Dana Beninati

Teaches at Astor Center

Dana Beninati is a James Beard award-winning producer, educator and writer. As a chef and sommelier, Dana’s superpower is food and wine pairing. She has trained in multiple countries and Michelin star restaurants, including both the kitchen and wine cellar of the #1 restaurant in the world. She is most passionate about teaching young people to whom the hospitality industry can provide a lifelong path to stability and success. Dana is an instructor at Sommelier Society of America, a judge for StarChef’s SommSlam and serves on the board of Food Education Fund, a nonprofit that provides hospitality education to public high schools in NYC. She holds a WSET L3 Diploma of Wines and a Masters in Hospitality from The Hotel School of Cornell University.