Meet Grill Master Judge Michael Mayo, an award-winning food critic, influencer, digital creator and South Florida-based journalist with more than three decades’ experience in newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and social media. After spending more than 30 years at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in a variety of roles, the last five as dining critic, Mayo retired from daily journalism in 2020 and founded HeyMikeMayo Communications LLC. He is co-founder and administrator of the 83,000-member “Let’s Eat, South Florida” Facebook group, and hosts the “Mike Mayo’s Lunchbox” radio show / livestream with Jeff DeForrest, weekdays on WWNN radio / OldiesSouthFlorida.com (95.3 | 96.9 FM | 1470 AM at 8 p.m.) and the SoFla Live Network on YouTube and Facebook (noon - 1 p.m.). Mayo lives in Dania Beach, has a 16-year-old daughter, and is always on the hunt for good pizza, burgers and pastrami.

Grill Master Judge Sam Kerrigan is the morning co-anchor of CBS12 News. Before that, you knew her best as “Traffic Jam Sam,” where, for 6 years of her career, she was not only in studio doing her morning traffic reports, but out on the roads in the CBS12 “Traffic Tracker”. Having grown up in South Florida, Sam is very active in the community and loves to support those who make it a better place for all of us to live. Every Monday she features someone making a difference in the community in her “Hometown Heroes” segment. She also recently started writing a similar “Heroes” column for local lifestyle magazine – Palm Beach Illustrated. Sam graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. In her spare time, Sam loves to stay active, attend local sporting events, spend time with family and friends and travel the world!

Meet Grill Master Judge Vicki Corrao, also known as The Countess de la Pasta, she is a former owner of three Italian restaurants on Mulberry St in N.Y.C.'s Little Italy. She has judged numerous events for Cordon Bleu and Johnson & Wales. Vicki is presently retired...aka hobbying and sits on the board for Palm Beach American Culinary Federation.

Meet Grill Master Judge Robert Weinroth, elected to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners representing District 4 in 2018 and was recently elected by his fellow board members to serve as mayor. He is a longtime resident of Boca Raton with an extensive background in business, public service, and community involvement.

Mayor Weinroth is married to Pamela and is the father of four boys in their blended family.

Meet Grill Master Judge Chef Max Santiago, he's an Award-winning Executive Pastry Chef and a native Floridian, where he attended culinary school after serving in the United States Air Force. He has been drawing and sculpting ever since he was able to hold a pencil, and looks at the pastry field a canvas that allows him to express his creativity. Chef Max is uniquely skilled with over 27 years of experience in both award-winning fine dining restaurants and 5 Star, 5 Diamond hotels. A self-described trend-setter, who loves working with chocolate favors and exotic fruits. Chef Max is happiest with unusual combinations of sweet and salty, and loves to experiment with molecular gastronomy, such as foams, airs, fruit caviar, liquid nitrogen, and powders. “I love keeping food ingredients in their most natural and simplistic state, but at the same time I’m not afraid of experimenting, and I love to play with new interesting advances, technologies, and tools in our culinary world!”

Chef Max’s first venture was The Salty Donut, then in 2019 he went into a partnership and created Batch the Cookie Company. A gourmet cookie company which focuses on chef made, small batch, craft cookies. They use the highest quality ingredients and genuine, warm hospitality is their main goal. Batch has been thriving with great success since first opening its doors in The Flagler Village neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Batch location number 2 recently opened in May 2021 in the Fountains Plaza in Plantation, FL and location number 3 is opening soon in the Boca Center in Boca Raton, FL.

Chef Max is currently one of the top, sought after Consulting Donut Chef’s in the world. He has helped open 9 donut shops throughout different parts of the world to include: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Toronto, Portugal, Orlando, New York, Washington State, Davie, and Miami.“I have never stopped R & D for the quality of my donut dough. It is the absolute most important component to a good donut. I have achieved the perfect balance of a super flavorful, high fat ratio brioche style dough and that of a usual light and fluffy donut dough, always utilizing the very best ingredients” he says.

“The Donut King has returned” quoted from the May 2020 article in The Miami New Times, Chef Max has returned to Florida to open his new Donut Shop, named MAX’D OUT Artisanal Donuts by Chef Max Santiago, it opened in 2022 in North Miami Beach.

Some of Chef Max’s repertoire include: Corporate/ Executive Pastry Chef of The Thompson Hotel (with Michelle Bernstein), The Sugar Factory, The Miami Culinary Institute, Swine Restaurant with 50 Eggs, The ONE Group at The Gansevoort South Hotel and signature brand STK, The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, Executive Pastry Chef of The Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove, The Cove at Atlantis Bahamas, James Beard Award winning Chef Norman Van Aken's three South Florida restaurants, James Beard Award winning Chef Allen Susser, James Beard Award winning Chef Mark Miletello, James Beard Award winning Chef Michelle Bernstein.

Throughout his career Chef Max has received several acclimations to include: The Rising Star Pastry Chef of Miami by the Star Chefs Rising Stars (2004), Top 15 nomination for "Best Pastry Chef in the Country" by the prestigious James Beard Foundation (2005), Winner & Champion of Cooking Channel’s Sugar Showdown Donut Edition, Semi-Finalist of The Food Network’s Best Baker In America Season 2, “Best Working Pastry Chef” 2014 Sun Sentinel, Top 10 “Best Desserts of 2016” Star Chefs and Zagat 2014 list of Best Donuts in Miami.