The Monticello Cabinet Retreat

Friday, May 2, 2025

6:00 p.m.
An Evening at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

West Lawn of Monticello
Black Tie Optional

Parking is available at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center (931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, Virginia).
Shuttles will transport guests from the visitor center to the mountaintop.

Saturday, May 3, 2025

Tour preview, discussion with staff, and luncheon

Monticello Mountaintop and Montalto
Business Casual Attire

9:00 a.m.
Special Preview of the New Founding Friends, Founding Foes Tour

11:30 a.m.
How We Built It: Panel Discussion with Monticello Staff leaders, Moderated by Dr. Jane Kamensky

12:30 p.m.
Feast of Reason Luncheon

Chef Marc Murphy

Son of a globetrotting diplomat, Chef Marc Murphy brings over 30 years of experience from kitchens worldwide to the heart of New York City. He appears regularly as a judge on Food Network's top-rated shows, Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games, Guy's Ranch Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, and more. He currently hosts intimate private dining events at MM Kitchen Studio in New York City and monthly dinners at his pop-up restaurant concept, Marc179.

Today, Murphy's involvement in the industry moves beyond the kitchen. Having led the Manhattan chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association and passionately supporting organizations like City Harvest, No Kid Hungry, Made by Dyslexia, and The Culinary Diplomacy Project.

In 2022, Murphy joined Chef Jose Andres and his organization, World Center Kitchen in Poland, where he spent two months cooking for and feeding thousands of Ukrainian refugees as they crossed the border into Poland.

He's authored Season with Authority: Confident Home Cooking and hosted the "Food 360 with Marc Murphy" podcast. Marc resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

Chef Aarti Sequeira

Aarti Sequeira, cooking show host, cookbook author, journalist, television producer and food personality likes to joke that her love of food began in the womb (she was a 10-pound baby) and shows no sign of abating!

Aarti is a mainstay on Food Network after winning season six of Food Network Star with her trademark combination of an infectious cackle and a unique signature food style: American favorites with an Indian soul.

In addition to hosting her own shows, Aarti Party and the travel show, Hidden Eats, she also serves as judge on hit shows like Guy’s Grocery Games, Cooks vs. Cons, and Christmas Cookie Challenge. She also cooks alongside some of the best chefs in the country on the new show, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen. She co-hosted Drop 5 Lbs and has made numerous talking-head appearances on Best Thing I Ever Ate, Best Thing I Ever Made and Unique Eats on Cooking Channel. A seasoned competitor (or glutton for punishment!), she also won Chopped All- Stars, Cutthroat Kitchen All-Stars, and Guy’s Grocery Games. Off-network, she has been a colorful, memorable repeat-guest on Today Show, CBS’ The Talk, Home and Family (Hallmark Channel), and Dr. Oz. She also penned a nationally-syndicated column for the Associated Press entitled “World’s Fare” in which she taught readers how to use ingredients in the international aisle in simple, weeknight dishes. A gifted writer, Aarti published her first cookbook, Aarti Paarti: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul in 2014 (Grand Central).

Aarti is an ardent advocate for women battling postpartum depression, having overcome her own battle with it following the births of her two daughters, Eliyah and Moses. A passionate Christian, she also speaks to women of faith about overcoming fear and the sacred nature of breaking bread. She lives in Los Angeles with her children and husband, actor Brendan McNamara. 

Born in India, brought up in Dubai and educated in a British school, Aarti grew up against a varied tapestry of food cultures…from the homemade curries and flatbreads of her mother, to the spit-roasted shawarmas her family would enjoy every Friday. It was during the first Gulf War that Aarti decided to pursue a career in journalism, eventually earning her bachelor’s degree at Northwestern’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. She went on to work for CNN straight out of school, covering everything from economic reports to the plight of firefighters after 9/11. She also produced Sand and Sorrow, the HBO documentary about the genocide in Darfur, narrated by George Clooney and directed by Peabody Award-winner, Paul Freedman. After staging under James Beard Award-winner Suzanne Goin at Lucques, Aarti began shooting a YouTube cooking-variety show, Aarti Paarti, with her husband behind the camera. At the behest of said spouse, she sent an audition video to Food Network Star, and was immediately called in. The rest is history! 

Whether you have visited us at Monticello before or are traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia for the first time, we are happy to answer any questions you may have about travel and accommodations. Below are recommended hotels in the area. If you would like additional information, please contact the Development Department at give@monticello.org or 434.984.9820.

Boar's Head Resort
200 Ednam Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 | Reservations 844.611.8066
Approximately 15-minute drive to Monticello
BoarsHeadResort.com

The Clifton Inn
1296 Clifton Inn Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22911 | Reservations 434.971.1800
Approximately 10-minute drive to Monticello
The-Clifton.com

Downtown Charlottesville

Omni Charlottesville Hotel
212 Ridge McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 | Reservations 434.971.5500
Approximately 12-minute drive to Monticello
OmniHotels.com/Hotels/Charlottesville

The Draftsman Hotel
1106 W. Main Street, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 | Reservations 434.984.8000
Approximately 10-minute drive to Monticello
TheDraftsmanHotel.com

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For Questions:
give@monticello.org | 434.984.9820