Ms. Scism

Like many other restaurant general managers, Jennifer Scism started her career in the kitchen. After a degree in interior design at Ohio University and a short stint in the field, she traded in her T-square for a toque and enrolled in the French Culinary Institute in NYC. Within six weeks of her enrollment, Jennifer's artistic eye and taste for perfection impressed the school so much that she was hired upon graduation to work in the school's restaurant, L'Ecole. Jennifer lived up to the school's vote of confidence: in 1992 she graduated first in her class with the added distinction of winning the "Best Final Project" award. From there her kitchen career continued in some of the most highly respected restaurants in New York City. She became poissonier at Bouley, tournant at Anne Rosensweig's Arcadia and chef de cuisine at the Lobster Club. Then, having worked her way through all aspects of the kitchen, Jennifer still wanted to learn more about the restaurant business. Choosing the restaurant most consistently acclaimed for its service, she went on to train extensively in the dining room of Chanterelle, under owner Karen Waltuck and master sommelier Roger Dagorn. In opening her own restaurant, Jennifer was able to draw upon all of her diverse talents. As the interior designer of Annisa, Jennifer used a wide range of experience from her study of design, from her drafting skills to her knowledge of finishes. Managing the front of the restaurant, her exceptional people skills were required, while at the same time, she could use her palate for wine and pairings and work with the kitchen as only someone who has had her extensive kitchen experience can. In May, 2000, she was certified by the American Sommelier Association as "Sommelier." Her wine list has been celebrated in several major publications.

Ms. Lo

Chef Anita Lo was born in Michigan and is a second generation Chinese American. She has never worked in any field other than in the kitchen. Her extraordinary lifelong love of eating brought her into this industry at an early age while studying towards her degree in French at Columbia University. To satisfy both her hunger for fine food and her responsibility to learn French, Anita went to Paris to study the art of cooking during the summer of her junior year. Immediately upon her graduation, she went to work in the garde-manger station of the year-old Bouley restaurant. But a year in garde-manger at Bouley only whetted Anita's appetite, so she returned to France to earn her degree in cooking at the prestigious Ritz-Escoffier school. Her work at Bouley paid off, and she graduated first in her class with honors. This earned her much sought after internships at several two-star Michelin rated restaurants in Paris, among them under such noted chefs as Michel Rostang and Guy Savoy. From there she went on to work through all the stations in the highly acclaimed kitchen of Chanterelle. Her next position as the chef of Can, a French-Vietnamese restaurant in Soho was noteworthy because it was there that she met Jennifer Scism who then was her sous-chef. The two instantly hit it off and the rest is history. Two chef positions followed: she spent 2 _ years at Maxim's, the New York installation of one of France's oldest and most honored establishments owned by the fashion designer, Pierre Cardin. But it was at Mirezi restaurant on lower Fifth Avenue that Anita made her mark. As chef of this pan-Asian hotspot, Anita won rave reviews from all the major publications including a glowing review from the New York Times' Ruth Reichl. Among her many media triumphs are a 1998 advertisement for the Milk Council (milk mustache intact), several television appearances on CNN, the TV Food Network, NBC, CBS, the Martha Stewart show, and a mention in Avenue Asia's debut issue as one of the 500 most influential Asian Americans. Her recipes have been published in various publications, including the New York Times, Time Out, and Out. Even still, Anita's appetite was not sated. After two years, she left her position at Mirezi to travel the world with her partner, Jennifer. The two spent the greater part of the year searching for the ultimate meal all over South East Asia and Mediterranean Europe, and planning for Annisa, a place of their own where Anita could have complete creative freedom under the far-reaching, Contemporary American concept. Her satisfaction, at least for now, is guaranteed.