This year, the Saveur 100, Saveur magazine's list of the 100 best or most noteworthy people or trends in the food space, centers around cooks, chefs, and the restaurants they run. As usual, the list is international in scope and contains both the usual suspects as well as some names that may be unfamiliar to even the most seasoned restaurant obsessive.
Says Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs, "This year we decided to focus the list on ideas, tips, techniques, ingredients, and people who are inspiring us in the kitchen right now. Naturally we reached out to chefs we admire and they came back with some really inspired stuff. So not only do you get Justin Smillie's lovely short ribs on the cover, you learn his ingenious technique for brining, steam-roasting then searing the meat which yields this insanely good texture." On his favorite bits, "I love the Joe Beef guys' idea for faking a classic French bordelaise sauce with balsamic, beets and soy sauce. And to break up the littler bits we've got five thoughtful essays that, I think, add some nice voice to the mix, among them René Redzepi on the continued influence of Japanese cuisine and why they moved Noma to Tokyo for a month; the great writer Amy Thielen on the importance of what her mother called "schnibbles" aka the stuff that sticks to the bottom of the pan; and more from JJ Goode, Jody Williams and Kevin Gillespie."
It's a bit of a spin on the list the magazine ran in 2011 when editors asked chefs across the globe to pick the 100 ingredients, restaurants, books, tools, and people that defined the year. Last year, Saveur celebrated the 20th anniversary of the list. Here's the list of contributors and featured chefs from year's list — not yet online, but set to hit newsstands on December 23.
- René Redzepi: Noma, Copenhagen
- Amy Thielen: Food Network; Two Inlets, MN; author The New Midwestern Table
- JJ Goode: author, NYC
- Justin Smillie: Upland, NYC
- Marc Vetri: Vetri, Philadelphia
- Andrea Aprea: Vun, Milan // Niko Romito: Ristorante Real, Abruzzo ITA
- Davide Scabin: Combal.Zero, Rivoli ITA & Mulino a Vino, NYC
- FT33, Dallas (chef Matt McCallister)
- Authors Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall, who have written about coffee and Swedish traditions.
- Jose Garces: Volvér, Philadelphia
- Cooking classes taught by immigrants: League of Kitchens: NYC // Tierra Negra: Buenos Aires // Project Feast: Seattle
- Eamon Rockey: Betony, NYC
- Oliver Ridgeway: Grange Restaurant & Bar, Sacramento
- Chris Shepherd: Underbelly, Houston
- Donostia, NYC and Aatxe, SF
- The Winding Stair, Dublin
- Nick Balla & Courtney Burns: Bar Tartine, SF
- Ed Kenney: Town, Honolulu
- Marco Canora: Hearth, NYC
- April Bloomfield: The Breslin, NYC
- Jared Bennett: Metropole, Cincinnati
- Matt Wilkinson: Pope Joan, Melbourne
- Deborah Madison: author // Michael Anthony: Gramercy Tavern, NYC // Gabriel Rucker: Le Pigeon, Portland OR // Joshua McFadden: Ava Gene's, Portland OR
- Curtis Stone: Maude, Beverly Hills
- Oliver Ridgeway: Grange Restaurant & Bar, Sacramento
- Yoni Levy: Alta CA, SF
- Eric Kayser: Maison Kayser
- Craig Koketsu: Quality Meats & Park Avenue, NYC
- Frédéric Moran & David McMillan: Joe Beef & Liverpool House, Montreal
- Dan Barber: Blue Hill, NYC
- Matt Jennings: Townsman, Boston
- Yu Bo: Yu's Family Kitchen, Chengdu
- Mikael Jonsson: Hedone, London
- Vincent Van Duysen: architect, Antwerp
- Adam Whitney, Gabriel Craig, Amy Weiks: metalsmiths, Detroit
- Cristian Lacroix: fashion designer, Paris
- Paul Kahan: Blackbird, Avec, The Piblician, Bigstar, Nico Osteria, & Dove's Luncheonette, all Chicago
- Robert Bohr: Charlie Bird, NYC
- Kevin Gillespie: Gunshow, Atlanta
- Jenn Louis: Lincoln, Portland, OR
- Donald Link: Pêche & Cochon, New Orleans
- Massimo Castagna: architect, Milan
- Matthew Rudofker: Momofuku Ssäm Bar, NYC
- Sean Brock: Husk, Charleston SC / Frank Stitt: Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Restaurant / Chez Fon Fon, all Birmingham AL
- Enrique Olvera: Cosme, NYC
- Jonah Miller: Huertas, NYC
- BTU Brasserie, Portland OR
- Jason Weiner: Almond, Bridgehampton NY
- Tadashi Ono: Ganso, Brooklyn
- Jamie Malone: Sea Change, Minneapolis
- Jonathon Sawyer: The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland
- Rachel Yang: Joule, Seattle
- Harold Moore: Commerce, Manhattan
- Christian Puglisi: Relæ, Copenhagen
- Dave Arnold: Booker and Dax, NYC
- Andrew Wiseheart: Gardner, Austin
- Ari Taymor: Alma, Los Angeles
- Atelier Crenn, SF
- Kate Jennings & Matt Jennings: Townsman, Boston
- Poncharee Kounpungchart & Wiley Frank: Little Uncle, Seattle
- Jody Williams: Buvette, NYC & Paris, and Via Carota, NYC
- Daniel Boulud: Daniel, NYC
- Andy Ricker: Pok Pok, Portland OR
- Corey Lee: Benu, SF
- Hiroko Shimbo: author, NYC
- Eddy Van Damme: author, Houston
- Francis Mallman: Francis Mallman 1884, Mendoza ARG