By Brent T. Frei

At Universal Studios in California, Eric Kopelow operates as if park guests are there for the food, not the fantasy.

Eric A. Kopelow is no stranger to cooking for a crowd. As executive chef and vice president of food operations for NBC/Universal Studios Hollywood in Southern California, he oversees 120 cooks and bakers and meal preparation for more than 25,000 park visitors and up to 4,000 employees daily.

When he was 12, like millions of Americans at the time, Kopelow would watch, rapt, as a black-and-white Julia Child souffléd her way into his home via public television. He grew up, enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America, and graduated with his AOS degree in 1980.

Since then, Kopelow has served as corporate chef of United Airlines and manned kitchens at Trump Castle Hotel Casino in Atlantic City and the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C. He’s hosted two dinners at the James Beard House in New York. In 2000, he returned to his alma mater to have his handprints cast in cement to join those of Graham Kerr, Martin Yan and other culinary luminaries as part of the CIA’s Great Chefs series. Kopelow was the 73^rd chef to be so honored, and today his handprints reside in the Danny Kaye Theater along with those of the doyenne of cooking who set him on his journey, Julia Child.

By Lynn Schwartz

David Guas, owner of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery in Virginia, learned early on to shut up and listen.

David Guas has earned accolades from The Washington Post, The New York Times, Esquire and Food Arts. In 2003, Bon Appétit featured him as one of eight “Dessert Stars” in the country and Oprah Magazine’s May 2010 Tenth Anniversary issue cited Guas as one of the country’s best pastry chefs. Guas appears regularly on the “Today” show and joined RJ Cooper on “Iron Chef America.” His book, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style (Taunton Press, 2009), was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Dessert Cookbooks” of the year, and was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award and an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Award. Despite the high praise, Guas describes himself as an “accidental pastry chef.”

By Lisa Shames

Private chef to an NFL running back, Gason Nelson of New Orleans provides a winning combination of professional culinary skills and hard work with a down-to-earth attitude.

Gason Nelson has a pretty cool job. But chances are you won’t hear him bragging about it. Ditto for the helping hand he lent to friends and family after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or the time he takes to mentor those hoping to follow in his footsteps. For the last four years, Nelson has been the private chef to New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush. For the record, Nelson wasn’t in Miami in February this year when the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV; he preferred to watch his team win from their and his hometown.

By John Paul Khoury, CCC, www.preferredmeats.com, www.preferredmeatsblog.com

An interview with Mark Liberman, chef/owner of Black Sheep Butchery, Sacramento.

Mark Liberman, a well-seasoned Sacramento, Calif., native, has worked in some of the top kitchens in America, if not the world, for such chefs as Joël Robuchon, Daniel Boulud and Roland Passot. Liberman has also competed in the semi-finals of the prestigious Bocuse d'Or. He has, curiously enough, returned to Sacramento and opened his own business. What brought Liberman back home, and what's his story?

Here's the scoop:

What drew you to the industry and why become a chef?
My initial draw into the restaurant/hospitality industry began when I was relatively young; growing up with both of my parents cooking at home and watching lots of PBS cooking shows is what drew me in. But when I got my first job as an apprentice at 15, I was hooked even before I ever worked on a line. Every day is something new, every day you start from scratch. It’s incredibly tough with long hours and constant pressure, but I never even fathomed doing something else.

By Lynn Schwartz

Part of Berkeley’s now-famous “gourmet ghetto,” TV cooking personality, author, restaurateur and chef John Fields says he’s done with pretentious food.

Like many chefs, John Shields first learned a love and respect for food from a family member. In Shield’s case, it was his grandmother, Gertie Cleary. Shields has had an accomplished career, which includes two acclaimed restaurants, four cookbooks and two television series: “Chesapeake Bay Cooking” and PBS’ “Coastal Cooking with John Shields.” What now captures his interest is the kind of cooking that his grandmother originally taught him—simple, healthy and local food.