Our Partners

Founded in 2022, in Newark, Delaware, Covation Biomaterials LLC is a leading global innovator of commercially available high-performance, sustainable solutions for the apparel and homegoods industries.

The company’s legacy of groundbreaking scientific innovation began with the commercialization of Sorona® polymer over 25 years ago, and continues today with the promise to deliver novel biomaterials at scale across multiple industries including its latest innovation BioPTMEG, with plans for commercialization in 2026.

Since opening in 1972, Chao Krung Thai has been a cornerstone of authentic Thai cuisine in Los Angeles, powered by the Kuntee family’s multi-generational culinary heritage.

Today, sisters Amanda Maneesilasan and Katy Noochlaor continue this legacy from the restaurant’s longtime home on North Fairfax Avenue, refining menus to honor traditional Thai flavors while shaping the future of modern Thai dining.

Known for its warmth, consistency, and cultural significance, Chao Krung Thai remains foundational to Los Angeles’s culinary landscape.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is creating a future for the world’s coral reefs by protecting ocean habitats, restoring coral reefs and helping them adapt to the impacts of climate change. It's a collaborative organisation that raises funds, invests in innovative ideas and designs real-world, scalable conservation programs that are delivering breakthroughs in marine and terrestrial restoration. Walking in step with First Nations Peoples and front-line communities, they are fast-tracking and deploying solutions around the world.

Launched in 2017 by James Beard award winning Chefs Gavin Kaysen and Andrew Zimmern, KZ Provisioning is a hospitality centered, performance-driven culinary company transforming the way professional sports teams think about nutrition planning for their athletes, coaches, and team families.

Sorona® polymer is the trailblazing 37 percent bio-based brand from CovationBio that has grown into a globally recognized ingredient for apparel and homegoods with a reputation for combining improved environmental impact with uncompromising performance for some of the world’s most recognizable brands.

Commercially launched in 2000, it is used to add softness, stretch, durability, and warm breathability to fabrics across a variety of apparel and homegoods applications including activewear, outerwear, workwear, ready-to-wear, high-fashion, carpet, and more.

In April 2024, Katy and Amanda opened their indulgent Ban Ban Burger restaurant next door to their street food inspired restaurant Tuk Tuk Thai on Sawtelle Blvd.

“Ban Ban” means “flat flat” in Thai, and here, Chef Amanda and Katy have introduced a restaurant that brings their cultural heritage together with their Thai and American upbringing. On the menu, the traditional American smash burger and milkshake combo is married with bold Thai flavors, and smash sandwiches made with chicken and pork.

It has quickly become a hit destination featured  by The New York Times in 2024 and more recently named a “must-visit” destination in LA’s Sawtelle neighborhood by the Los Angeles Times.

Founded in 2021, Katy and Amanda opened Tuk Tuk Thai on Sawtelle Blvd in Los Angeles as a casual, street food inspired counterpart to their legacy restaurant Chao Krung Thai. While both restaurants share a core philosophy to serve food that feels like home, Tuk Tuk Thai embraces a more playful, high-energy approach channeling the heat, excitement, and electric energy of Thailand’s street food culture in Los Angeles’s bustling Westside neighborhood. 

Generations of family recipes are at the heart of the menu, rooted in tradition and honoring techniques passed through their family. The food is bold, vibrant, unapologetically flavorful, and meant to be shared.  Each dish is designed to reflect the lively, welcoming, and unfussy style of their native country’s lively food stalls where sizzling woks, fiery spices, and fast-moving crowds collide.

A group of hospitality professionals led by Chef and Owner Gavin Kaysen. Their restaurants are designed to make you feel as if you’re enjoying a meal in their home

Two-time James Beard Award winning Chef Gavin Kaysen debuts The Merchant Room, a New American Brasserie, in a refined setting inspired by the elegance of Old Florida with an expansive alfresco terrace and cascading views of the sparkling pool leading to the Gulf.

The Merchant Room is Chef Kaysen’s first restaurant beyond Minnesota.

Named after the bustling town center of Place Bellecour in Lyon, France, Bellecour is Chef Gavin Kaysen’s interpretation of traditional, casual dining experiences that inspired his lifelong love of cooking.

Starting at 7:00 a.m., guests are greeted with friendly, efficient hospitality for a casual, counter service offering of viennoiserie, patisserie, sandwiches, and salads. At 5:00 p.m., Bellecour transitions into a welcoming and energetic full-service bistro with a bountiful dinner menu that draws inspiration from classic brasseries in France.

An intimate tasting menu experience that brings us back to the original purpose of a restaurant…to restore.

A bright, warm, welcoming destination for delicious food. Chef Gavin Kaysen’s first restaurant in Minneapolis is celebrating its 10-year anniversary