Ashbell the Entrepreneur

FOUR STAR CHEF, RESTAURANTEUR, INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PERSONALITY & LIFESTYLE GURU

Ashbell’s story is pure Americana: from humble beginnings as the great grandson of a sharecropper in rural South Carolina, he discovered his gift of spinning down home food and flavors into heavenly ambrosia from his trio of family ‘cooking saints’: Mother Retha Ludd, Great Aunt Laura and Papa Ashbell. 

Educated at the Sorbonne, he travelled the world soaking up the ethnic tapestry of culture, tradition and cuisine that binds us all. Returning to the US, he successfully branded and nationally distributed his own food products, while doing stints as executive chef for high profile restaurants and private corporate dining rooms. His talents soon caught the attention of the likes of Robert De Niro, President Bill Clinton, Patti La Belle and other celebrities, who engaged his services. Soon NBC television took notice and Chef Ashbell became on-camera presenter for the WNBC Weekend Today Show. There he cooked with Donald Trump, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and a host of other celebrities, raising ratings and wowing New York’s ethnically diverse community with his larger-than-life personality and impressive knowledge of everything from potato latkes to Cuban pernil.

In 2001, Ashbell took his talents ‘across the pond’ to London, helming Harlem@Saint, a supper club in busy Covent Garden. Ashbell was invited to join the BBC television show Good Food Live as a result of Harlem@Saint. 

Also 2002, Ashbell received a commission from the Royal Parks to run an exclusive café for the famed Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion designed by architect Toyo Ito. 

In 2003 Ashbell opened his eponymous restaurant in trendy Notting Hill, dazzling AA Gill, the acknowledged ‘toughest restaurant critic in the world’ who bestowed a 4-star rating on Ashbells.

Chef Ashbell is a regular on BBC Cable Food TV’s most popular show, Good Food Live, and appears on BBC Broadcast TV across the UK on Good Food Bites. He is currently launching a new line of handcrafted limited-edition specialty foods, ‘Bespoke Cuisine’, a new beverage product, and is in pre-production for the filming of his show on US Public Television, Chef Ashbell’s Food in America.

Joel Franco tells compelling stories with an elegant voice, a crisp Italian sensibility and beautiful pictures. Franco’s experience, vision and intensity bring leadership, heart, and an eye for detail to his films. His understanding of the human condition and his passion for authenticity combine to create artistic, highly commercial works that draw the audience in and make them feel. Franco’s genuine desire to protect the integrity of each story and to bring out the best in the actors and crew have made him a trusted source for getting the job done. Colleagues trust his refreshing character and understand that he is a man of commitment and does what he says he will do, when he says he will do it.



Joel Franco was born in Italy and came to the United States in his late teens where he quickly immersed himself in American culture and film. According to Franco, “I have always admired American films. The American school of acting has a long history of producing great actors and I wanted to be a part of the world of film–a place where captivating stories are unveiled. The creation of film plays into my strengths: I love that magic is the result of the creative process. There must be passion to nurture the momentum of the story. And one must have intense focus to get the job done.” 



Influenced by American filmmaker Sidney Lumet for his vigorous storytelling and Italian director Robert Rossellini for his social realism, Franco is dedicated to staying true to the story in a fast paced, realistic and refined style. 



In 2006, Franco partnered with Solidaris LLC to found Chesapeake Films, LLC. Chesapeake Films has option agreements to produce several feature films and plans to produce two features per year in-house and to collaborate with established film companies for additional opportunities.



Joel Franco is a graduate of University of Maryland/Baltimore, a graduate of the USC-Universal Producing and Directing Program, and holds an M.F.A. in film production from the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

joelfranco@youthsports-themovie.com

Dr. Brian Cole is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and a

Professor of Orthopaedics, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Rush University Medical Center. Dr.

Cole is Managing Partner of Midwest Orthopaedics and is the Department’s Associate Chairman

and the Section Head of the Cartilage Research and Restoration Center.

He is the Chairman of Surgery at Rush Oak Park Hospital and leads the Rush Orthopedic Master’s

Program. Dr. Cole is the 2020 President of the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Dr.

Cole also holds several other leadership positions in national and international orthopedic societies.

Outside of academia Dr. Cole serves as team physician for the Chicago Bulls, co-team physician

for the Chicago White Sox, and a team physician for the Chicago Red Stars, Chicago Dogs, and DePaul

University.



Honors awarded to Dr. Cole range from the “Best Doctors in America” since 2004 and “Top

Doctor” in Chicagoland since 2003. In 2006, he was featured on the cover of Chicago Magazine

as “Chicago’s Top Doctor.” In 2009, he was selected as NBA Team Physician of the Year and

Orthopedics This Week has named Dr. Cole as one of the top 20 sports medicine, knee and shoulder

specialists repeatedly over the last 5 years as selected by his peers. Dr. Cole’s patients describe his

practice as compassionate, available and willing to offer novel solutions to avoid surgery whenever

possible. Testimonials to the surgical care that Dr. Cole’s team provides are frequently featured

and shared.

Dr. Cole’s research interests include Cartilage Restoration, therapeutic biologics and regenerative

medicine, and minimally invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of the knee, elbow, and

shoulder. He has published more than 1,000 articles and 8 textbooks on orthopedic surgery and

sports medicine, has lectured nationally and internationally on more than 2,000 occasions and has

appeared as an expert on several TV documentaries.

Barbara B. Lang embraces organizational change. In fact, she not only embraces it, but like the true leader and innovator that she is, she utilizes it to develop, expand and sustain businesses. Barbara manages the overall brand of Lang Strategies, LLC and oversees each of its practice areas: Crisis Management, Business Development, Political Strategy Management, Executive Leadership and Business Tactical Planning, Assessment and Problem Solving.

Expertise Most recently, Barbara has served as president and CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce for 12 years. In this role, she was responsible for the operations and overall strategic direction of the organization and advancing the Chamber’s interests through advocacy, education, information and business development. In her time at the Chamber, Barbara transformed the organization into the most powerful and respected business group in the region through her aggressive leadership on key public policy business issues. She also worked diligently on education (Pre-K-12) and workforce development issues and projects, as well as small business/entrepreneurial development initiatives.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Barbara was the Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Procurement Officer for Fannie Mae, a publicly-traded corporation that provides financial products for low-, moderate-, and middle income Americans. In this position she managed all the company’s procurement, real estate and facility operations supporting 5,000 employees in 60 locations in the U.S. with a staff of 300 and a budget of $300M. She also had a long career with IBM where she served in several management positions in finance, administration and product forecasting.

Accomplishments

Barbara has received countless awards and accolades throughout her career, including:

• One of Washingtonian Magazine’s 150 Most Powerful People in the Washington region…twice
• Business Leader of the Year (DC Building Industry Association)
• Phenomenal Woman by the Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage
• Legacy in Business Award by the University of the District of Columbia
• Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Cardinal Bank
• Lifetime Achievement Award from Greater Leadership Washington
• Lifetime Legacy Award from Washington Business Journal

Even more importantly, she developed several initiatives that put the DC Chamber of Commerce on the leading edge of non-traditional programming and non-dues revenue generation. She also increased membership from 1,400 to more than 2,000 businesses in 2003, accomplishing a goal she set for her team and promoted in the media. Under Barbara’s leadership, the Chamber became the leading business organization in the area, and has truly distinguished itself as the “Voice of Business” in DC.

Credentials

Barbara earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Fla; has done graduate studies at Harvard; is a 1999 graduate of Fannie Mae’s Executive Development Program; and is a graduate of Leadership Washington, Class of 2001. She received a Doctor of Laws degree from Trinity University in May, 2007 and in 2013 was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of the District of Columbia.

Barbara was appointed to the board of Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM) beginning in 2015, and served on the board of Cardinal Financial Corporation until its sale to United Bancshares in 2017. In addition, she serves on the board of the Sibley Hospital Foundation and on the FONZ (Friends of the Zoo). Barbara is the former chair of the Workforce Investment Council and the former co-chair of the DC Business Coalition. In 2012, she was appointed by DC Mayor Vincent Gray to the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and recently completed her six-year term.

Personal

Barbara and her late husband, Gerald B. Lang have one adult daughter, and have a 5 ½ year old granddaughter. She resides in Washington, DC.

Mark Pfoff

INFORMATION / BIOGRAPHY taken from: http://markpfoff.com/

Consultant

Mark Pfoff is owner of Rocky Mountain Computer Forensics which provides consulting for civil and criminal cases throughout the United States.  He has worked on projects from New York to Alaska. RMCF uses specialized software to examine computers, cell phones and cell phone records.

Mark is a court qualified expert in computer forensics, cell phone forensics, and cell phone technology. He is also an expert in police procedures and investigations; to include interviewing and interrogation techniques, proper digital evidence collection, and methods to obtain best digital evidence.

RMCF's mission statement:

"Provide forensic examinations of digital evidence using best practices; provide accurate and detailed reports of our findings; and provide expert courtroom testimony"

http://rmcomputerforensics.com/

Cattle Rancher

Mark has a herd of Black and Red Angus cattle in Eastern Colorado.  His cattle graze in open pastures during the summer and are fed a combination of hay and grain during the winter. His herd expands every spring with the addition of calves. Mark's herd has grown to over 50 with more calves on the way.

http://markpfoff.com/cattle-rancher/

School Board Member

Mark was the longest serving school board member for Lewis-Palmer School District 38 since term limits were enacted.  He was elected three times serving 12 years. He served twice as President and held every position during his tenure.  Lewis-Palmer is a high-achieving school district with one of the highest on-time graduation rates in the state of Colorado.

During his tenure the school district maintained a balanced budget, increased reserves, and was ranked as one of the top ten school districts in Colorado.

He completed his fourth and final term in December of 2019.