Dear AU Community,  

We are thrilled to welcome two renowned chefs to campus during Family Weekend 2025—Friday through Sunday, Oct. 3–5! Join us for special dining events that celebrate culinary creativity and our Eagle community, including our third Annual Airlie Farm to Table Dinner—Tickets Available Now. Proceeds from Friday’s and Saturday’s events will benefit The Market: AU’s Food Pantry and AU’s Eagles Helping Eagles Program. You can find the weekend’s full event schedule here.

Friday, October 3  
Featuring Chef Martel Stone
Chef Martel Stone is a Philadelphia native whose culinary journey began in the U.S. Navy. He has cooked at acclaimed restaurants and served as Executive Sous Chef at Kith/Kin in Washington, D.C., under James Beard Award-winner Kwame Onwuachi. He went on to serve as National Executive Chef at The Gathering Spot, where he oversaw three restaurants across the country, including The H Restaurant in Washington, D.C. Stone has also showcased his skills on television, winning competitions on Chopped and Guy’s Grocery Games, and was named to Food Network’s Hot List in 2024. 

Today, Chef Stone is Chef de Cuisine at Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi at The Wharf in Washington, D.C.—named one of Time magazine's “World’s Greatest Places” and recognized by Bon Appétit as one of the 20 Best New Restaurants in the U.S. in 2025. He also has a personal connection to American University: he married his wife, AU professor TaLisa Carter, in the Katzen Arts Center this past May. Read more here.

Saturday, October 4  
Featuring Chef Aarti Sequeira
Chef Aarti Sequeira is best known for bringing her Indian soul to American favorites—always served with a signature laugh. The former CNN producer won Food Network Star in 2011, launching her hit show Aarti Party (originally a blog and YouTube series created with her husband, actor-director Brendan McNamara). She has also hosted Hidden Eats and Taste in Translation, published the top-ranking cookbook Aarti Paarti, and appears as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games and Cooks vs. Cons, as well as a contributor on Unique Sweets. 

These special events are coming to campus thanks to strong partnerships between the Dining Program, Chartwells Higher Education, the Division of Student Affairs, and more. We hope you can join us for some great food, culinary learning, and community fun!  

Onward we go together,  

Bronté and Raymond   

Bronté Burleigh-Jones 
Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Treasurer

Raymond Ou 
Vice President of Student Affairs