Mary Sue Milliken

A pioneer of world cuisine since the creation of City Café and CITY Restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1980’s, Mary Sue is also a preeminent ambassador of modern Mexican cuisine with her Border Grill Restaurants in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and most recently Los Angeles International Airport.

After becoming the first female chef at Chicago's Le Perroquet in the1970s, she trained at a Michelin two star, female-owned restaurant in Paris. She later joined a handful of progressive women chefs to found Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. Partnering with Chef Susan Feniger for over 25 years, together they have authored five cookbooks, starred in nearly 400 episodes of Food Network’s, “Too Hot Tamales,” and hosted a popular and lasting food centered radio show. In 2013, they were honored with the California Restaurant Association’s Lifetime Achievement award. Mary Sue successfully competed to the finale on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" winning $40,000 for Share Our Strength, the non-profit where she is a long time board member.

A passionate food policy advocate, Mary Sue can often be found working alongside the LA Food Policy Council, PEW Charitable Trusts, OXFAM, Monterey Bay Aquarium and others to help shape sustainable food systems. She is also a member of the U. S. State Department’s American Chef Corps, furthering the industry’s role in diplomatic affairs.