Judges

DAVID FEDER

Returning for his 14th stint as a DKCC judge, David Feder’s family has ties to Tiferet Israel that go back more than 65 years. His brother-in-law Stuart Roosth (Stuart I. Roosth Architects) is a long-time sponsor and contributor to the DKCC and has twice served as Tiferet Israel president. David’s sister, Andrea Roosth, has held a number of board positions for the shul.

Following a 15-year career as a restaurant chef in Austin and Dallas, David became a registered dietitian and nutritionist (RDN) and completed research and coursework toward a Ph.D. in nutrition biochemistry at UT Austin, where he also taught food science and nutrition. A food, nutrition, ingredient science, and health journalist, and food industry consultant for more than 35 years, David authored “The Skinny Carbs Diet” (Rodale 2010), and was contributing author to “The Great Pepper Cookbook” (Oxmoor House, 2014) and a dozen other books.

He has written for more than 50 different publications and currently is the Group Technical Editor for BNP Media, Inc. as well as the Executive Editor–Technical for BNP’s Prepared Foods network. He lives in Austin with his wife, their son, and a pair of spoiled rotten dachshunds.

His advice to this year’s DKCC contestants: “For Heaven’s sake, put some hot peppers in your chili!”
You may contact him at davidpbfeder@gmail.com

JODY DENTON

Jody Denton, Certified Research Chef, is the senior leader within PepsiCo’s Global Foods R&D organization. As a culinary innovator whose career bridges the worlds of elite restaurants and global food innovation, he has more than four decades in the independent restaurant industry and corporate food product development worlds. 

Denton has worked for and with some of the most influential chefs in modern cuisine, including Wolfgang Puck, Dean Fearing, Mark Miller, John Folse, Rick Tramonto, George Morrone, Michael Mina, and Reed Heron. In his current position, he translates restaurant‑level culinary inspiration into breakthrough consumer products for some of the world’s most recognizable snack brands.

Known for his ability to connect chefs, scientists, and product developers, Denton is widely recognized as a culinary catalyst—bringing authentic flavor, culinary storytelling, and real‑world chef credibility to the future of food. Beyond that, Denton is a notorious chili head and has been caught putting Carolina Reaper sauce on his morning cornflakes.

Contact him at chefdenton@gmail.com.
And check out his interview on hot and spicy foods with David Feder at:
https://www.preparedfoods.com/videos?bctid=6353284006112.  

STEPHEN KALIL

Stephen Kalil is both a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) with the American Culinary Federation and a Certified Research Chef (CRC) with the Research Chefs Assn., both organizations he has served as president. 

From a family of multigenerational restaurateurs, Chef Stephen has decades of experience in product development for restaurant groups, such as Brinker International, and food product manufacturers. After more than a decade as the Corporate Executive Research Chef for PepsiCo/Frito Lay, he founded the Flavor Design Studio, a think tank, consultancy, and strategic leader for culinary innovation in Dallas. 

He can be reached at chefstephen@flavordesignstudio.com. 

JOHN R. ROBINSON 

Returning DKCC judge John Robinson is an attorney for Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy, LLC.

An inveterate traveler and culinary maven, he has trekked through every continent in the world save Antarctica, visiting dozens of countries (including time in Israel with our own David Feder) and sampling everything in each from street food to fine dining.

Having grown up in Abilene, this guy knows chili as well as the Law, so slackers watch out!
To have John litigate your next party, contact him at jrobinson@maronmarvel.com