Susan Feniger is a celebrated chef, author, and entrepreneur. Her professional collaboration with Mary Sue Milliken (CITY, Ciudad, Too Hot Tamales) has led to the groundbreaking Border Grill empire, with locations in Santa Monica, Downtown LA, LAX Airport Tom Bradley International Terminal, Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay, and a second outpost in Las Vegas at The Forum Shops opened in October 2014. In 2013, Susan welcomed her new solo venture, the beloved Mud Hen Tavern in Hollywood.

A classically trained graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she was a trailblazer from the start, landing a job at Chicago’s famed Le Perroquet as one of the first women in the all-male kitchen. Following that, Feniger worked at Wolfgang Puck’s infamous Ma Maison in Los Angeles, and then further honed her culinary skills on the French Riviera. Susan Feniger opened City Café in 1981, which forever changed the culinary landscape of L.A. by offering eclectic dishes from around the world.

This led to a much larger CITY restaurant in 1985, a pivotal year in which the tiny space was transformed into the first Border Grill, a “taco stand” serving authentic home cooking and street foods of Mexico. The strength of the brand also led to a line of prepared foods under the “Border Girls” name at Whole Food Markets, and the transformation of Ciudad (1998-2010) in downtown Los Angeles to encompass another Border Grill restaurant.

A natural teacher, Susan has co-authored six cookbooks, including her latest, Susan Feniger’s Street Food. Susan Feniger is a veteran of 396 episodes of The Food Network’s popular Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour series and competed on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters in 2010.