1. April Bloomfield - The Spotted Pig, New York, NY
Age: 32School: none
Chef and co-owner of the Spotted Pig, April Bloomfield is a native of England. Bloomfield began her career at London’s Kensington Place and then went on to Bibendum and River Cafe. She finally came to America when she got a job at Alice Waters’s Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. The Spotted Pig, which opened in 2004, is a gastropub specializing in seasonal British and Italian cuisines.
2. Gabriel Bremer - Salts, Cambridge, MA
Age: 29School: none
Gabriel Bremer began his cooking career at the age of 18, working under James Beard Award-winning chef Sam Hayward (Fore Street, Portland, Maine). After a short stint at having his own restaurant, Gabriel's, Bremer moved to Boston in 2000 to work under another James Beard chef, Jody Adams (Rialto). Salts opened in March 2004. With influences of Michel Bras and Ferrán Adrià, Salts is on the edge of modern cuisine.
3. Steve Corry - Five Fifty-Five, Portland, ME
Age: 37School: New England Culinary Institute
Before graduating from NECI, Steve Corry was brewmaster at several breweries in northern California. After school, Corry returned to California and took a job at Domaine Chandon in Napa valley. Most recently he worked as the sous chef at Grissini's restaurant (Kennebunkport). Corry and his wife, Michelle, opened Five Fifty-Five in Portland, Maine, in July 2003. The menu features contemporary New England cuisine.
4. Matthew Dillon - Sitka & Spruce, Seattle, WA
Age: 33School: none
Sitka & Spruce is a relatively new place that opened in early 2006. Chef/owner Matthew Dillon previously worked at the Stumbling Goat Bistro in Seattle and The Herbfarm in Woodinville, Washington.
5. Gavin Kaysen - El Bizcocho, San Diego, CA
Age: 27School: New England Culinary Institute
After graduating from culinary school in 2001, Gavin Kaysen spent time in Europe first working under chef Jacky Vuillet at Auberge de Lavaux in Switzerland and then with Marco Pierre White at the Michelin-starred L'Escargot in London. Kaysen returned to the United States in 2002 to work at El Bizcocho where he is currently Chef de Cuisine.
6. Johnny Monis - Komi, Washington, DC
Age: 27School: Johnson & Wales (Charleston, SC)
Johnny Monis cut his schooling short at Johnson & Wales to cook under chef Michael Kramer at McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, SC. Of Greek descent himself, Monis named his new restaurant Komi (opened in 2003) after his favorite beach on the Aegean island of Chios.
7. Sean O'Brien - Myth, San Francisco, CA
Age:37School: none
Owner/chef Sean O'Brien opened Myth in October 2003. Previously, O'Brien assisted in the opening of Restaurant Gary Danko (San Francisco) in 1999. He also worked with Danko at The Dining Room (The Ritz-Carlton) and George Morrone at Fifth Floor. Myth's menu features eclectic French/California cuisine.
8. Gabriel Rucker - Le Pigeon, Portland, OR
Age: 26School: none
Before opening his own place, Le Pigeon, in 2006, Rucker worked at Portland's Paley’s Place and Gotham Building Tavern. Besides being the namesake of his restaurant, Rucker also has a pigeon tattoo on his right forearm
9. Ian Schnoebelen - Iris, New Orleans, LA
Age: 36School: none
Another new restaurant, Iris first opened in January 2006. Before Hurricane Katrina, Schnoebelen was Sous Chef of New Orlean's Lilette. Before that, Schnoebelen was a Sous Chef at Commander's Palace Las Vegas.
10. Paul Virant - Vie, Western Springs, IL
Age: 37School: Culinary Institute of America
After graduating from the CIA, Paul Virant went to work for Wayne Nish at March restaurant in New York city. Virant then opened a bistro and wine bar in Honolulu before moving back to his home state of Illinois. Here Virant worked at Everest, Ambria, Charlie Trotter's and Blackbird. Virant is owner and Executive Chef of Vie restaurant. Vie serves seasonal contemporary American cuisine, heavily influenced by Western European cultures and rustic fare.
