A New Orleans chef serving up Caribbean classics in the land of creole. A farm-to-table expert who specializes in wood-oven pizzas. And a New Yorker who knows her way around cooking animals — whole. These are just a few of the 12 talented up-and-comers who have been awarded the title of “Best New Chef in America.”
On Monday, Food & Wine announced its annual list that celebrates gifted innovators in the country’s culinary scene. The 12 winners run restaurants in nine different cities and join the ranks of previous “Best New Chef” winners including Daniel Boulud, April Bloomfield and David Chang.
See the full list at FoodandWine.com.
2017’s winners are as follows:
Jay Blackinton, Hogstone’s Wood Oven, Orcas Island, Wash.
Val Cantu, Californios, San Francisco
Peter Cho, Han Oak, Portland
Nina Compton, Compère Lapin, New Orleans
Diego Galicia and Rico Torres, Mixtli, San Antonio
Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer, Kismet, Los Angeles
Jordan Kahn, Destroyer, Los Angeles
Angie Mar, The Beatrice Inn, New York
Yoshi Okai, Otoko, Austin
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
Food & Wine spent months combing through nominations from restaurant critics, food writers and industry experts before traveling to taste the food from these chefs, who have all only run a kitchen for five years or fewer.
“For me, there’s a special thrill in getting to share the news with our winners — nothing beats that moment of surprise and pure joy, when they realize their careers are about to change forever,” Food & Wine Editor-in-Chief Nilou Motamed said in a statement. “It’s our way of acknowledging the incredible talent and hard work that got them to the top of their field. It’s no surprise that this year’s class has really pushed the envelope, reimagining what restaurant cooking means in 2017.”