20 Chefs to Watch in 2024, According to Some of the Biggest Names in the Industry

Christophe Bellanca // Nominated by Eric Ripert

Current restaurant: Essential by Christophe, New York, NY  

Previously: Georges Blanc, La Pyramide, Domaine de Châteauvieux, Regis Marcon and Anne-Sophie Pic in France; L’Orangerie, Le Cirque, BLT Group and Jöel Robuchon in the United States

What made you want to become a chef? My love to make people happy through food

Signature dish: Black Bass, braised and served with shiitake chutney, razor clams and turmeric émulsion

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Turmeric — I love serving it with vegetables and fish for a healthy dish option.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I’m really excited to see Simon Kim’s new fried chicken restaurant open.

How about the worst? Overcrowded restaurants

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Spoons — I use them all the time for tasting. And great knives are so important.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My grandmother — she passed last year, and I miss her every day.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I look forward to continuing making my customers happy and providing a positive working environment for my staff. And we’re going to continue working towards getting two Michelin stars next year!

Serigne Mbaye // Nominated by Nina Compton

Current restaurant: Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA

Previously: Commander’s Palace, Atelier Crenn, L’Atelier de Jöel Robuchon

What made you want to become a chef? My mother has always been a great cook — my early years involved watching her in the kitchen. When I went to boarding school in Senegal, all students were required to rotate through the kitchen and help out. When I came back to the States and was in high school, I got my first job in the kitchen of a restaurant as a dishwasher. I loved the respect the other cooks gave the head chef, and I knew if I were to continue to work in restaurants, I would eventually want to be the head chef. 

Signature dish: Ataya tea

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Rice 

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Tasting menus because they’re a fun way to eat and experience food.

How about the worst? Flowers that are not edible on food.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Large pots for cooking rice

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? Maya Angelou — her quotes have inspired me throughout my life.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? To continue supporting farmers that grow 100% organic produce locally in our community. It is important for people to know what kind of produce is available and grown in our community, so my goal is to help expand the food sustainability knowledge of my community.

Nate Kuester // Nominated by Emma Bengtsson

Current restaurant: NARO, New York, NY

Previously: Café Boulud, The Cecil, Aquavit, BapBap, Atoboy

What made you want to become a chef? I was always intrigued by cooking as a child. Towards the end of high school I began reading about food and chefs, and being inclined to working with my hands, cooking seemed a natural path for me to take. By the end of culinary school, I knew I had to go work in NYC.

Signature dish: Two dishes that we keep rotating seasonally at NARO are Tangpyeongchae [mung bean jelly salad] and Potato Jeon [Korean-style potato pancakes]. These two have become staples of our vegetarian menu.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Restaurant run clubs

How about the worst? Espresso Martinis

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Any type of seaweed 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Wooden spoon

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? Heston Blumenthal, one of the first chefs I discovered and looked up to when I began cooking, of which I very much admire and respect.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I would like to continue to nurture the culture of our restaurant and inspire another generation of cooks with our interpretation of Korean cuisine.

Tavel Bristol-Joseph // Nominated by Marcus Samuelsson

Current restaurant: Co-Owner of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, Austin, TX

Previously: Zona 78

What made you want to become a chef? I wanted to become a chef so I could have the freedom to create the food I was passionate about.

Signature dish: That’s an interesting question because as a pastry chef, I am known for my cheesecakes, ice creams and sorbets. As a savory chef, I’m known for jerk chicken and pepperpot.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: My favorite thing to experiment with is fruit in savory dishes. I love the role it can play in an unexpected way. It’s always a challenge to find balance through acidity and sweetness with the combination of spice and umami. When you get it right, it’s such a beautiful thing. 

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I think the best restaurant trend right now is vibey casual dining. I think people more and more want to enjoy all aspects of their dining experience, not just the food. 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: My answer to this 10 years ago would have been some fancy tool like tweezers, a chef knife or quenelle spoon. But after almost two and a half decades in the kitchen, the tool I can’t live without is a clean, dry towel. 

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My father, Godfrey Joseph. He passed away when I was seven, and as his only child, I know he would have been proud of all of my accomplishments. I would have loved to have the opportunity to sit and share a meal that I’ve prepared for him. 

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? In 2024, my biggest professional goal would be to open a bakery, dessert bar, three restaurants and a grocery, all at the same time.

Jay Wolman // Nominated by Renee Erickson

Current project: Intermission is my current project focused on cooking and working with like-minded individuals internationally through pop-ups, chef residencies and private events. I’ve done residencies the past year in Paris, London, Marseille and just finished in Brussels.

Previously: Mimi, LaLou, Romans, King, Marlow & Sons, Diner

What made you want to become a chef? I was interested in agriculture and the idea of food in general. I worked with a chef and farmer (Chris Fischer) and just fell in love with cooking. I haven’t looked back since.

Signature dish: I am known for two dishes particularly. I always try to run a version of a beef carpaccio on my menu, changing its set based on seasonality. The other dish that received a lot of love was a roasted cabbage with Stilton sauce and apricot jam. This dish is honestly so insanely good and enjoyable to eat.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: I find myself always going back to hazelnuts, anchovies and any great shellfish.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I think the best trend is what I’m doing, and quite a few others are. I think residencies are the future. Great chefs no longer need to be attached to a restaurant to be busy. I love the idea of being somewhere for a moment in time — creating that memory for yourself and for others and then moving onto the next one. It keeps it interesting.

How about the worst? The worst trend for me is everywhere now only takes reservations. You can’t spontaneously just go out to a nice restaurant anymore because the dining room and the bar are held and booked. You walk in, there appears to be space and yet everything is on hold. I absolutely hate it.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: I have this cheese slicer I cannot do without. It creates these beautiful ribbons of cheese that I love for topping a salad. That and a good spoon, of course.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My answer here would probably be Questlove. I idolized him and The Roots growing up, and I know he’s a huge food lover. I feel like he would appreciate my work, and I’d love to get to know him on a personal level. He just seems like someone I’d want to eat dinner with. 

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024: I want to keep traveling and challenging myself as I’ve been doing recently. I always wanted to open a restaurant of my own, and that dream is far from gone. But I’m just having a lot of fun right now, and this feels like a new way of working. I’m inspired and eager to keep at it.

Joel Stocks // Nominated by Kris Komori

Current restaurant: L’Orange, Portland, OR

Previously: Holdfast, JEM Supper Club

What made you want to become a chef? I read Michael Ruhlman’s The Making of a Chef in the sixth grade and have had a one-track mind ever since.

Signature dish: At the restaurant, we always have a savory crepe on the menu that’s filled with various things depending on the season. Right now it’s braised chicken, roasted cabbage and corn, but in the past it was bay shrimp with a Dungeness crab bechamel. At home though, it would be boxed macaroni and cheese with a bunch of truffle trimmings grated into it.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: I’ve been getting pigs from my cousins’ farm every couple of months, and it’s been great using up every part in different ways. From pig-head torchons to sausages and terrines or even just cured lardo to snack on, it’s been fun doing classic preparations I haven’t gotten to do in a long time.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? It’s honestly hard to think of a best restaurant trend right now, as I think trends usually have a bad connotation connected to them.

How about the worst? I think one of the worst restaurant trends, at least in Portland, is larger restaurant groups taking over more and more spaces, preventing the standalone single location spots from being able to survive. By large restaurant groups, I don’t mean national chains but groups that own a lot of different businesses that customers may not even know are part of a larger group.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: I found these miniature rubber spatulas years ago that are my absolute favorite because they are rigid and get every last drop out of your blender or food processor. They are really hard to find though, as stores seem to often discontinue them. There’s a group of my chef friends that when somebody finds them, they buy a ton and then share them with everybody who knows how great they are.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My wife Emily. Cooking is the best way I express myself, so it makes me happy every time I get to cook for her.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? To continue to cook the food that I think tastes great and not be pressured by outside expectations.

Jeanne Jordan // Nominated by Mary Attea

Current restaurant: Justine’s on Hudson, New York, NY

Previously: Mas Farmhouse, Mas La Grillade

What made you want to become a chef? My mom and grandmother. As a Filipino kid, we were constantly surrounded by food and cooking. My grandmother would host “fiestas” in her town, and she had her own little brigade of women cooking for thousands of people. She was so good. She cooked very traditional Filipino food. My mom was more adventurous and creative, which I gladly took from her. My mom is just the best. She made everything taste so good. She didn’t follow rules but cooked from her heart and intuition. My mother created dishes that people would not forget, like her Corn Cake — that was her signature dish. Seeing both of them in the kitchen at a young age made me love and pursue this career.

Signature dish: The Spicy Crab Pasta has accidentally become our signature dish. It’s everything I love in a bowl — crab, thousand-year-old egg, butter and cheese.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Cod roe

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Embracing different types of cuisines — the restaurant scene used to be mostly French and Italian. I hope this trend will stay for a long time. To see eclectic and creative restaurants is very inspiring. 

How about the worst? TikTok food lol

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Microplane

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? I would love to cook for my mother one last time. She passed away last year, and it would be so nice to have her at the counter at Justine’s. To cook for her and have her tell me what it is missing and what I can do better. But I think just to hug her would suffice.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? My goal is to make sure Justine’s becomes successful. To grow and create an unforgettable experience for each guest with the amazing team we have at Justine’s!

Sebastian White // Nominated by Paul Kahan

Current project: The Evolved Network, NFP (Founder, Executive Director); Evolved Kitchen and Garden (Owner and Private Chef), Chicago, IL

Previously: Community Youth Network

What made you want to become a chef? Food was always an essential part of my life — from being an athlete, to the therapeutic nature of it, to using it as a means to access my creativity. Cooking has always been something I loved to do. One of my father’s last requests of me before his unexpected passing was that I go stage in a restaurant. Unfortunately, my insecurities and fears stepped in the way while he was alive. When he passed and I founded The Evolved Network to honor his and my aunt’s legacies, I decided to face my fears and anxieties, step up and work to become the chef The Evolved Network would need to exist and succeed. The Evolved Network provides experiential programming through culinary and gardening, equipping youth in systematically oppressed communities with transformative healing, skills and support needed to evolve into masters of their unique gifts. I owed this to my father, and here we are.

Signature dish: This question is so difficult and feels so limiting, but if I must answer, it would be fried green tomato with scallop crudo, black garlic chile oil, roasted jalapeño crema and micro-red amaranth. In a lot of ways, this dish embodies my style as a chef, using bold flavors, fusing cultures and embracing possibility.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: The morita chili pepper. Its heat, smoke and depth of flavor lend itself well, in my opinion, to multiple cultures, cuisines and possibilities. It can be aggressive and in your face, but it can also be subtle and add complexity that takes a dish to new heights. Its possibilities seem limitless.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Black garlic. It is so underutilized, so I obviously love seeing chefs embrace its beauty and add it to their menus.

How about the worst? I love cauliflower and believe it has enough complexity to stand on its own, so seeing it used as a carb alternative like rice and pizza crust feels unfortunate.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: I could live without my “Coolina” knife, but I just don’t want to — that’s my baby. It grounds me and has so many essential uses in my process.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? This question is interesting because one of my icebreaker questions I frequently ask the kids I work with through The Evolved Network is if they could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why? I think this deepens my understanding of them and what’s important to them. I think I would pick Frantz Fanon. Fanon was a psychiatrist, philosopher and author, born in the French colony of Martinique. Fanon’s literature and perspective has significantly impacted how I think and approach my life, which is passed in essential ways to my work as chef, as a psychotherapist, as a human being, and as a founder and executive director of a nonprofit that seeks to use the lessons of food to inspire and change young lives. His contribution to phenomenology is incorporated in so much of how I think about the world and in my liberated approach to cuisine. I would love the opportunity to translate his philosophies through a culinary perspective, particularly for him. I also remind myself that food is not just about eating — it’s about connecting, togetherness, inspiration and creativity. I would be honored and cannot think of a better opportunity to express my appreciation for how he’s impacted my life than to prepare a meal and sit at the table with Fanon.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? To continue to deepen my connections and relationships with the chef community while inspiring through food and using its lessons to heal. I believe this will magnify The Evolved Network’s impact here with our kids in Chicago so they can feed us with their unique nutrients, their unique flavors profiles, textures, colors, diversity, the seeds they leave for the next harvest and when combined, limitless possibilities to create a beautiful dish that feeds our souls, that comforts us, that inspires us, that nourishes us, that sustains us.

Stefani De Palma // Nominated by Daniel Boulud

Current project: Representing Team USA through Ment’or for the 2023-2025 Bocuse d’Or season

Previously: Addison

What made you want to become a chef? Growing up around a family that loved to cook started my passion, and having the opportunity to work in a profession that is constantly creative and collaborative.

Signature dish: My sourdough bread

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Vegetables! With so many varieties, the possibilities are endless.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I’m not sure if this qualifies as a trend, but sourcing from local, sustainable farms, meat, seafood and dairy suppliers. This creates such a positive impact on the community and helps to support family-owned companies that have as much passion in their product as the chefs that are using them. 

How about the worst? Inflation

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: My tweezers. I’ve had the same pair for probably 12 years, engraved by a colleague at the time with my favorite X-Men character’s name.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My grandmother. She was an amazing cook and passed away before I started my culinary career. I would love to cook just one meal for her.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? To qualify at the Americas Selection for the 2025 Bocuse d’Or Final in Lyon, France.

Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel // Nominated by Fermín Núñez

Current restaurant: Chef and co-owner of Birdie’s, Austin, TX

Previously: Untitled at the Whitney, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Hill, Del Posto

What made you want to become a chef? Ever since I was young, I was obsessed with food and independent restaurants. I worked at my mom’s office a few times growing up (I was bored five minutes in and asked about snacks and lunch right away). I knew I was not going to be happy sitting behind a desk all day and that I wanted to do something different and, ideally, with food.

Signature dish: Beef tartare with pecans, sonora, rosemary and carta di musica

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Flour and water — I love how differently a pasta shape interacts with the pan sauce it’s going with. As Italians know well, not all sauces are intended for all shapes. We have a new-ish pasta extruder at Birdie’s, and the machine cuts the pieces really differently than our first extruder. It’s so fascinating to see how different shapes release different amounts of starch, which greatly impacts the finished sauce. The best part of cooking is endless learning!

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Taking care of your employees (hopefully this never goes out of style). 

How about the worst? The accidental influence of Instagram on different restaurants’ food. I try not to look at a ton of restaurant social media because I don’t want it to influence what we are cooking. 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Cake tester — not just for cakes but to test the doneness of vegetables, meat and fish.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? Beyoncé or Bill Murray because I respect their commitment to their craft and their creativity 

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I want to continue to grow myself into a better mentor and coach for my team so they can fully absorb the principles with which we cook. We cook intuitively — not everything has a recipe, so it’s about being in touch with that ingredient in that season, on that day. It’s always changing.

Ayesha Nurdjaja // Nominated by Marc Forgione

Current restaurant: Shuka and Shukette, New York, NY

Previously: Felidia, Bar Aristinal, Picholine, A Voce

What made you want to become a chef? Food has always been an essential part of my life. My dad was a chef and my mother is one of the best cooks I know. I like to say I grew up on the original set of Chopped. When I moved out at 19, I realized that if I wanted to continue being an amazing eater, I would have to learn how to cook. So I began to watch Lidia Bastianich on television and started to recreate her humble, simple dishes. That led me to enroll in culinary school, stage at Felidia and work my way up from dishwasher to sous chef.

Signature dish: Some would say Chicken Shawarma, others Whipped Feta & Pistachio. Since Shukette opened, it’s been the Frena. But In my heart, it’s the labne, which we make in the restaurant daily. That is my favorite.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: In-season produce. I love to see what is locally grown and at its peak. I strive to avoid repeating dishes, so every season, I look at, say, a cauliflower and figure out a new spin on it. Sometimes guests come in looking for a dish we did in the past that they loved, but I thrive on the challenge of coming up with new favorites.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Open kitchens. Customers like to feel that they are in the know. Shukette is dinner and a show simultaneously.

How about the worst? Pasta on pizza — it has to be one or the other!

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Microplane — I love grating garlic, citrus zest and even frozen fruit.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My grandmother — she passed away before I became a chef. I know that she would love it and was always a huge supporter of anything I did. It would have been amazing for her to see how far I have come, and I know she would love the flavors.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I have been focused on supporting my newest restaurant Shukette during the past two years. In 2024, I look forward to having more freedom to travel and immerse myself in different cultures in order to feed my culinary creativity. I am excited about expanding my horizons and seeing where that inspiration will take me. 

Melissa McGaughey // Nominated by Jonathan Waxman

Current restaurant: Quail & Condor, Healdsburg, CA

Previously: SingleThread

What made you want to become a chef? It was a natural interest. I enjoyed working with my hands, and I have the patience for pastry. When I had a taste of my first restaurant job, I needed to have that camaraderie in my daily life.

Signature dish: Persimmon and walnut pain de campagne with cultured kombu butter

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: The leaves of plants and trees. For example, fig leaf can curdle dairy, but if you toast it, the flavor changes to toasted coconut but changes again when you add acid or chocolate.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I like that there is a movement to make restaurant food cleaner and with smaller, more reasonable portions. 

How about the worst? The worst is when a restaurant adds too many elements that clash and usually for no reason. It’s mindless and trying to make it “fancy,” but I do not find it appealing.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: A medium offset spatula. I use it for everything: slicing, icing, flipping, scraping, etc.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? I would bake for my grandmother. She was a baker and bakery owner but passed when I was younger. She never got to see me grow into the baker and business owner I am today.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I haven’t been able to travel much. I want to see what’s happening culinarily in the Nordic countries, most especially Copenhagen. It’s my favorite bread and pastry to eat.

Sean McGaughey // Nominated by Jonathan Waxman

Current restaurant: Troubadour, Healdsburg, CA

Previously: SingleThread

What made you want to become a chef? The old show Great Chefs of the World. Before Food Network was a thing, there were some OG heavy hitters featured on that show.

Signature dish: We kinda always change things up. We’ve begun the meal with what we call a “croque monsieur”  since we started the dinner program — pate choux with ham, cheese and poached truffles.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: I find myself always trying to sneak umami in everything. A touch of shoyu in a caramel or shio koji in a brine.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I like that luxury is back, in all ways. As simple as caviar (which is more prevalent now than I can remember) to cool heirloom grains, to fancy dishes and chairs. I feel like we have come to a compromise where luxury can be pared down just a touch to bring accessibility. 

How about the worst? Honestly, even if there is a bad trend, something positive will come of it. I just want the restaurant/hospitality industry to be as rad as possible, and if that means making a couple bad fashion choices along the way, that’s okay by me. 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Matfer pastry card, bowl scraper, pass card — whatever you wanna call it. The plastic card kept on your person comes in handy for everything from getting the last bit out of a piping bag to scooping parsley off your cutting board. 

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? I’d just cook something simple for my family. Honestly, it’s pretty rewarding if you can please everyone with the same meal. 

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I want to grow everyone that works for us. The industry needs these professionals to forge ahead and keep it awesome. It’s a win-win. They get experience and do great things while they are with us and then can make moves of their own and keep the future bright!

Nico Villasenor // Nominated by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli

Current restaurant: Fradei Bistro, Brooklyn, NY

Previously: Four Horsemen, Place des Fêtes

What made you want to become a chef? I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and I’m sure some part of it came from helping my grandmother when I was a kid. But I really didn’t think I was going to be a chef until I decided I wanted to cook in New York City and I moved here in 2017. I truly fell in love with this career while cooking in great kitchens like Four Horsemen and Place des Fêtes.  

Signature dish: I can’t say I have a signature dish, but I do love working with seasonality, letting produce play a central role in my dishes, and working with items that represent the agricultural landscape of the New York area. 

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: I’m not sure I have a favorite, but I’ve noticed I always come back to using chiles in a lot of my cuisine to to add another depth in lots of my dishes. 

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Not sure if I’d call this a trend, and it isn’t a new idea at all, but it seems that many chefs are continuing to fully embrace seasonality and local produce and continuing the conversation with local growers about what we can do as chefs to help support them. 

How about the worst? The worst trend in restaurants is owners that continue to pay workers unlivable wages. New York has one of the most amazing food scenes in the entire world, but we’ll only be able to keep this up if restaurants are able to support their people. 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Definitely my knives 

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My grandma because she was the first person who really taught me about cooking and ignited my love for food. 

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? In 2024, I’d really love to collaborate with other chefs and restaurants. Working with other chefs is my favorite way to be exposed to new techniques — and as a cook, I never want to stop learning.

Hoyoung Kim // Nominated by Ellia Park

Current restaurant: Moono and Jua, New York, NY

Previously: Jungsik New York

What made you want to become a chef? I became a chef because I found joy in bringing happiness to people using food as a medium.

Signature dish: Caviar Kim and Galbi & Chan from Jua; Pyongyang Cold Noodles and Dry Aged Branzino from Moono

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Soy sauce, sesame oil and citrus

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Korean BBQ seems to be continuously trending up into 2024. 

How about the worst? Any restaurants that lack consistency

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Knife, of course!

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My mother. I never had a chance to cook for her properly as a chef.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I’m planning to have a few pop-up events at Jua and Moono and will also be launching my third restaurant, Siwoo, later this year.

Jamie Yoo // Nominated by Gavin Kaysen

Current restaurant: Abang Yoli, Minneapolis, MN

Previously: Bellecour

What made you want to become a chef? My grandmother and mother were a big part of my culinary journey. I helped them a lot when I was young. When I was young, I loved to try many different kinds of cuisine. That made me more into becoming a chef. 

Signature dish: Abang Yoli Korean-style fried chicken sandwich, grilled sweet potatoes with Abang chili crunch

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Garlic chive, daikon, pork belly

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? It’s hard to answer right now, but lots of small, fast casual restaurants are keeping everyone excited (like Saturday Dumpling Club, Boludo and Marty’s Deli). 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: Thermometer and cake tester

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? I’d love to cook for my grandparents. My grandmother gave me lots of inspiration to be a good chef and a better person. I haven’t seen her for almost nine years because of my work. I’d love to invite them to my own restaurant and make a nice dinner for them.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I want to keep making consistently delicious food. It sounds very easy, but it is the most important [thing] to become a successful restaurant. Also, I want all my chefs and staff to be happy and healthy. (And there might be a chance Abang Yoli will announce some news this year.)

Andrew Quinn // Nominated by Eric Huang

Current restaurant: The Noortwyck, New York, NY

Previously: Eleven Madison Park, Hibiscus (London), The Ledbury (London), private chef

What made you want to become a chef? I’ve always had an engineer’s mindset towards solving problems or accomplishing something. When it came time to choose a career path, for me it was either go into the automotive industry and fix cars or go into a kitchen. The idea of bringing things together that have been prepared precisely in order to create something greater was something I was attracted to. The cogs in a gear have to be precisely machined to turn together for an engine to work efficiently; the ingredients of a dish or moving parts of a kitchen similarly have to be carefully handled for the final product to sing in tune. An excellent restaurant is like a perfect watch or beautiful car — so many tiny things working together precisely, creating a final product. I am driven by that concept.  

Signature dish: Dry-aged BBQ duck — we’ve had this on the menu since day one. Char siu duck bun with foie gras butter is a firm fan favorite. Banoffee mille feuille is another that’s been on the menu since day one; I love the combination of banana and toffee, an English classic.

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Foie gras is such a beautiful ingredient and so versatile. This is something you would never normally eat at home, so I try to always have it on the menu somewhere to give a sense of occasion.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? In stark contrast to my previous answer, I love that more plant-based options and menu items are becoming prevalent in restaurants. I believe this trend will have a huge impact on the future of all dining and eating out, whether fast casual, neighborly or fine dining. A heavier leaning towards plant-based is the future.

How about the worst? I really don’t like the current trend of creating dishes purely with the TikTok audience in mind. It sucks all of the soul and real purpose from food. Food should bring people together — fewer phones at the table can only be a good thing.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: I’m going to steer clear of the obvious answers here (knife), but this is a tough one. I’d find it difficult to go through a day in the kitchen without using plastic wrap. We use it everywhere — rolling torchons or ballotines, during butchery work, when cleaning down, etc. I can’t think how kitchens operated before the invention of plastic wrap.

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? David Beckham — he’s a legend. He was a huge celebrity when he was captain of the England soccer team when I was growing up, and now to see him transfer to the United States and be doing so well in Miami. He has always been a great role model and seems to be a stand-up guy. I’ve been fortunate to meet and cook for a few big persons of interest, and “star-struck” has never been something I’ve experienced. But I think there would be an exception for David Beckham.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? To keep growing the business and get a little better each day!

Muhammad Fairoz Rashed // Nominated by Aisha Ibrahim

Current restaurant: T55 Pâtisserie and SUSU Dessert Bar, Seattle, WA

Previously: Raffles Hotel, Fairmont and Swissôtel the Stamford in Singapore; Astrance, Jean Sulpice and Hélène Darroze in France

What made you want to become a Chef? Food is the heart of Malay culture. I grew up in the kitchen watching my grandmother and my mum cook for the family pretty much all day long. As a kid, helping in the kitchen made me appreciate what I was eating; now as a chef, I recognize that my Nyonya grandmother was passing along her Peranakan traditions to me. She used to tell me I had “golden hands” — perhaps I was simply born to cook for people. It’s so important to try and maintain the art and history of food from around the world. And who else is there to cultivate it besides us chefs?

Signature dish: To be honest, I haven’t found it yet. Right now I’m doing pastry even though I was trained and worked in a hot and cold kitchen. But my one true love is molecular French cuisine!

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Truffle mushroom. It is one of my favorite flavors, and I regularly try to incorporate it into new sweet and savory pastries at my shop. 

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? I think what people are doing with molded viennoiserie is very cool. 

How about the worst? Donuts 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without? A kitchen towel

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? Ferran Adrià. The world of molecular [gastronomy] is what it is today because of him.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? I am still a young chef. My goal every day of my life is the same: continuing to learn, explore, being consistent, staying humble and disciplined, and hopefully one day my dedication will be recognized by the Michelin and World’s 50 Best.

Cheetie Kumar // Nominated by Alex Raij

Current restaurant: Ajja, Raleigh, NC

Previously: Garland

What made you want to become a chef? I wasn’t ever really sure what my career path would be in life, but being a chef has allowed me to find a creative career that keeps me accountable, disciplined and always learning. It balances individual growth and personal creativity with collaboration, business and math — the perfect combination!

Signature dish: I don’t believe in signature dishes — once a dish is out in the world, on the menu and on the line, I’m on to the next inspiration. I’m known, I suppose, for my balanced use of spices, but I cook with the seasons and each year presents new inspiration. Signature dishes keep me boxed in!

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Whatever is growing at its best at this particular time, but it’d probably be a plant.

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? No idea about restaurant trends, but I intuitively feel that people want to be a bit healthier, a bit challenged into trying new things, get great service and quality food at an approachable price point. People are more food savvy than ever and are ready to step a bit outside their comfort zone. 

How about the worst? Gimmicks based on passing social media fads. I don’t think any restaurant can sustain concepts not rooted in something of depth. I know there are a ton of trends for home cooks, but restaurants don’t have the luxury of surviving on trends.

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: A good sharp knife or five!

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? My mother — she passed in 2016 and she was the person who inspired me first and always to be the best cook I can be.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? To be a better mentor — to slow down enough to be thoughtful beyond the expected. And to travel more and continue to connect the foodways dots that bring us all together.

Silvia Barban // Nominated by Melissa King

Current restaurant: LaRina Pastificio e Vino, Brooklyn, NY

Previously: Aita, Giovanni Rana, Giancarlo Perbellini, Gualtiero Marchesi

What made you want to become a chef? My grandmother was the one always cooking in my family. She was the one taking care of me — I was a hyper kid, and the only way to keep me quiet was giving me water and wine or cooking with her. When I was 10 she got sick. The stomach cancer killed her a few months later, and then the question in my head was “If my grandma isn’t here anymore, who will make Sunday lunch and make everybody smile with food?” So I decided I wanted to be like her and bring people together and cook.

Signature dish: Smoked spaghetti aglio and olio with Calabrian chili and hazelnut 

Favorite ingredient to experiment with: Mediterranean spices like Urfa or black lime 

What’s the best restaurant trend right now? Torrisi 

How about the worst? I think a lot of trendy places where there is a lot of PR but not enough love in the food. 

Kitchen tool you can’t live without: My knife 

If you could cook for one person, who would it be and why? Beyoncé because she is an idol and simply the best.

What is your biggest culinary goal for 2024? Opening another restaurant and being able to balance my life.