Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs 2011 Announced

The Best New Chef nod from Food & Wine magazine is one of the most coveted distinctions in the food business. Last year's winners included Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ truck in Los Angeles and Mike Sheerin of Chicago's Blackbird; past BNCs include Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, David Bouley, Nobu Matsuhisa, David Chang, April Bloomfield, and many, many others. This year's chefs are:

2011 F&W Best New Chefs

· Viet Pham& Bowman Brown, Forage, Salt Lake City, UT
· Jason Franey, Canlis, Seattle, WA
· Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin, TX
· Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, Chicago, IL
· James Lewis, Bettola, Birmingham, AL
· George Mendes, Aldea, NYC, NY
· Carlo Mirarchi, Roberta's Pizza, Brooklyn, NY
· Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco, CA
· Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus, Saint Louis, MO
· Ricardo Zarate, Mo-Chica Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA

Here's the press release:

FOOD & WINE REVEALS 2011 BEST NEW CHEFS IN AMERICA

—Rising Culinary Talents Honored At New York City Event—

New York, NY (April 5, 2011) – Dana Cowin, editor in chief of FOOD & WINE, announced this year's winners of the 23rd annual FOOD & WINE Best New Chefs award during a celebration at Bohemian National Hall in New York City. This prestigious, career-making award recognizes up-and-coming chefs with a distinctive culinary style and exceptional vision. The 2011 winners will be featured in the July issue of FOOD & WINE and will also attend the 29th annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen on June 17 to 19. For more on the winners, go to foodandwine.com/bestnewchefs or download the iPhone application on iTunes.

"It’s thrilling to find so many outrageously talented chefs in every corner of the country,” Cowin says. “We’re celebrating a pair of chefs who are creating ingenious modernist food in Salt Lake City, a chef in Birmingham who is so committed to his farmers that he invites them to cook in his restaurant, and an enterprising chef in Brooklyn whose restaurant also houses a radio station. And, for the first time ever, we’re honoring a winner of TV’s Top Chef.”

2011 F&W Best New Chefs
Bowman Brown & Viet Pham Forage, Salt Lake City, UT
Jason Franey Canlis, Seattle, WA
Bryce Gilmore Barley Swine and Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, Austin, TX
Stephanie Izard Girl & The Goat, Chicago, IL
James Lewis Bettola, Birmingham, AL
George Mendes Aldea, Manhattan
Carlo Mirarchi Roberta’s, Brooklyn, NY
Joshua Skenes Saison, San Francisco, CA
Kevin Willmann Farmhaus, St. Louis, MO
Ricardo Zarate Mo-Chica, Los Angeles, CA

Several F&W Best New Chef alumni prepared signature dishes at the party, including Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern (‘02); Jonathan Benno of Lincoln (‘06); Tom Colicchio of Craft (’91); Rocco DiSpirito, the author of Now Eat This! (’99); and Missy Robbins of A Voce (’10). Top Chef Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga was also on hand prepping tastings at the event. All-Clad, Buick, Fiji, and Stella Artois sponsored the evening. The Best New Chefs wore chef coats created by designer Robert Graham.

Best New Chefs are chosen after a months-long selection process. The magazine works with restaurant critics, food writers and other trusted experts around the country to identify outstanding chefs who have been in charge of a kitchen for five years or fewer. Then the editors travel incognito to taste the food themselves.

As America’s talent-seeking epicurean magazine, FOOD & WINE has awarded the Best New Chef title to such luminaries-in-the-making as Thomas Keller (‘88), Nobu Matsuhisa (‘89) and Rick Bayless (‘88). For more information about the award, visit foodandwine.com/bestnewchefs. To go behind the scenes at the party, follow @fandw on Twitter and join the conversation with #bestnewchefs.

· Best New Chefs [F&W]
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