Roger Berkowitz, President and CEO, Legal Sea Foods

Roger S. Berkowitz is the president and CEO of Legal Sea Foods, a Boston-based restaurant group that has 33 restaurants, a wholesale business, and a mail order division. He started working in his family's fish market in the Inman Square section of Cambridge at the age of ten and learned every aspect of the business until becoming president and CEO in 1992. Berkowitz is a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston since 2012; a regional selection panelist on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships since 2004; a member of NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee since 2017; Leadership Council, Harvard School of Public Health since 1998; and member and past president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. He also serves on numerous other boards including Dana Farber Cancer Institute; UNICEF; Environmental League of Massachusetts; Blue Frontier Campaign; and Brandeis International Business School. Berkowitz received the James Beard Award, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage, in 2017; the Chairman’s Award for Distinguished Meritorious Service from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries in 2011; and was inducted in Nation's Restaurant News MenuMasters Hall of Fame in 2008. Berkowitz was mentioned in the books Dare to Lead! Uncommon Sense and Unconventional Wisdom from 50 Top CEOs by Mike Merrill and Leadership Secrets of the World’s Most Successful CEOs by Eric Yaverbaum. Berkowitz co-wrote The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook and is the co-host of Name Brands, a podcast series launched in December 2017.

 

Eric Klein, VP of Culinary, Wolfgang Puck Catering

Eric Klein is VP of Culinary at Wolfgang Puck Catering and brings his culinary artistry, passionate hands on leadership, and outgoing nature to the team. As Executive Chef of Spago Las Vegas for 11 years, Chef Eric has been honored for his creative culinary excellence. His philosophy, “I try hard each day to make a difference, to make everyone feel special and know that I care. For the most part, I grew up in Wolfgang’s kitchen, so taking care of his brand and his reputation is paramount for me.”

Born and raised in Alsace, Klein began his career in France where he received his diploma in 1991 from Lycee Professional and joined the French military in 1992, working as an officer’s chef. In 1995, Klein came to the United States to assist German chef and restaurateur Hans Rockenwagner open his restaurant in Santa Monica, California. Eric then spent seven years working alongside Wolfgang, and left Spago Beverly Hills in August 2003 to take on his first business enterprise and head chef position at Maple Drive in Beverly Hills. He created rustic yet simple dishes incorporating influences from his native town, earning three stars from The Los Angeles Times and received multiple accolades including being named one of the Top 10 Best Chefs in America by Food & Wine magazine. In January 2005, Klein moved to Las Vegas to launch his first steakhouse, SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas. In April 2006, he brought his talents to the AAA Five Diamond Bellagio resort, as executive chef of FIX, the wildly popular restaurant from The Light Group. After embarking on a variety of roles and challenges within the fine dining industry, Klein rejoined the preeminent Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group to take the helm of Spago, Wolfgang’s first restaurant in Las Vegas.