100 People to Meet in 2026: Hosts

Nourishing and delighting us, these Virginians welcome us to their communities through food, hospitality and entertainment.

BRITTANNY ANDERSON

CHEF AND OWNER, BAR BUOY, BLACK LODGE, METZGER BAR & BUTCHERY, PINK ROOM, RICHMOND

In August, Brittanny Anderson announced that her successful Alpine fine-dining restaurant Brenner Pass would be closing, but it wasn’t your typical sad business story. She was replacing Brenner Pass with a new concept, Bar Buoy, a modern-day crab shack paying homage to her childhood home of Virginia’s Northern Neck, where her mother’s family made a living as crab fishers.

Bar Buoy debuted in October in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition neighborhood with a menu of crab cakes, oysters on the half shell and other seafood delicacies; it joins Anderson’s German-influenced Metzger restaurant in Church Hill and two Scott’s Addition bars, the Pink Room and Black Lodge. Anderson also has a national profile thanks to occasional appearances on the Food Network and Bravo’s “Top Chef” series.

RON BAILEY

VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, NORFOLK CASINO, NORFOLK

Ron Bailey brings over 25 years of experience in the gaming industry to his new role leading Norfolk’s forthcoming $750 million casino resort, a partnership between Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

Since joining Boyd in 2012, he has held senior roles in Las Vegas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Bailey now oversees the development of the 65,000-square-foot Norfolk casino, set to open in 2027 with a 200-room hotel, an outdoor deck and eight dining venues.

He also manages The Interim Gaming Hall, a new 7,200-square-foot temporary facility serving as a predecessor to the permanent Norfolk site. It accommodates approximately 100 players and features 132 slot machines. Next year, Bailey will focus on creating a welcoming experience.

“Our company is about building relationships,” he says. “So, it’s not just going to be a bunch of people coming in and out of here. We’re going to know our customers’ names.”

IAN BODEN

CHEF AND OWNER, MAUDE & THE BEAR, STAUNTON

Chef Ian Boden opened his restaurant, Maude & the Bear, in Staunton in 2024, bringing decades of culinary experience and deep regional roots to the venture. Named to The New York Times’ 2025 list of the 50 best restaurants in the United States, Maude & the Bear reflects both Boden’s Ashkenazi heritage and his wife Leslie’s Appalachian upbringing, weaving these influences with inspirations from their travels.

The restaurant and inn are housed in a restored 1926 Montgomery Ward kit house. The menu regularly evolves based on seasonality and the produce Boden and his wife can get from their trusted purveyors.

“It’s a true honor to be listed alongside so many fantastic restaurants,” Boden said in a statement. “We wouldn’t be here without our staff who ultimately help create the warm, welcoming atmosphere that Maude & the Bear has become known for, and our community for the ongoing support and trust.”

CHRISTINE CHOI

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO BRISTOL, BRISTOL

Christine Choi was hired as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol’s marketing leader in November 2023, at the same time her husband, Sunwoo, was hired as the resort casino’s president of food and beverage.

Since then, she’s helped oversee the 620,000-square-foot casino’s November 2024 grand opening and was a key player in helping the casino take a third-place win as Property of the Year in the Global Gaming Awards Americas 2025. The casino’s president, Allie Evangelista, also took third-place honors for Executive of the Year — not bad for a casino that was barely a year old.

In May, Choi helped promote a culinary event at the casino featuring contestants from NBC’s show “Yes, Chef!,” including Bristol’s own Torrece “Chef T” Gregoire. The event, Choi says, brought “world-class entertainment and culinary experiences to the region.”

NATHANAEL ‘NATE’ HARRIS

GENERAL MANAGER, GREATER RICHMOND CONVENTION CENTER, RICHMOND

Nate Harris took charge of the largest exhibition and meeting facility in Virginia, the 700,000-square-foot Greater Richmond Convention Center, in September 2024. With 15 years of experience, he’s no stranger to venue management or Central Virginia, having previously worked as general manager at the Virginia State University Multi-Purpose Center in Ettrick.

Since taking on his new role, Harris has overseen the completion of two capital projects — the installation of a self-service pay system in the convention center’s parking deck and an escalator upgrade — and is focused on additional upcoming improvements, like another escalator upgrade and a new roof.

In 2026, the convention center is expected to host nearly 200 events, attracting more than 430,000 attendees, up from around 350,000 this year. And Harris says his focus will be on “enhancing the client and guest experience through strategic facility upgrades and service innovations, helping position the greater Richmond region as a leading destination in the commonwealth’s growing travel and tourism landscape.”

KEVIN HEALY

OWNER, HOUSEPITALITY FAMILY, MIDLOTHIAN

Under Kevin Healy’s stewardship, what started in 1988 with one restaurant, Sunday’s Waterfront Restaurant in Chesterfield County, has grown into a restaurant group with four brands. Across greater Richmond, Housepitality Family has four The Boathouse locations (including the former Sunday’s), two Casa del Barco restaurants, an Island Shrimp Co. and Can Can Brasserie, its newest addition.

Housepitality Family bought Can Can, a Richmond staple offering French cuisine, in September 2024 and brought back private parties as well as the coffee house morning program. The group also opened the restaurant on Mondays and Tuesdays.

In 2026, Healy says, Housepitality Family plans to lead a wine and food tour in France, likely in the Provence region, kickstarting a program based on tours to southern Italy that his daughter, Paige, helped plan and lead for a previous program. His other children, Colin and Kyle, also hold leadership roles within the company.

RANDY and BRIAN PACK

MANAGING PARTNERS, PACK BROTHERS HOSPITALITY, SMITHFIELD

Randy and Brian Pack lead Smithfield Station and co-manage Pack Brothers Hospitality, a Smithfield-based restaurant, lodging and marina management company.

The president of Smithfield Station, Randy began his career at Ferguson Enterprises before returning to Smithfield in 2001 to join his family’s business — a hotel, restaurant and marina founded by his parents in 1986. He managed an expansion that doubled Smithfield Station’s size and revenue.

Brian, now vice president of Smithfield Station, also began at Ferguson Enterprises before joining Smithfield in 2003. Starting as a chef, he advanced to vice president, overseeing restaurant operations and marina leasing.

In 2018, the brothers launched Pack Brothers Hospitality with the acquisition of The Surry Seafood Co., a restaurant, hotel and marina in Surry County. Their portfolio has since grown to include popular dining destinations Decoys Seafood, River Stone Chophouse and Vintage Tavern in Suffolk. They plan to develop 37 North at Fort Monroe, a forthcoming waterfront resort featuring a 90-room boutique hotel, a marina and a 500-seat seafood restaurant.

Randy has served on Smithfield’s town council and planning commission, and Brian was named Virginia’s 2018 Dockmaster of the Year by Chesapeake Bay Magazine.

PENNY PARAYO

GENERAL MANAGER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, LIVE! CASINO & HOTEL VIRGINIA, PETERSBURG

Gaming industry veteran Penny Parayo is taking the helm as general manager of Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia in Petersburg, where a 75,000-square-foot temporary gaming facility is set to open early next year. The interim venue will feature 900 slots, 33 live-action table games, a bar and a quick service restaurant — an early glimpse of the $1.4 billion destination casino planned for 2027.

With a career built on launching and growing major gaming properties, Parayo most recently served as senior vice president of property operations for Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Hanover, Maryland, following five years as vice president of slot and beverage operations there.

Now she’s bringing that experience to Petersburg, aiming to shape a vibrant entertainment hub that will create jobs, draw visitors and build excitement ahead of the city’s permanent casino debut.

ANTONIO PEREZ JR.

GENERAL MANAGER, RIVERS CASINO PORTSMOUTH, PORTSMOUTH

With more than 20 years of experience in casino gaming and operations, Antonio Perez Jr. was tapped this fall to lead Rivers Casino Portsmouth. Since stepping into the role of general manager at Rivers Casino Portsmouth in September, he has been engaging with the property’s 1,100-plus team members as the casino marks a milestone of welcoming over 5 million guests.

Perez started out in the industry as a table games dealer and slot attendant in West Virginia, moving up to take various casino executive roles across five states.

He joins just as Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino move forward with plans for The Landing Hotel — an eight-story destination adjacent to the casino — and will support its development ahead of the hotel’s planned early 2027 opening.

BRIAN SHANLE

GENERAL MANAGER, KALAHARI RESORTS & CONVENTIONS, SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY

Brian Shanle moved to Virginia in July to launch Kalahari Resorts’ $900 million mega-resort in Spotsylvania County, which is slated to open in mid-November 2026.

A few days after its planned grand opening, Kalahari’s Spotsylvania location is set to host the VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit, an annual conference for the Virginia tourism industry. But Shanle isn’t worried about whether the property will be ready on time. “Stress is a choice,” he says. “I choose not to.”

Over the next year, Shanle’s work will center around creating the right type of culture at the facility.

“We’re a family business, and we’re deep in the culture of just being a family that works together and plays together,” says Shanle, who previously spent 16 years running the Kalahari Resorts & Conventions location in Sandusky, Ohio. “When you’re happy to go to work on Monday and happy to go home at the end of the day, that’s success.”

HENRY SMITH

OWNER AND FOUNDER, SMASHERS, NORFOLK

Henry Smith began cooking burgers at age 17 after a YouTube video featuring smash burgers caught his eye while he was hungry. After months of improving his burger-making skills and earning a “not half bad” from his father, he decided to turn his talent into a business.

In June 2022, Smith launched his first Smashers food truck in Cape Charles with a $40,000 loan from his parents, both of whom are entrepreneurs.

The venture’s success led to the opening of a Norfolk brick-and-mortar location on Sept. 1, 2024. Sales ultimately doubled over what Smith had projected, and the business has acquired a big social media following.

Smith, who hopes Smashers can potentially be turned into a franchise, believes that keeping the menu simple — burgers, fries, milkshakes, hot dogs and grilled cheeses — and ensuring the quality of products is what’s setting his restaurant apart.

NATE STEVENS

GENERAL MANAGER, ATLANTIC PARK SURF, VIRGINIA BEACH

Nate Stevens dove into his role at Atlantic Park Surf, the first North American facility with Wavegarden Cove artificial surf-lagoon wave-making technology, earlier this year. Atlantic Park Surf generates up to 1,000 waves per hour, offering various wave types for different skill levels. The park opened to the public this summer.

He brings with him 15 years in the recreation and leisure industry, from being a deckhand on fishing charter boats to owning a beach services and recreational equipment company to working on two Wavegarden projects. But his greatest professional fulfillment, he says, comes from the thousands of guest interactions he’s had over the years.

Atlantic Park Surf also includes onsite lodging, dining, shopping and community programs like Next Wave, which introduces young people from economically challenged communities to surfing.

“Building the team responsible for delivering world-class surf experiences is something I don’t take for granted,” Stevens says.

BETH WOODRUM

OWNER, CHRIS’S COFFEE & CUSTARD; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LOVABLE SERVICES, ROANOKE

On a recent afternoon, Chris Woodrum passed out custard sundaes and iced coffees to customers from the Chris’s Coffee & Custard food trailer, parked in South Roanoke. Many stopped for selfies with Woodrum, who has Down syndrome and has become a local celebrity in the Star City.

In March 2021, Chris’s mom, Beth Woodrum, opened Chris’s Coffee to provide jobs for local people with disabilities. She’s also executive director of LovABLE Services, a nonprofit that offers vocational training to that population.

Chris’s Coffee closed its original southeast Roanoke location in August. A new shop is slated to open in March in Roanoke County. Until then, business continues through the food trailer.

That’s possible thanks to Johnson Orthodontics and the community, which donated most of the $69,000 Chris’s Coffee needed to buy a food trailer to replace its food truck, which was destroyed by a fire in April.

DEBORA S. WRIGHT

CHIEF STRATEGIST AND VICE PRESIDENT, VISIT VIRGINIA’S BLUE RIDGE, ROANOKE

When Debora Wright was a student at what was then Hollins College, her goal was to land a leadership role in marketing.

“I’m probably one of the few people that ended up doing what I planned on, and I’m still doing it,” she says.

Since 1993, Wright has worked at destination marketing organization Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, formerly known as the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau. It leads tourism marketing efforts for Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke counties as well as the cities of Roanoke and Salem, where regional visitors collectively spent $923.1 million in 2024.

Currently, Wright is working with the region’s economic development leaders to launch a new “destination brand alignment.”

“We’re looking at how we can unify the brand to make a stronger regional identity, come up with a consistent narrative, and then position the region overall as a prime location for tourism, talent attraction and business investment,” Wright says.

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