FOUNDER

The Chef King Phojanakong Foundation was established by Annabel in honor of her beloved husband King. The foundation will work to continue his legacy of service in the culinary arts and community, and Filipino American food culture. With the involvement of his wife, children and restaurant community, the foundation will endeavor to support those who wish to pursue a career in the culinary arts. The foundation will also continue to provide support to organizations aimed at promoting Filipino American food culture.

Annabel Nau is an experienced pharmaceutical lawyer and compliance professional with over 20 years of combined experience. She helped Fortune 500 life science companies maintain a culture of ethics and compliance focused on managing key areas of risk in the US and globally. A purpose-driven leader, Annabel has expertise in working with community based organizations and advocacy organizations to help support educational initiatives for patients. An advocate and mentor to young adults, Nau has dedicated time to various bar associations and cultural groups.

DIRECTOR

John has diverse background holding leadership positions in a series of organizations from larger established Governmental entities to startups. Currently in addition to founding a world class hot sauce firm, John and his partners, spend a fair amount of time creating and preserving affordable housing in the NYC metro area . He is a board member of the NYS Gaming Commission as well as NFP Santa Angel’s. His love of gardening was sparked when his older daughter decided to forgo her chance at becoming the next Jackie Mitchell, gardening become the substitute activity for the weekends. He graduated from both college and grad school in reasonable time frames, an occurrence many of his elementary school friend’s still doubt.

DIRECTOR

Jeanine Ramirez is an award-winning journalist who covered New York City news, as well as stories on Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, for more than two decades. She reported on the catastrophic events surrounding 9/11; the dramatic trial of drug lord El Chapo; the devastation from Superstorm Sandy; the controversial construction of Barclays Center; and the rebirth of Coney Island.

Among her many honors, Jeanine served as one of the Grand Marshals in the National Puerto Rican Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. She’s a five-time Emmy Award-nominee and has received awards from the National Hispanic Media Coalition; New York Press Club, City & State; El Diario/La Prensa as well as from elected officials, organized labor and community groups.

A native of Brooklyn, Jeanine majored in communications both at Brooklyn Technical High School, where she was a member of ASPIRA and at Fordham University, where she was founder and co-captain of the school's dance team Ram Rhythm. She landed her first television job at WPIX in New York and then moved for her first on-air position to Midland-Odessa, Texas. She worked at the NBC affiliate KWES-TV where she reported, anchored and hosted the syndicated, weekly Latino music program Colores del Barrio. Jeanine has been a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists throughout her career.