Meet the Team
Salvatore (Sal) Rizzo
Owner - CEO
Salvatore Rizzo is the owner and CEO of the school as well as host and on-camera personality. Since April 2008, when he acquired De Gustibus, he’s continued to secure world-class chefs, wine experts, and specialty vendors season after season, whether it’s culinary icons (like Marcus Samuelsson, Marc Forgione, Jacques Pepin, Carla Hall, and Missy Robbins) or promoting rising star chefs at restaurants like Llama Inn, Adda, and King. He’s the mastermind behind our fundraising dinner, including the father-and-son evening with Jean-Georges and Cedric Vongerichten, which raised more than $17,000 for the Food Dreams Foundation.
When he’s not hosting classes at the school, Sal can be found participating in national conversations about the restaurant industry as an authority on food, drink, and New York chefs and eateries. He’s a frequent interviewee, panelist and moderator, and has participated in the New York City Wine & Food Festival, the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival, and the Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival. He’s appeared on ABC, Fox News, and Heritage Radio and has been a judge for the James Beard Awards for many years. He's also a proud member of the City Harvest Food Council, a culinary council member of the Sylvia Center and on the board of Spoons Across America, a not-for-profit dedicated to educating children, teachers, and families about the benefits of healthy eating.
For speaking engagements, contact James Oliver Cury at james@jimdotstudios.com.
Gary Portuesi
Co-Owner & Travel Director
Gary fell in love with food and travel at an early age when he and his family made yearly trips to Italy. In 2002, he launched Authentic Sicily, which has since expanded to become Authentic Italy in 2014, and Authentic Explorations in 2020—which offers high-end, custom, culinary-themed trips to Europe, Canada, the Caribbean and the US. Gary spent more than 20 years at American Express where he spearheaded some of their most successful programs including the launch of Platinum Card Fine Hotels & Resorts and the Centurion Lounges. He is also a certified wine expert. Gary has been selected as a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist and made it to the Travel + Leisure's A-List in 2020—marking five years in a row.
Izabela Wojcik (Whoa-Chick)
Director of Events & Partnerships
Izabela is a hospitality professional with over 35 years of experience working in event planning, member and donor cultivation, fundraising, and development. She spent over two decades working at the James Beard Foundation, programming events at the historic James Beard House, overseeing national fundraisers, and acting as a culinary ambassador and judge. Her broader experience includes marketing, education, and organizing events for luxury food producer Hudson Valley Foie Gras, as well as working in NYC restaurants in both front and back of house. She graduated from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and served on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History advisory board for the past decade. Izabela is originally from Poland, later Long Island, and now Brooklyn. She is inspired by the joy of cooking and storytelling and is delighted to be part of the De Gustibus team.
Ashley Ricart
Director of Culinary
Ashley began her culinary career in 2013 as a kitchen assistant at De Gustibus, shortly after graduating from the Natural Gourmet Institute (now part of the Institute of Culinary Education). She has since gained experience in catering, restaurant management, food styling, recipe development, culinary instruction, and event production, assisting on shoots for The New York Times, PureWow, and Food52, and supporting event operations for the James Beard Awards. Today, Ashley offers private chef services and cooking classes where she takes pleasure in designing custom menus focussed on seasonality and her clients’ individual needs. She is thrilled to return to De Gustibus, working alongside some of the most talented professionals in the industry.
James Oliver Cury
Director of Communications
James came to De Gustibus in 2018 after more than a decade in food journalism, having been food editor at Time Out New York, executive editor at Epicurious, and digital director at DETAILS magazine. He has been a judge at the Culinary Institute of America, the Jack Daniels World Barbecue Championship, and Food Network's "Iron Chef" show. He's written for dozens of magazines and websites including Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Food & Wine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and The New York Times. At De Gustibus, he's in charge of marketing, social media, and newsletters.