Best New Chefs of 2008 Named by Food and Wine Magazine

Last week Food and Wine magazine named their annual Best New Chefs list for 2008. They are, alphabetically:

Jim Burke of James in Philadelphia; Gerard Craft of Niche in St. Louis; Tim Cushman of O Ya in Boston; Jeremy Fox of Ubuntu in Napa, Calif.; Koren Grieveson of Avec in Chicago; Michael Psilakis of Anthos in New York City; Ethan Stowell of Union in Seattle; Giuseppe Tentori of Boka in Chicago; Eric Warnstedt of Hen of the Wood in Waterbury, Vt.; and, Sue Zemanick of Gautreau’s in New Orleans.

The winners were fêted last Thursday night at a party in New York City. Twenty former F&W Best New Chefs, including Daniel Boulud, Tom Colicchio, Wylie Dufresne, Dan Barber and Todd English, created signature dishes and Level™ Vodka cocktails in honor of the 20th anniversary milestone. Addtionally, Hung Huynh, winner of the third season of Top Chef on Bravo, also prepared tastings for the celebration.

And the shoes will be on the other feet when the 2008 F&W Best New Chefs prepare an exclusive tasting dinner at the 26th annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, June 13 to 15.

The F&W Best New Chefs are chosen as part of a six-month selection process. The magazine works with trusted restaurant critics and food writers around the country to identify outstanding chefs who have been in charge of a kitchen for less than five years. 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 (1988), Nobu Matsuhisa (1989) and Rick Bayless (1988).