Table to address a void in the market. He hopes to build a business that educates people on all things food while serving as an alternative form of recreation in a thriving community of young professionals and growing families.

Allison helps oversee day-to-day operations of the space, whether it’s hosting an event or class, snapping photos for our social media pages, or helping with the overall decor of the space. With her eye for detail and keeping the staff and patrons smiling, she has her hand in a little bit of everything at Hudson Table.

Jose Gaona started cooking at 6 years old and has an infinite passion for Gastronomy. Born and raised in Colombia, his passion drove him to move to Peru to study at Le Cordon Bleu, where he also discovered that he has a good palate for wine. Being both Sommelier and Chef, Jose had the opportunity of working in the most diverse restaurants around the Americas, from running kitchens for Le Cordon Bleu in Peru, teaching Distilled Drink seminars in Argentina and Chile, opening a fast food Mediterranean concept in Colombia to working for Jean-Georges in his restaurants in Philadelphia and The Hamptons. At Hudson Table, he takes care of our guests as Site Manager for our Brooklyn location and Lead Chef for our Hands On and Private Classes or Catered Events.

Anna was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and spent much of her early career in the travel industry living in places like Hong Kong and South Africa, planning international travel programs, and eating her way around the world. Landing in New York in 2014, she spent 6 years in the wine industry before joining the team at Hudson Table. You can find her sourcing exciting new wines from wine regions across the globe, managing private and corporate events in Brooklyn, Hoboken and Stamford, and sharing her passion for food and beverage with our staff and guests across all of our locations!

Chef Sara Kartzmer Fry, a Hoboken resident, is a health supportive chef (with a sweet tooth!) Sara knew from an early age that she wanted to be a chef and has never looked back. She graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute and shares her passion for wholesome cooking with children and adults, as a personal chef, chef instructor, and educator. Sara has a special interest in farm-to-table food preparation, and spent six months at Katchkie Farms in upstate New York, showing children the joys of cooking with seasonal ingredients. She is currently employed as a chef instructor for Wellness in the Schools, a non-profit organization serving NYC Public schools. To learn more about Sara’s personal cheffing business, visit saraswholesomekitchen.com

Born and raised in Mexico City, Chef Guillermo found his passion for cooking when he was 18 years old; his first culinary experience was in Jaso Restaurant in the hip neighbourhood of Polanco. Upon graduating in 2010 with a degree in Culinary Arts, he decided to move to New Jersey and work in some of the most prestigious restaurants in New York City including Cafe Altro Paradiso, Morimoto and Simon and the Whale. At Hudson Table, Chef Guillermo brings his vast culinary experience to share with his guests at hands-on classes, as well as his very own interpretation of Contemporary Mexican Cuisine to his Chef Tables and private events.

Born in Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn. Vlad always had an affinity for arts and music. After high school, he gravitated towards the culinary industry because from an artistic standpoint it made sense to him. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. After a rigorous two-year program in classic French cuisine, he worked in New York City at Todd English’s flagship restaurant Olives where he really honed his skills in Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. After that, he decided to move to Austin, Texas to learn about the craft of BBQ. After 13 years in the industry and working in a vast array of different fields from butcher shops to catering to cheese mongering, he decided to venture into teaching guests everything he had learned over the years.

Melissa Ghelani is a classically trained chef with over 10 years of teaching experience. Her hands on classes are always a good time, and she’s always up for a battle in a chef competition. When she’s not teaching at Hudson Table, Melissa works with NYC non profits and other culinary consulting. Melissa, her husband Niket and lil dog Penny call Bayonne home