Benu is a three-Michelin star New American restaurant located in the SoMa district of downtown San Francisco opened in 2010 by chef Corey Lee, the former Chef de cuisine at the French Laundry. Benu made the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019.
José Ramón Andrés Puerta is a Washington, D.C.-based, Spanish-American chef and restaurateur. He owns restaurants in several cities around the United States, and has won a number of awards, both for his cooking, and for his humanitarian work. He is a professor and the founder of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University.
Grant Achatz is an American chef and restaurateur often recognized for his contributions to molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. His Chicago restaurant Alinea has won numerous accolades and Achatz himself has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publications, including the Food and Wine's "best new chefs" award in 1998, "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award" for 1999, "Best Chef in the United States" for 1998 and a 2003 "Who's Who Inductee" from the James Beard Foundation.
Alinea is a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, United States. In 2010, Alinea was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide. Since the closing on December 20, 2017 of Grace, Alinea remains the only Chicago restaurant with three Michelin stars.
Komi is a Washington, D.C., restaurant operated by Chef Johnny Monis, serving Italian- and Greek-influenced dishes.
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awards are presented at a dinner in New York City; the chef and restaurant awards were also presented in New York until 2015, when the foundation's annual gala moved to Chicago. Chicago will continue to host the Awards until 2027.
Gilles Epié is a French chef and the youngest chef in the world to receive a Michelin Star at the age of 22. He was the owner and Executive Chef of Citrus Etoile restaurant in Paris near the Champs-Elysées which he operated with his wife Elizabeth from 2005 to 2017. As of 2022, he has worked as the Executive Chef of L'Avant-Garde, a modern French brasserie in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Momofuku is a culinary brand established by chef David Chang in 2004 with the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar. It includes restaurants in New York City, Toronto, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, a bakery established by pastry chef Christina Tosi, a bar (Nikai), and a quarterly magazine. The restaurants are notable for their innovative take on cuisine while supporting local, sustainable and responsible farmers and food purveyors.
Dave Beran is an American chef.
Eleven Madison Park is a fine dining restaurant located inside the Metropolitan Life North Building at 11 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. Owned by chef Daniel Humm's Make it Nice group, it has held 3 Michelin stars since 2012, and was ranked first among The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017.
Daniel Humm is a Swiss chef and restaurant owner; he is chef/owner of Eleven Madison Park.
Missy Robbins is an American chef who has held a Michelin star at two restaurants, and a contestant on season four of Top Chef Masters. Robbins specializes in Italian cuisine and owns two Italian restaurants in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Lilia and Misi, which opened in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
Melissa Perello is an American chef, she is best known for holding a Michelin star at her restaurant Frances in San Francisco. She had previously won a star at restaurant Fifth Floor, and has won awards from both Chronicles and Food & Wine magazines.
Gramercy Tavern is a New American restaurant located at 42 East 20th Street, in the Flatiron District in Manhattan, New York City.
Paul Virant is the chef and owner of Vie in Western Springs, Illinois, Vistro Prime in Hinsdale, Illinois, and Gaijin in Chicago, Illinois. His contributions to cooking include introducing inventive canning and preservation recipes to the restaurant industry, which culminated into the release of his cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux.
Jennifer Yee is an American chef, specializing in pastry. Born and raised in San Francisco, she worked in several pastry kitchens in some of New York's finest restaurants, including Lafayette in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan as Patissière, and The Grill in midtown Manhattan's Seagram Building, as the opening Pastry Chef, before becoming the Executive Pastry Chef for Chef Linton Hopkins' restaurants in Atlanta. Her work has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation in both New York and Atlanta.
Grace was a restaurant in the West Loop neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It had been ranked 3 stars by the Michelin Guide each year since 2015. Before closing on December 20, 2017, Alinea and Grace were the only Chicago restaurants with three Michelin stars.
Greg Baxtrom is the chef-owner of restaurants Olmsted, Five Acres, Patti Ann’s and Petite Patate. Prior to opening Olmsted in 2016, Baxtrom worked at restaurants including Alinea, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Per Se and Lysverket in Norway.
State Bird Provisions is a San Francisco restaurant founded by chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.
Kate Williams is a chef and restaurateur in Detroit, Michigan, US. She was chef and restaurateur for Lady of the House in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. In 2018 Food + Wine named her one of America's best new chefs and GQ and Esquire named the restaurant to their lists of best new restaurants. Lady of the House closed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
