If you own a TV, you might recognize Peter Kelly. He has appeared on Iron Chef America, where he bested Bobby Flay in a cowboy rib eye contest. He also cameoed on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, where Bourdain and Billy Murray discuss the Hudson River Valley in between bites of Kelly's cowboy rib eye steak with Bernaise. His TV credits also include regular appearances on NBC and CBS—but perhaps most noteworthy of all, he's the James-Beard-nominated chef who helms Xaviars Restaurant Group—a conglomeration of eateries that dot upstate New York.

The self-taught chef started his empire almost 30 years ago with a single eatery: Xaviar's on Piermont, the only restaurant north of Manhattan to have received a four-star Extraordinary rating from the New York Times. Once that eatery catapulted him to stardom, he started opening new restaurants, and now owns a total of four, all home to his signature New American cuisine. Depending on the eatery, that could mean garam-masala-spiced duck breast, chicken breast stuffed with crisped brie, or fresh conchigliette pasta with spicy crab culled from local Tabasco sauce rivers. Though the dishes at each of his restaurants may be varied, each menu is approved by Kelly himself and shot through with local Valley ingredients.