Chris Santos introduced the world to his unique brand of communal dining in 2005 with his debut restaurant, the Stanton Social. In 2010 he opened Beauty & Essex on the Lower East Side, which was named Open Table's Hottest Restaurant in America in both 2012 and 2013, and in 2016 he opened the 22,000 square foot, Vandal. He has been a judge on CHOPPED since its debut and has appeared as a guest chef on NBC's TODAY SHOW, CBS's EARLY SHOW, and the RACHEL RAY SHOW. Santos has served as a repeat guest chef at the White House and Camp David, and has been a brand ambassador for Jagermeister and Morningstar Farms.