As food editor, Khushbu Shah, writes over at Food & Wine magazine:
This year’s class of Best New Chefs exemplifies this approach to leadership. There’s the chef in Austin who is running an ambitious in-house masa program while prioritizing the mental health of his team, and the pastry chef in Washington, D.C., who is baking whimsical desserts that center the flavors of her Dominican heritage while launching bake sales that help combat racism. There’s the scrappy chef in Portland, Oregon, who is making America fall in love with the robust and complex flavors of Filipino food and building a gathering space for his community, and the chef in Ann Arbor, Michigan, who merges Midwestern produce with centuries-old Korean recipes while also compensating her staff well above market standards and providing a slew of benefits.
This Year’s Winners
Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith of Saint-Germain in New Orleans
Angel Barreto of Anju in Washington, D.C.
Thessa Diadem of All Day Baby in Los Angeles
Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue in Oakland, Calif.
Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina in Portland, Ore.
Gaby Maeda of State Bird Provisions in San Francisco
Fermín Núñez of Suerte in Austin, Texas
Lucas Sin of Nice Day and Junzi Kitchen in New York City
Paola Velez of Bakers Against Racism in Washington, D.C.
Shah additionally wrote:
“Leadership that prioritizes the safety and needs of employees over the whims of customers. Leadership that centers local communities, providing groceries and hot meals for those in need. Leadership that still turns out exceptional cooking that manages to comfort and delight even when the odds are stacked against them.”
You can see the full list of this year’s winners here.
Image: Conor Samuel via Unsplash
