Som Ngamsanith joined Roof Terrace Restaurant at The Kennedy Center in 2017 after more than two decades working with Compass Group USA, the nation’s largest family of foodservice and facilities services companies. From catering manager at Freddie Mac to general manager at Northrop Grumman, Ngamsanith has worked behind the scenes in dining rooms and cafeterias in the DC region for some of the most influential Fortune 500 companies around the globe. Prior to his time at Compass, he started his career at Marriott Corporate Food Service, where he worked his way up from line cook to first cook to banquet chef. 

During a stint at Sodexo, Ngamsanith was the lead catering manager for a movie premiere (“In the Company of Spies”) at the Central Intelligence Agency, the first time in the agency’s history it hosted such an event. 

Ngamsanith joined Restaurant Associates at Roof Terrace Restaurant at The Kennedy Center as a restaurant manager, bringing his culinary expertise and strong management skills to the iconic venue, and was recently promoted to restaurant director. 

Ngamsanith immigrated to Northern Virginia as a young boy from Laos in 1980 and has spent his entire career in the region. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and dog. 

Chris Hansen is the Sr. Executive Chef at The Kennedy Center, where he designs creative and lively menus to match the cultural significance of the nation’s preeminent stage.

After spending his high school years at Don Cesar, Chris dedicated most of his culinary career to the East Coast, graduating from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He honed his hospitality skills at Willow Bend Country Club in Cape Cod, and then moved to New York City and joined the Restaurant Associates, the same company behind the F&B program at the Kennedy Center. Hansen spent years cooking for top-tier corporate audiences, including at the Barclays’ executive dining room and JP Morgan Chase campuses. Managing large-scale catering, multiple kitchens and high-pressure events, Hansen understands how to meet the needs of any guest, whether it be a special occasion, or a quick bite.

After several years in New York City, Chris made the move to Northern Virginia, where he continued his work with Restaurant Associates. While traveling across the country, he worked at high-profile sites such as Amazon, Deloitte, and Gartner. 

Upon joining The Kennedy Center, where he orchestrates the culinary program behind Roof Terrace Restaurant, KC Cafe, and I-Bar, Hansen is in the process of revamping the offerings, incorporating seasonal ingredients and highlighting various aspects of American cuisine.His goal is to deliver fresh, exciting food with elements of surprise that will leave guests impressed by the dishes and delighted by the innovation behind them.

Chris is a true fisherman at heart, as a result of his childhood in Florida, which has ingrained his love of seafood. Over the years, his passion has grown as he experimented in spearing, lobstering, deep sea, fly, claming, and oystering. He incorporates all of which into his menus and home life—favoring dishes centered around the seafood caught where he is traveling. Hansen met his wife while working at Restaurant Associates, and together with their six-year-old daughter, the family enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and fishing, making the most of their proximity to the scenic Shenandoah region.

Juan Francisco Bertran Sotomayor, a passionate Peruvian chef, graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Peru. With over 16 years of culinary experience, he is dedicated to respecting and enhancing the flavors of ingredients, incorporating Peruvian cuisine and utilizing techniques acquired throughout his career. His commitment to cooking reflects his profound love for gastronomy and family.

Silverman earned her associate’s degree in culinary arts and bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from State University of New York at Delhi before working in the kitchens of private country clubs and resorts around the country, including Bald Peak Country Club in New Hampshire and Jupiter Island Club in Florida. She made the move to Washington, D.C. in 2016 to take on the role of Tournant at the Cosmos Club, one of Washington’s, D.C.’s most prestigious private clubs that counts past presidents and Nobel Laureates among its members.

Chef Marguerite Bottorff is one of Roof Terrace Restaurant at The Kennedy Center’s newest additions to the team, bringing a wealth of experience and a deep rooted love for Washington, D.C. As a fourth generation native Washingtonian, Chef Marguerite has enjoyed many Kennedy Center shows and programs since early childhood, making her new culinary role feel like a full circle moment. Chef Marguerite brings over fifteen years of experience in kitchens in D.C., having worked as a private chef and caterer for dignitaries and ambassadors, local and national TV personalities and politicians. Her impressive culinary career began while working on famed Chef Bobby Flay’s production team, where she quickly learned her way around a professional kitchen and became inspired to pursue cooking as her career. She soon realized working in kitchens is what she was meant to, and has since dedicated her life to all things food. Since 2018, Chef Marguerite has been featured on Good Morning Washington as a regular on a segment notably called, “Cooking with The Five Foot Chef”, which primarily focused on the joys and ease of entertaining with allergies. In her free time, Marguerite is an avid painter, devoted aunt, and cat mom to Beans, Peanut Butter, and Jelly.