Recognizing excellence in foodservice is always a pleasure. From online industry reporting to the James Beard Awards, 2018 is proving to be an outstanding year. Celebrated talents range from restauranteurs and food photographers to cookbook authors and the latest up and coming chefs.
While even more names are sure to make their way into our headlines through the coming year, let’s pause at this halfway mark. It wasn’t that long ago that some of today’s top chefs were fresh arrivals on the landscape that we annually reserve for the best of the best new chefs.
America’s Up and Coming Chefs: The 7 Best of 2018
These individuals may not be nationally famous yet, but they’re building impressive reputations in a variety of settings. The culinary standouts listed here represent a wonderful diversity in style and technique. Whether you favor nose to tail or root to stem, you’ll find plenty to admire on our list of America’s best new chefs.
1. Jeremiah Langhorne, Washington D.C.
He didn’t invent the movement, but Langhorne takes hyper-localism to remarkable levels. His commitment to supporting and sustaining locally sourced ingredients includes foraging for wild greens and berries. Langhorne’s restaurant, the Dabney, boasts a Michelin star, and he was recently recognized by the James Beard Foundation as one of the Best Chefs in America, 2018.
2. Kate Williams, Detroit
In Williams’ kitchen, her in-house butchery skills and nose-to-tail cooking are natural partners. Her Lady of the House restaurant implements no-waste concepts from proteins to produce as she partners with the surrounding community of artisan ranchers, farmers and distillers. Williams enjoys a growing reputation for excellence that’s quickly spreading beyond her historic Corktown location.
3. Julia Sullivan, Nashville
Sullivan is only now making news on the national food scene, but she’s already made a very big name for herself in her hometown. Her focus on simplicity and freshness is reflected in the warmth of her restaurant’s wood-burning oven. Her commitment to tradition greets guests at Henrietta Red with signature Southern hospitality. Sullivan’s success comes from both serving and honoring classic dishes based on her rural Tennessee childhood.
4. Stephen Murray, Los Angeles
This chef makes his mark with a blend of culinary accents including Southern Italian, Spanish and Caribbean. If it meets Murray’s high standards, he wants to share it with the rest of Los Angeles. He stocks his Terroni kitchen from his own small grocery shop next door where locals can take home his tastes in prosciutto, chorizo and Scotch bonnets.
5. Diana Davila, Chicago
Davila is currently the only individual of Mexican descent who chef-owns a Mexican restaurant in Chicago. Recently named one of the 50 best new American restaurants by Bon Appetit, Mi Tocaya Antojeria is an expression of Davila’s love for her heritage. She brings a fresh perspective to classics like moles and barbocoa and introduces guests to earthier Mexican favorites through rich soups and special ceviches.
6. Michael Gallina, St. Louis
Named one of America’s top new chefs of 2018 by Food and Wine, Gallina is finally back home. After four years of hands-on, farm-to-table experience in New York, he brings his reverence for all things vegetable to his St. Louis restaurant, Vicia. Gallina remains true to his mission celebrating regional agriculture from root to stem. That passion extends to signature breads made from local grains and baked in the restaurant’s wood-burning oven.
7. Ken Lumpkin, Dallas
Family traditions and deep cultural roots infuse the Japanese dishes at Musume in the Dallas Art District. This is where Lumpkin creates exceptional Asian fare with an array of surprising options including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. He’s sharpened his culinary skills from Memphis to New Orleans, and he’s fast becoming one of the most notable new chefs in the Lone Star State.
Keeping an Eye on the Future
The foodservice business thrives on the vision of our best professionals in every corner of the industry. Their talents redefine, refresh and upgrade our attitudes and the way we all handle operations year-round. It’s our pleasure to share some of the names today that we’ll all be talking about for years to come.
Here at Hitchcock Farms, we always keep an eye on the future. We stay at the forefront of the latest technologies with deep respect for family roots that go back generations. We know you join us in saluting the up and coming chefs who share that same commitment to putting the very best on every table.
