Our Team
ALLEN BARI
Founder | CEO | CFO
A New Jersey native, Allen has proudly called Hoboken home for over nearly 2 decades. His journey is defined by his drive to follow his passions, including a successful career as a professional poker player that took him around the world and earned him a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2011. However, it was during this time that Allen realized his growing interest in the culinary industry. While taking a cooking class, he identified a gap in the market and decided to shift his focus from poker to hospitality and food education. Leaving behind his poker career, Allen enrolled in the French Culinary Institute, leading to the founding of Hudson Table in 2014. What began as a local venture has since expanded to include additional locations in Stamford, CT, Brooklyn, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and Princeton, NJ.
ALLISON BARI
Owner | Creative Director
Allie has been a Hoboken resident for 10 years. Always having a passion for cooking and food, she and Allen took numerous cooking classes before urging him with the idea to open Hudson Table. Together, they have opened 3 locations in the last few years with her guidance on design while helping make all things HT aesthetically pleasing. She manages all social media accounts for Hoboken, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia locations.
ANNA ZUCK DOWNS
COO
Anna was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and spent much of her early career in the travel industry running operations for international travel programs, living in places like Hong Kong and South Africa, 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, leading the day to day operations at hT, 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!
SARA KARTZMER FRY
Director Of Kids Programming
Chef Sara Kartzmer Fry is a health supportive chef who 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. She’s been working with children in the kitchen for 13 years in various teaching kitchens including Sylvia Center, Wellness in the Schools, Stone Barns, and 92Y. Sara now leads our incredible kids and teen programming across all locations!
ERIC CLEMENTE
Vice President Of Operations
New Jersey native Eric has been cooking for over 15 years. While his professional culinary journey began in Parma, Italy at the prestigious culinary academy, Alma, his obsession with food began long before that. Growing up in an Italian-American family, food was always pivotal and often the entire reason for gathering. Childhood summers spent with family in Japan eventually led him to live and cook there professionally as an adult. Since 2019 Eric has been the Executive Chef and a partner at Fork Hill Kitchen in Union City.
CRISTINA SALATINO
Assistant Manager | Chef
Chef Cristina first discovered her culinary aspirations while working for her mother’s personal chef business at age 14. Her passion and drive for cooking then led her to complete a culinary degree at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, and to further obtain a Culinary AS and Food Service Management BS with a Sommelier minor. Her style is inspired by the renown chefs she worked for in Providence RI, as well as her travels in Europe and Thailand. After running a few restaurants in Fairfield County, Chef Cristina came to Hudson Table to bring modern techniques, a focus on elevated plating, and beautiful food and wine pairings. You will find her teaching our hands-on classes and competing and hosting our chef competitions, as well as teaching kids camps and programs; introducing the younger generations to the industry with plenty of enthusiasm and creativity!
PABLO NEALON
Lead Chef
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chef Pablo found his love for cooking when he was a kid. However he started his career by obtaining his Architecture degree and moving to New York City, where he spent 12 years in architecture before deciding to follow his true passion and enter the culinary world. He worked in restaurants throughout NYC, then moved to Colorado where he worked in resorts for several years in various leadership positions. Now back on the east coast, Chef Pablo has joined the team at Hudson Table, where he brings his culinary experience to share with guests at hands-on classes, Chef competitions, as well as his own interpretation of South and North American Cuisines to his Chef Tables and private events.
BRYAN VASQUEZ
Lead Chef
Chef Bryan’s love for cooking began in his grandmother’s kitchen, where she always had a hot plate of traditional Puerto Rican cuisine waiting for him after school. Her generosity and love for feeding others, even when she had little, left a lasting impression and sparked his passion for the culinary arts. He pursued his formal training at Johnson & Wales University, earning a degree in Culinary Arts. From there, he honed his skills in renowned restaurants across Providence and New York City, working in both savory and pastry kitchens. Along the way, he expanded his expertise into mixology, learning from a talented mixologist at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Now, Chef Bryan runs his own private chef business and shares his culinary knowledge through his YouTube channel, BryanBeCookin. At Hudson Table, you’ll find him leading hands-on cooking classes, competing in chef competitions, and bringing his creative, technique-driven approach to every event.
