Last year, we released our first edition of the Power List, a ranking of the people who most influence fine dining in America today. But we know that power is fluid, with dining empires rising and falling, and trends in food being as fleeting as fashion. We wanted to take the pulse of the industry yet again.
So we called on nearly 200 luminaries from across the restaurant world—from Michelin-starred chefs to James Beard Award-winning restaurateurs to prominent investors to architects to CEOs of restaurant tech platforms—to tell us who they believed were the most powerful among their peers. We asked voters to not define fine dining too narrowly—as just tasting menus and overly formal service—because for us fine dining is about ambition in the kitchen paired with attentive hospitality in the dining room. And we encouraged voters to be expansive in how they thought about who held power: Perhaps it’s the chefs who most influence others creatively; the restaurateurs growing dining empires; the investors working behind the scenes to fund top talent; the real estate developers that can attract great restaurant groups; or the media figures who can drive or deter business with their opinions. Ultimately, we wanted to know who moves the needle creatively and economically.
With those parameters in mind, each voter was allowed to select 10 people they thought held the most power in the industry. In the instance of a voter believing a duo or trio’s influence was inextricably linked, they were allowed to group them as one entry on their ballot. We sought gender, racial, age, and geographic diversity in our voting body to give the best possible snapshot of the restaurant world right now.
But before we unveil this year’s list, we want to acknowledge the passing of chef Jamaal James Kent, who ranked in the top 25 of last year’s list and with the growth of the hospitality group now named in his honor, was poised to rise even further as he became an undoubted leader in American fine dining. Although voting for this year’s edition began after his passing, scores of people still wrote in Kent’s name and mourned the loss of a person who had such a positive effect on the industry. But its clear his legacy will live on, as one of his proteges was voted to our list of the next generation of fine dining power players, and the man who is taking the helm at Kent’s Michelin two-starred Saga will make his power list debut this year. Their success shows how the restaurant world is constantly changing, offering new opportunities for people to rise.
Here are the 50 most powerful people in American fine dining for 2024.
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Mashama Bailey
This December, Mashama Bailey and her business partner, Johno Morisano, will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Grey, the restaurant they created by converting an old Savannah, Ga., Greyhound Station built in the Jim Crow South. Bailey has gained renown cooking what she calls Port City Southern food, a cuisine that’s rooted in Southern ingredients but not closed off from the world that has passed through this old coastal town. Bailey draws on the meals she ate in her grandmother’s Georgia kitchen, along with training in New York and France. She has channeled the likes of Edna Lewis (Bailey is chairwoman of the Edna Lewis foundation) and has gone deep into the terroir and ingredients of the land around her. The result is a trip through cultures—like grits topped with foie gras, quail with creole sauce, and the Lowcountry rice dish perloo with okra. And she has become a public face of Southern fare with her own MasterClass and an episode of Chef’s Table devoted to her work. She and Morisano have created the parent company Grey Spaces, and they operated Diner Bar and the Grey Market inside Austin’s Thompson Hotel for two years. Those outlets closed this year when Thompson brought restaurant operations in house, but Grey Spaces is launching a new restaurant in Paris during the first part of 2025.
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Daisy and Greg Ryan
This pair of West Coast natives met while pursuing their restaurant careers in New York City. Greg Ryan, from Oregon, and Daisy Ryan, from California, were working at Thomas Keller’s Per Se after stints around town. Daisy had cooked at Gramercy Tavern and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, while Greg had worked at Tribeca Grill. They moved back west together in 2014 and eventually settled themselves in the Santa Ynez Valley where Daisy grew up. Together they opened French-inspired bistro Bell’s in Los Alamos in 2018, and they earned a Michelin star in 2021, which they’ve held ever since. The couple founded their parent company Companion Hospitality, which now includes places they have majority ownership in (Bell’s, seafood-focused Bar Le Côte, wine and beer garden Bodega), as well as restaurants they are operating partners in (Priedite BBQ and Na Na Thai). Daisy, a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2020, has gone up and down the Golden State for collabs with outstanding chef like Jon Yao at Kato, Suzanne Goin at Caldo Verde, and Michael Tusk at his San Francisco event space Officina. With all the food world’s attention on California, this duo has been showing gourmands their travels shouldn’t just take them to L.A. and S.F., but also in the Central Coast.
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Nozomu Abe
Sushi Noz may be one the best-known omakase restaurants in New York City, in no small part thanks to Nozomu Abe’s skill behind the sushi counter. Abe currently holds two Michelin stars at his flagship restaurant, along with one star at Noz 17. The Noz team has also expanded with the slightly more casual Noz Market, where you can get handrolls and takeout sushi to enjoy on the go. Looking forward, Abe has partnered with David and Josh Foulquier (who helped launch Sushi Noz) to open the French restaurant Chez Fifi later in November.
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Kevin Fink and Tavel Bristol-Joseph
Next time you’re hop in an Uber, know that a future power player may be driving you to your destination. As Kevin Fink and Tavel Bristol-Joseph were pushing to open their first concept in Austin, Tex., Emmer & Rye, money was tight and the duo both started driving for Uber to make ends meet. They had moved from Arizona together, convinced they had the right market to pursue their own restaurant and eventually hospitality company. When Emmer & Rye, focusing on local, seasonal food, and heirloom grains, opened in 2015, it became a hit and allowed them to launch future concepts in Austin. At Hestia—Robb Report’s Best New Restaurant in America for 2020 and one of the first restaurants in Texas to receive a Michelin star—they’re cooking wood-fired fine dining; Kalimotxo is a Basque-inspired bar; Canje is an ode to Bristol-Joseph’s Guyanese roots and Caribbean cuisine; and the Tel Aviv-inspired Ezov. But they haven’t been confined to just Austin. Fink and Bristol-Joseph launched modern Mediterranean grill house Ladino in San Antonio in 2022. And this year they opened Pullman Market in Alamo City, with the restaurants Mezquite, Fife & Farro, Isidore, and the dessert-focused tasting counter Nicosi.
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Ryan Ratino
Ryan Ratino has quickly become a power player in Washington, D.C.’s culinary scene. There, he’s leading the Michelin two-star Jônt and the one-star Bresca. Plus, he’s about to open the Press Club cocktail bar. He hasn’t constrained his influence to just the nation’s capital, though. Ratino has opened Maass at the Four Season Fort Lauderdale and Ômo by Jônt in Winter Park, Florida. Up next are a pair of restaurants in Los Angeles: Ode by Jônt and Orion by Jônt. As far as accolades go, Ratino won the Michelin Guide’s Young Chef Award at the end of 2023. And he’s also partnered with luxe brands like Krug Champagne and Petrossian caviar.
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Missy Robbins
Missy Robbins’s Misi and Lilia are frequently regarded as two of the best pasta joints in New York City. Last summer, the James Beard Award–winning chef added Misi Pasta to her growing empire, a restaurant and retail boutique where shoppers can bring Robbins’s wares into their own kitchens. Her focus now is on growing that concept, and this year she expanded Misi Pasta with a mobile pop-up that delivered orders throughout New York and the tristate area. Offering pastas, sauces, pantry items, and gelato, Misi Pasta is the sort of space where you could easily open up your wallet.
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Erick Williams
The first Black chef to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes, Erick Williams has become known for the Southern fine-dining experience he serves up at Chicago’s Virtue. The Windy City native worked at restaurants in Chicago for years before opening his restaurant in Hyde Park, including a nearly two-decade stint at M.K. in the River North Neighborhood. Since his first restaurant opened in late 2018, Williams’s Virtue Hospitality Group has grown to include Mustard Seed Kitchen, Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern, and Top This Mac and Cheese. This November, his empire will expand even further with the opening of Cantina Rosa, a bar and lounge focused on rare tequila and mezcal.
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Val Cantú
As Texas native Val Cantú worked in outstanding kitchens from Uchi in Austin, Tex., to Sons & Daughters in San Francisco, he noticed a lack of fine-dining restaurants devoted to Mexican cuisine. He decided to do something about it. After spending time at Enrique Olvera’s Pujol and digging further into Mexican cooking, Cantú returned to San Francisco to host pop-ups starting in 2013. In 2015, the brick-and-mortar Californios was born in the City by the Bay, earning a Michelin star in its first year. A few years later, it became the first Mexican restaurant in America to earn a second Michelin star. In 2020, Cantú moved his restaurant to a larger space in San Francisco and reopened in 2021 to serve his 10-course menu. And as the only Michelin two-star Mexican restaurant in the U.S., Californios is a beacon for chefs from south of the border to come to the Bay Area for a collab dinner with Cantú, including Francisco Ruano from Alcalde in Guadalajara, Lucho Martinez from Em in Mexico City, and Rodolfo Castellanos from Origen in Oaxaca.
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Evan Funke
It’s amazing the difference a few years can make. Chef Evan Funke went from a restaurant—Bucato in Culver City—where he banned people from taking photos to a restaurant—Mother Wolf in Hollywood—where Beyoncé would have herself photographed with her record-breaking 32nd Grammy. But what certainly ties those two places together is Funke’s beloved pasta. The native Angeleno relocated to La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese in the ‘00s to learn how to make pasta by hand from one of the world’s great teachers, Alessandra Spisni. Early last decade, he showed off his considerable sfoglino skills when he opened Bucato, which closed despite critical acclaim. But when he returned in 2017 with his temple to handmade pasta, Felix in Venice, he had a hit that endures to this day. From there, he has gone on to open the aforementioned celebrity magnet Mother Wolf and his eponymous restaurant Funke in Beverly Hills. This year alone he opened Mother Wolf outposts in Las Vegas and Miami, as well as Tre Dita in Chicago, starred in an episode of the new Chef’s Table season, and brought everything full circle by flying in maestra Spisni to cook with him at both Felix and Funke.
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R.J. Melman
As 400 Chicago luminaries gathered inside the Windy City’s new St. Regis Hotel in March of this year, R.J. Melman and Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group could show off its stunning new concept, Tre Dita, with soaring 40-foot windows overlooking the Chicago River and chef Evan Funke at the helm. Further proof that although LEYE is already Chicago’s largest restaurant group, it is far from resting on its laurels. The company spans well beyond the borders of the Windy City, 110 restaurants across America, ranging from a luxe 10-seat sushi bar in Chicago to a modern Italian restaurant in the nation’s capital to an elegant seafood house in Las Vegas. The empire was founded by R.J.’s father, Rich, back in 1971, and R.J. assumed the presidency in 2017. The younger Melman has been behind more than 25 of the brand’s 52 concepts, including RPM, the restaurant he founded with his siblings, Jerrod and Molly, and Bill and Giuliana Rancic. That eatery now encompasses RPM Italian in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, as well as RPM Steak and RPM Seafood in the Windy City. And more expansion is on the way for Melman and LEYE, with their first Nashville restaurants arriving in 2025.
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Curtis Duffy
The Chicago chef Curtis Duffy is one of the faces of fine dining in the Windy City. His restaurant Ever has held two Michelin stars for the past three years, and he also oversees the cocktail lounge After and the Canvas by Ever, a private event space. But he’s been no stranger to stars in his career. Earlier in his career, at Avenues at the Peninsula Chicago, he earned two. There, he met Michael Muser, and the duo went on to open Grace, which received two Michelin stars in its first year and three stars every year from 2015 to 2018 before shuttering a dispute with the owner. Notably, Duffy has been intimately involved with the hit FX show The Bear, with Ever being used as the setting for the Season 3 finale.
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Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm
The co-founders of Boka Restaurant Group, Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz have had a massive impact on Chicago’s culinary scene this century. Currently, the duo has 23 concepts in their portfolio, including the namesake Boka, which has held one Michelin star for the past 13 years. Its recipe for success has been to partner with talented chefs to open their concepts from Top Chef champ Stephanie Izard, to Eleven Madison Park alum Lee Woolen to James Beard Award-winner Michael Solomonov—and many more. In the past year, Boka Restaurant Group launched its first dedicated events venue and brought two concepts to Soldier Field. Looking forward, the group has at least four new openings between this fall and next, including spots in Silicon Valley, Nashville, and St. Petersburg. Plus, Boka: The Cookbook was released in early 2024, celebrating the 20-year anniversary of that restaurant, and Boehm will release his memoir, The Bottomless Cup, in 2025.
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Kristen Kish
Kristen Kish took over as the host of Top Chef just a year ago, and she’s already been nominated for an Emmy for her work in that role. As the winner of that same TV show back in 2013, Kish has been become known for her ability to bring national and international foodways to the screen. She’s also been a powerful voice for diversity in the culinary realm, and she was honored earlier this year at the Critics Choice Association’s first Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television. Next year, she’ll release a memoir titled Accidentally on Purpose. And Kish still has her restaurant Arlo Grey, which she opened in Austin back in 2018.
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Michael Mina
With 30 restaurants under his watchful eye—including three new openings over the past year and at least two more coming up—Michael Mina may be one of the most prolific chefs and restaurateurs in the country. The founder of the Mina Group, he first received national acclaim for his work at San Francisco’s Aqua, before opening his namesake restaurant, which at its peak was awarded two Michelin stars but has since relocated to Las Vegas. Mina’s group has expanded from the West Coast and now oversees dozens of restaurants throughout the United States and even abroad. Plus, he recently released the cookbook My Egypt and he’s about to launch the Mina Network in collaboration with Fireside.
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Michael Cimarusti
As Providence prepares to turn 20 years old next year, one of Los Angeles’s premiere dining destinations hasn’t stopped pushing the envelope. Maintaining its two Michelin stars yet again, Michael Cimarusti’s flagship did a beautiful refresh on its interior in 2023 and continues to put out impressive fare. It’s not surprising, as Cimarusti remains one of L.A.’s deans of fine dining with his commitment to craft and sustainability. During his three decades in the kitchen, he has watched species fade away from overfishing and climate change, and so he has dedicated his career to showing there is a sustainable path forward for fine dining. He has committed to serving only wild-caught fish at his Providence, and he piloted the restaurant-supported fishery Dock to Dish when it debuted in Southern California in 2015. While he no longer runs his own seafood shop, he still has New England–style seafood spot Connie & Ted’s, where he and executive chef Sam Baxter hosted collab dinners with some of the city’s top chefs from Bridgetown Roti’s Rashida Holmes to Holbox’s Gilberto Cetina.
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Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar
As the chef and restaurateur behind Unapologetic Foods, respectively, Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar have shaped the face of modern Indian cuisine in New York City. The duo’s Semma holds one Michelin star, while the other five brands under the Unapologetic Foods banner are some of the most coveted tables in the city. In December 2023, the group expanded to Filipino cuisine with the opening of Naks, and over the past year it did a three-city tour with Resy, bringing its concepts to Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Now a book is in the works, plus two openings in New York and one in Philadelphia.
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Jon Yao
As biggest names in global fine dining gathered in Las Vegas at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards this June, only one Los Angeles establishment was honored: Jon Yao’s Kato. The Taiwanese restaurant was named “One to Watch,” an award given each year to a rising star in the industry. It was a long way from the cramped West L.A. strip mall where Yao served an affordable tasting menu that was remarkable enough to garner him a Michelin Star and title of the city’s best restaurant by the Los Angeles Times—all while operating a tiny kitchen and not having a liquor license. As years went on, he has further narrowed his focus to creative takes on Taiwanese fare he ate growing up in the San Gabriel Valley. And in 2022, Yao moved his restaurant to a more luxe space in downtown L.A. where Kato retained its star and was once again crowned the city’s best by the L.A. Times in 2023. His standing among chefs has undoubtedly grown, with some of the West Coast’s best joining Yao in a series of dinners including Daisy Ryan, Matthew Lightner, Evan Funke, Chris Bianco, and Eric Bost.
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Charlie Mitchell
Charlie Mitchell has had quite a jam packed last few years. After becoming the first Black chef to win a Michelin star in New York City back in 2022, Mitchell received the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State. All of those accolades came while he was at the helm of his own restaurant, Clover Hill. Now, though, Mitchell has left that spot to take over the kitchen at the Michelin two-star Saga, following the tragic death of James Kent. Kent was one of Mitchell’s mentors, and in his honor the young chef is hoping to elevate Saga to three Michelin stars in the near future.
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Sean Brock
Sean Brock’s mission has always been deeper than just cooking at a restaurant. To find inspiration, he becomes a scholar, delving deep into foodways to understand the history and culture surrounding classic dishes while also doing the work to revive heirloom ingredients. At Husk, Brock helped redefine Southern cuisine in America. And now at the beautiful Audrey in Nashville—one of our Best New Restaurants in America in 2023—he’s connecting with Appalachian fare. Brock has also began dabbling in more casual fare with Joyland, his ode to fast-food burger joints. The first outpost opened in Music City, and he has added a second location in Birmingham, Ala., with plans to expand further to Charleston, S.C. Brock has also regrouped this year. His 37-seat experimental tasting-menu restaurant June, located in the same building as Audrey, has closed to go through a concept change, and Bar Continental, his hi-fi bar in Downtown Nashville, closed in May.
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Bobby Stuckey
Since 2004, Bobby Stuckey has been one of the biggest culinary names in Colorado, working with his partner, the chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, to open the Michelin one-star Frasca Food and Wine, Pizzeria Alberico, Tavernetta, and Sunday Vinyl. In July, they added Osteria Alberico in the Denver suburb of Englewood, and Frasca celebrated its 20th anniversary in August with a star-studded party. As a master sommelier, Stuckey is also celebrated by oenophiles and founded the wine label Scarpetta Wine. This winter, he and the Frasca Hospitality Group team will team up with the Four Seasons Vail to open a Tavernetta outpost in the skiing hot spot.
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Gavin Kaysen
Running Michelin-starred Café Boulud in New York for six years and winning the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 2008, Gavin Kaysen looked poised for greatness in Gotham. He had other plans. Last decade he returned home to Minneapolis to build a restaurant empire there. In the last 10 years he has built Spoon and Stable, his tasting counter Demi (our No. 3 Best New Restaurant in America in 2020), Mara and Socca Café inside the Four Seasons, and two locations of Cooks | Bellecour. He also teamed up with Andrew Zimmern to create KZ Provisioning, cooking for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lynx, and Wild teams. He has also had the ability to get some of America’s best chefs to join him in Minneapolis for exclusive dinner series, with the likes of James Kent, Marcus Samuelsson, Emma Bengtsson, Mei Lin, William Bradley, and many more descending on the Twin Cities in the last few years. And he’s also leading a new generation of chefs by serving as President of Team U.S.A. for Bocuse d’Or since 2021.
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Wolfgang Puck
This energetic Austrian essentially invented the celebrity chef in America in the 1970s and ‘80s, and he’s not slowing down today. Puck’s eponymous empire now oversees 21 fine-dining restaurants representing seven different concepts spread across 18 cities around the world. This year he opened Carama in Las Vegas and a new Spago in Bodrum, Turkey, while continuing his hospitality partnership with Aston Martin’s F1 team. On the horizon his team is planning a Wolfgang Puck at Four Seasons Residences in Las Vegas and a Wolfgang Puck in Malibu. Puck continues to blend high and low—from the frozen-food aisle to airport terminals to casinos to the Governors Ball at the Oscars to fine-dining restaurants around the world. He has set a standard for building a restaurant empire that the industry still looks to.
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Matthew Kammerer
At California’s Harbor House Inn, Matthew Kammerer has received two Michelin stars for his hyper-local cuisine, plus a Michelin green star and a Michelin key for the property as a whole. This past year, the team there expanded its agricultural footprint by 200 percent, going from 100 beds to 300 at the farm, where they’re cultivating a wide array of vegetables to feature on the menu. Kammerer is also in his third year of partnering with the Champagne producer Krug as an ambassador, where he helps to develop the Krug x Flower book project.
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César Ramirez
After the unceremonious ending of his reign at Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, César Ramirez returned in July with his namesake restaurant, César. While we don’t yet know what sort of accolades his new spot will receive—the Michelin Guide for New York City has yet to be announced—Ramirez formerly held on to three stars at Chef’s Table. And during his time there, he trained and mentored numerous chefs who went on to open their own highly regarded restaurants. César features some of the same dishes Ramirez became famous for, along with newer plates that show off his yen for Japanese and French cuisine.
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Michael Tusk
For the better part of 2023, Michelin three-star Quince in San Francisco was closed. Michael Tusk, and his wife and business partner, Lindsay, were reimagining what they wanted their version of fine dining to be. When Quince reopened last November, it was truly worth the wait, with one of the most beautiful dining rooms you’ll find (it looks and feels more like hanging out in your chicest friend’s home), impeccably executed contemporary California cuisine, and exceptional handmade pastas. This year saw another long-awaited reopening from Tusk with his beloved wine bar Verjus returning in early November. They rejoined his family of businesses that include his Italian restaurant Cotogna, his private events space Officina, and his partnership in Fresh Run Farm, which grows food exclusively for Quince & Co. And in 2025, Gelateria di Cotogna will join his hospitality group as well. But beyond the kitchens Tusk runs, an enduring symbol of his impact on fine dining are the alums of his group who have gone on to run their own Michelin-starred restaurants, like Alex Hong at Sorrel in San Francisco and Jonny Black at Chez Noir in Carmel, Calif.
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Kwame Onwuachi
Since he exploded onto the culinary scene in his 20s, Kwame Onwuachi’s star has only shone brighter over the years. His Lincoln Center restaurant, Tatiana, which opened two years ago, is still one of the hardest tables to get in New York City. And earlier this year, he made his long-awaited return to Washington, D.C., where his first restaurant had crashed and burned, but he then staged a comeback with Kith/Kin, which ended up closing during the pandemic. Dōgon celebrates both Onwuachi’s history and that of the nation’s capital through its Afro-Caribbean menu. Outside of his own restaurants, Onwuachi this year co-hosted the multi-day culinary event the Family Reunion, created the menu for the first White House brunch celebrating Black excellence, popped up at the U.S. Open, and played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Soon you’ll be able to see him in an episode of Chef’s Table, and he’s creating the menu for next year’s Met Gala. With a James Beard Award already under his belt, we’ll be waiting to see what other accolades are up next.
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Stephen Starr
The Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr has built an empire that stretches well beyond the City of Brotherly Love. With a whopping 40 restaurants in four markets, Starr’s footprint exists up and down the East Coast. His Le Coucou in New York City has held one Michelin star for five years in a row, while spots like Pastis and Le Diplomate in Washington, D.C., are favorites of the power set. Recently, Starr partnered with Nancy Silverton to open the first East Coast location of her Osteria Mozza, and next year he’ll expand his empire to Nashville with the debut of a Pastis there. Pastis West Palm Beach is on the docket for 2026.
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Nobu Matsuhisa
With Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, chef Nobu Matsuhisa has created one of the world’s most respected hospitality empires. At its heart is Matsuhisa’s cooking, which is rooted in Japanese cuisine but influenced by the time he spent living in Peru, incorporating ingredients such as cilantro and jalapeño to create dishes like his iconic yellowtail sashimi. He has been instrumental in spreading the popularity of sushi in America and has given chefs a model for growing a culinary empire. Along with more than a dozen Nobu hotels, there are now over 50 of his eponymous restaurants around the world. And the trio is far from slowing down. In 2024 new Nobus have opened in Toronto, Atlantic City, and New Orleans, with even further expansion planned for hotels and restaurants in Madrid, Coronado, two properties in Bulgaria, Ho Chi Minh City, Lisbon, Cairo, São Paulo, and many more locations around the globe.
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Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon
In 2024, husband-wife team Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon took their hit Chicago restaurant Kasama on the road. The duo brought some of their team with them to Madrid for their biggest event they’ve done away from the restaurant. In Spain’s capital, diners got to experience the world’s first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant, and Kwon and Flores are working on additional residencies next year in London, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, back in the Windy City, their restaurant remains a hit, helped along by cameos in The Bear, which has helped them reach a new demographic of diners who want to try the establishment that transitions from a café during the day to a stunning tasting-menu eatery at night. In the morning, people are lining up around the block for Filipino-influenced fare, including longanisa-sausage breakfast sandwiches, chicken adobo with garlic rice, and an array of Kwon’s delectable pastries such as ube-huckleberry Basque cake. The tasting menu in the evening features fine-dining takes on Filipino classics like adobo, kinilaw, and lumpia. For now, the couple aren’t planning any new restaurants, focusing solely on Kasama, but they don’t rule out growth in the future.
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Alice Waters
With the opening of Chez Panisse in 1971, Alice Waters practically launched the farm-to-table movement and elevated California cuisine to its well-respected pedestal. There, she also trained the next generation of chefs, including the likes of Dan Barber and April Bloomfield. In the mid-’90s, she expanded her reach with the Edible Schoolyard Project, a nonprofit that aims to connect students to food and nature, using those avenues to inform their public education. Since then, she’s become a powerful advocate for the importance of taking care of our natural environment, whether to sustain our kitchens or to sustain the world. Her impressive career was honored this year with two accolades: the Julia Child Award and the Dr. Maria Montessori Ambassador Award. Waters is currently at work on two new books, with more details set to be revealed next year.
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Gregory Gourdet
The chef behind one of the country’s hottest restaurants is going bicoastal. Gregory Gourdet of the hit wood-fired Haitian restaurant Kann in Portland, Ore., has been tapped to be the culinary director of French department store Printemps’s New York debut in 2025. Teaming with Kent Hospitality Group, Gourdet will launch concepts inside the development ranging from casual café to fine dining. The project marks a return to the Big Apple for Gourdet, who cut his teeth in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant group. On top of Kann’s success in Portland, the chef has had a star turn as well. With appearances on Top Chef and other food shows, Gourdet has garnered a strong enough national fanbase to reach product-pitchman status; he has been featured in campaigns for dishwasher detergent, sparkling water, utensils, running shoes, and more. And in 2024, he brought another James Beard Award back home to Oregon, winning Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific.
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Nancy Silverton
Nancy Silverton is undoubtedly the grande dame of Los Angeles dining: She had stints in the legendary kitchens of Michael’s and Spago; she founded the beloved restaurant Campanile as well as La Brea Bakery with her ex-husband, Mark Peel; and she went on to build her international Mozza empire that includes her Michelin-starred flagship in L.A. And her meat-centric Chi Spacca continues to be one of the city’s best restaurants. This year she has brought Mozza to the East Coast, teaming with fellow top-50 power player Stephen Starr to open a beautiful new outpost in Washington, D.C. The iconic status Silverton has built for herself in the industry still carries weight; she is the kind of name that can sell tickets as the headliner of a food festival, and her inclusion will also draw top-notch talent to work that same event.
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William Bradley
For years, chef William Bradley kept his head down and built Addison into the premier fine-dining restaurant in San Diego—a place locals went for a special meal. But now Bradley has diners and chefs the world over flocking to his little slice of Southern California because of the exceptional experience he has built. Bradley has led Addison since 2006, spending many of those years preparing French-inspired fine dining with a California influence. When Michelin expanded to inspect the entirety of the state in 2019, he was sharply focus on having the guide bestow its highest honor on his restaurant. After Addison only received one in the first Golden State edition, Bradley reset creatively, cooking a cuisine he calls “California Gastronomy,” where he delves into dishes inspired by the cultures across Southern California. His relentless pursuit has pushed him into the rarefied air of three Michelin stars. Now he’s among the leaders of global gastronomy, invited to cook with fellow three-star chefs like Anne-Sophie Pic at a Krug event in Paris or to be an ambassador for Hublot watches like Yannick Alléno. And this December, Norway’s only Michelin three-star chef, Esben Holmboe Bang, will travel to San Diego to cook with Bradley at Addison.
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Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick, and Rich Torrisi
Major Food Group has grown immensely since Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznik’s small restaurant, Torrisi Italian Specialties, opened in 2009. Now, in 2024, their business spans 45 restaurants spread across 15 cities on four continents. In the last year the trio has added ZZ’s Club in New York, Carbone Riyadh, Chateau ZZ’s in Miami, Parm in Las Vegas, and Sadelle’s at Kith Seoul. And they have plenty more projects coming in the future, including an Assouline book celebrating the 10th anniversary of Carbone; a deal with Hard Rock International for new dining experiences in its hotel and casino; a partnership with Marea to expand that restaurant company’s brand globally; more Carbones in both London and Dubai; and Villa Miami, a branded residence in Florida that will be completed in 2027. No matter where they’ve opened, the guys behind MFG have shown an ability to cater to the well-heeled with the kind of luxe experiences that clientele expects, while never skipping on the fun.
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Karen Urie Shields and John Shields
John Shields and Karen Urie Shields’s Smyth in Chicago became the newest Michelin three-star restaurant in America late last year, but the two have been well respected in the culinary world for years. Just six weeks after opening, Smyth received its very first Michelin star, which was bumped up to two stars the following year. With John as the executive chef and Karen as the pastry chef, Smyth draws inspiration from the couple’s time in Southwest Virginia. Earlier this year, the restaurant appeared at No. 90 on the runner-up list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, too. And right below their fine dining flagship is the Loyalist, a more casual neighborhood spot serving one of the best burgers in the Windy City.
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Simon Kim
What began with a lone steakhouse in New York City has grown immensely since 2017. When Simon Kim and chef David Shim launched Cote—a restaurant that combines the best of American steakhouses and Korean barbecue—it quickly became one of the world’s few steakhouses with a Michelin star and birthed a host of copycats around the country. Under the banner of his company Gracious Hospitality Management, Kim has expanded Cote to Miami (which has earned a star, too) and Singapore; he’s preparing an outpost in Las Vegas, too. The past year has also seen him launch the wildly successful Korean fried chicken- and Champagne-focused Coqodaq (with backing from Thomas Keller). And when he brought his chicken to the U.S. Open with tins of caviar, it became a sensation at the tennis championship. His next major project will be a multi-story development at 550 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, where he’ll launch a second New York Cote, a sushi restaurant, and an all-day bar and dining concept.
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Will Guidara
Will Guidara changed the face of hospitality in fine dining. The former co-owner of the Make It Nice restaurant group—which oversaw the Michelin three-star Eleven Madison Park, among other spots—promotes a style of hospitality that aims to elevate everyday interactions between customers and staff into memorable dining experiences. Since ending his partnership with Daniel Humm in 2019, Guidara founded his own hospitality group, Thank You; serves as the host of the influential Welcome Conference; and released Unreasonable Hospitality, which recently became a New York Times best seller. That latter accolade is thanks in large part to Guidara’s role as a co-producer on The Bear, which also featured his book and him in a cameo role.
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Dan Barber
At Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Dan Barber has been honored with two Michelin stars, plus another Michelin star for the more casual Family Meal at Blue Hill. His emphasis on local and sustainable agriculture has also led him to found Row 7 Seed Company, which develops and sells new vegetables and grains. In October, Row 7’s branded produce—like Sweet Garleek—became available in Whole Foods Markets across the United States, and the company has collaborated with restaurants like Katz’s Delicatessen to bring its products to the masses. Soon it will expand its wholesale program and partnerships with distributors to put Row 7 produce in even more kitchens.
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Danny Meyer
Danny Meyer may no longer be at the helm of Union Square Hospitality Group, but the stones he laid for fine dining in New York City are still solidly in place. With nine restaurants under the USHG banner—Blue Smoke Battery Park City will close at the end of the year—the group is going strong. The Modern holds two Michelin stars, while Gramercy Tavern has one, and two USHG chefs were semifinalists for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State this year. In the next year, the group will expand to Boston, relaunch the View at the Marriott Marquis in New York, and further expand its Daily Provisions café chain.
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Daniel Humm
After earning three Michelin stars at Eleven Madison Park, you may think that Daniel Humm would decide to take it easy. But the celebrated chef has been busier than ever recently: In October, he debuted Clemente Bar, a new cocktail bar in collaboration with the artist Francesco Clemente. In September, Humm was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Food Education, and in January he’ll start hosting plant-based dinners with his fellow ambassador Mauro Colagreco. This month, the limited-edition Eleven Madison Park: The Plant-Based Chapter will give readers a look inside the restaurant’s journey to becoming completely plant-based. And in early 2026, Humm will open a new restaurant in the West Village.
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Dominique Crenn
In a largely male dominated industry, Dominique Crenn has always stood out as a powerhouse woman. In 2018, she became the first and only woman in America to be awarded three Michelin stars, which she still retains at Atelier Crenn. On top of that, she has another Michelin star for Le Comptoir, the dining experience within Bar Crenn. “Dominique is incredibly joyful, inspiring and wildly creative,” says chef and restaurateur Angie Mar. “As a woman in our industry, I have always looked to her for inspiration as to what we can do.”
Beyond her own kitchen, Crenn’s touch is everywhere, it seems. She works with brands including Audemars Piguet, Capital One, and HexClad, bringing her culinary expertise to a wide range of consumers. She’s the new culinary curator for Les Bateaux Belmond’s luxury cruises. And she created new menus for business- and first-class travelers on Air France. If that sounds like a lot, 2025 may be even busier for the chef, with a number of yet-to-be-announced projects in the works.
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Corey Lee
From early on in his career, Corey Lee was pegged as a wunderkind in the kitchen. The Korean-born chef worked at numerous famous kitchens before starting at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in 2001. He rose to the ranks of chef de cuisine, worked to open Keller’s Per Se, and won a James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 2006. Eventually, Lee left the Keller empire to open his own tasting-menu restaurant, Benu, in 2010. Within a few years, that establishment became the first in San Francisco (along with Saison) to earn three Michelin stars.
Lee’s care and attention to detail make him one of the most respected chefs in America among his peers. “We say that about a lot of chefs, but Corey is different. To this day I have never met a better technician in the kitchen or a chef with such a range and depth of knowledge, whether that’s classical French technique, Asian cuisine, or modern ideas and innovation,” says chef Philip Tessier, who worked with Lee at Per Se and now leads Michelin-starred Press. “For me, Corey sets the standard for today’s generation of chefs with his constant pursuit of knowledge and his commitment to his team and the chefs who work under him. Simply put, Corey is the best chef I’ve ever worked with over the course of my career.”
However, Lee is not someone who necessarily seeks the spotlight. His power is derived from his approach to his work. Like when he prepared to open his take on Korean barbecue, San Ho Won in San Francisco (which has a Michelin star, of course, and was our Best New Restaurant in America in 2022), he wasn’t just going accept any old charcoal to cook the food. Instead, he imported 15,000 pounds of lychee charcoal from Vietnam that he had made specifically for the restaurant. “I feel he speaks loudly through his food alone,” says Ellia Park of Michelin two-star Atomix. “Quiet yet resonant, his presence in the industry makes an impact in its own unique way. Corey remains unwavering in his mission, unswayed by trends or external influences, like someone deeply dedicated to his craft.”
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Kyle and Katina Connaughton
The husband-and-wife duo behind Michelin three-star SingleThread in Sonoma have created an immersive dining experience that epitomizes the ethic of farm to table. Kyle, who has worked for industry greats from Michel Bras to Heston Blumenthal, serves a menu inspired by his time cooking in Japan. Katina, meanwhile, runs the 24-acre farm that supplies the restaurant and operates a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that allows people to take the bounty home as well.
“Kyle and Katina Connaughton have created a dining experience that fuses California’s rich agricultural bounty with Japanese culinary techniques,” says Michelin-starred chef Alex Hong. “Through their innovation, ethical approach, and leadership; they’ve become not just chefs but true tastemakers, influencers, and mentors, reshaping what it means to dine well in today’s world. They have raised the bar for what is possible in terms of culinary excellence, sustainable sourcing, and guest experience.”
This year the restaurant retained its three Michelin stars and landed at No. 46 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. And they’ve brought some of the best of the culinary world to Healdsburg, Calif., for collaborative dinners, from Daniel Humm to Ana Ros to Yoshihiro Murata of Kikunoi. Kyle has been in Japan filming a documentary on sustainable seafood in the country, and the team is working on a book that will publish in the fall of 2026. Kyle and Katina have plans to expand in 2025 but are keeping a tight lid on the details until the new year.
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Jean-Georges Vongerichten
If you feel like Jean-Georges Vongerichten is everywhere, you’re not wrong. The visionary chef has more than 60 restaurants in 13 different countries spanning five continents. Over the 50 years he’s been in the kitchen, he’s used that reach to help train the next generation of chefs, too. “Countless young cooks have launched their careers in a JG kitchen, many of whom have built upon that foundation to achieve success in their own professional journeys—myself included,” says James Beard Award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet. “We are all eternally grateful for the invaluable learning experience that working for him provided.”
As a chef, Vongerichten lightened up traditionally heavy French cuisine by bringing in vegetables, fruits, and herbs that retain the same depth of flavor. He also blended in Asian influences, something that the restaurateur Simon Kim commended him for, calling him “the godfather of fusing global flavors and techniques with respect and elegance” in an email to Robb Report.
Now Vongerichten is using his influence outside of the kitchen, too. Recently, he opened the members club Chez Margaux in New York. And in 2027, he’ll launch his very first branded residences in Miami. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s stopping with the restaurants either: ABC Kitchen will open in New York and Sao Paulo next year, while two restaurants will open in Malaysia as well. “With his deep respect for tradition, bravery and thirst for innovation, Jean-Georges remains one of the most influential figures in hospitality,” Kim says. “I believe his best is yet to come.”
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Grant Achatz
As Alinea approaches its 20th anniversary, Grant Achatz remains one of the most wildly inventive chefs America has produced. His flagship restaurant continues to be a beacon of modernist cuisine nearly two decades after it opened in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. “Grant Achatz is one of the most innovative and cutting edge chefs in the world,” says R.J. Melman, Lettuce Entertain You’s president. “He not only ignited the molecular gastronomy trend in Chicago years ago, but he continues to deliver an almost magical experience every time guests step foot into one of his restaurants. It has been cool to see how his restaurants have really kept Chicago on the map as a must-visit food city.”
Even outside of Chicago, restaurateurs have noticed the magnetic pull Alinea has had on diners. “For years Alinea has been the restaurant for many guests I’ve served,” says Alex Burch, the owner and beverage director for Bad Idea in Nashville. “When you add in his involvement with Tock and the Aviary’s influence on the world of cocktails, it’s difficult to deny his standing.”
Over the years, Alinea Group has grown to encompass a host of restaurants, primarily located in the thriving culinary scene of Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. There’s Next, the restaurant that completely reinvents itself every few months; Aviary, the groundbreaking modernist cocktail bar; Roister, the live-fire restaurant where more rustic fare still gets Achatz’s exacting treatment; and St. Clair Supper Club, the ode to midcentury prime-rib joints. Of course, Achatz now enters a new chapter of his culinary career, with his longtime business partner Nick Kokonas selling his stake in the Alinea Group and new co-owner and CEO Jason Weingarten ready to embark on a 10-year roadmap of significant growth for the company. But before that happens, they are preparing to take Alinea on the road for seven or more pop-ups in 2025 to celebrate the groundbreaking restaurant’s 20th birthday with style.
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Eric Ripert
Eric Ripert has been at the top of his game for decades, and that staying power is rather rare in the fast-moving culinary world. “Something that is truly remarkable about Eric Ripert is that even with all the passing trends in restaurants, he has stood the test of time and remains one of the most influential and iconic fine dining chefs in the world, even after three decades,” R.J. Melman says. “His restaurants are still some of the most sought after reservations in New York City, which just goes to show that his classic cuisine will never be out of style.”
Best known for the Michelin three-stared Le Bernardin, Ripert also oversees Aldo Sohm Wine Bar in New York City and Blue by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. Le Bernardin—“one of the most important seafood restaurants in the world,” according to the restaurateur Elizabeth Blau—is currently La Liste’s No. 1 restaurant in the world, and it’s retained a four-star rating in The New York Times for more than 20 years.
Outside of his restaurants, Ripert has focused his efforts on cookbooks, with his Seafood Simple becoming a New York Times best seller. Another cookbook is currently in the works. Plus, the chef debuted a custom-designed and handmade fish pan in collaboration with Short Order, with proceeds going to City Harvest.
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José Andrés
José Andrés oversees an empire of 40 restaurants and counting, including the Michelin two-star Minibar in Washington, D.C. But it’s his work beyond the kitchen that has made him a true powerhouse in the culinary industry. Since founding World Central Kitchen in 2010, Andrés and his team have provided more than 500 million meals to those battling food insecurity during humanitarian crises, including the war in Ukraine, Hurricane Helene, and the Middle East crisis.
“He uses his platform to advocate for social change, nourish communities in crisis, and inspire a global movement towards compassion and sustainability,” Gourdet says. “His passion for innovation in fine dining is matched only by his commitment to making the world a better place, proving that the kitchen can be a powerful tool for transformation.” Or as the restaurateur Tracy Vaught and chef Hugo Ortega put it, “José Andrés is a citizen of the world, helping people through food. He is doing what no other restaurateur has done. He is a brave and honorable man, saving lives while risking his own.”
While World Central Kitchen carries out its mission, Andrés isn’t slowing down on the restaurant side of things. He had three new openings in 2024, and the next year will see his first openings in Arizona and West Palm Beach, along with expansions in Las Vegas and California. His next book, Change the Recipe, is due out in April. And in 2027, he’ll open his first hotel project in D.C., the Bazaar House by José Andrés.
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Junghyun and Ellia Park
This husband-and-wife team have had a meteoric rise since opening their Korean banchan-inspired restaurant Atoboy in New York’s NoMad neighborhood in 2016. For chef Junghyun and restaurateur Ellia, it was only the beginning. Junghyun came to the States from Korea to cook at the New York outpost of Michelin two-star Jungsik before setting out on his own. After Atoboy came the couple’s big creative swing, the tasting-menu-driven Atomix, which is a loving celebration of Korean culture from the food to the ceramics to the utensils to even the staff uniforms. Atomix has put the duo on the vanguard of a growing Korean fine-dining movement in New York, and the tasting counter shot up the World’s 50 Best list to No. 6 this year, making it the highest-ranked restaurant in America.
“What J.P. and Ellia have accomplished since their arrival in the states is nothing short of extraordinary,” says chef Genie Kwon of Michelin-starred Kasama in Chicago. “I’m thrilled to see them continue to rise up and be a voice for Korean cuisine on a global scale, while transcending cultural boundaries with modern technique and thoughtful hospitality.”
In 2022, they opened yet another acclaimed restaurant as part of the massive Rockefeller Center remodel. Naro serves as their contemporary interpretation of traditional Korean dishes that aren’t as well known in America. They’re highlighting more subtle fare than most diners are used to and pushing Korean cuisine forward in the U.S. yet again. The couple’s Na:Eun hospitality group grew again in 2024, opening its first non-Korean restaurant, Acru, with former employee Daniel Garwood. Throughout their concepts, the duo have shown a true enthusiasm for how they approach their work. “They embody a focused passion for their craft and culture,” says Philip Tessier of Michelin-starred Press. “Their restaurants, and their success, are the product of a blend of the joy they clearly derive from our craft and a passion for the Korean culture celebrated through cuisine, tradition, and innovation.”
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Daniel Boulud
Daniel Boulud’s acolytes have spread across New York and the country, taking what they learned under him to open outstanding restaurants of their own. But beyond his own alums, he has stood out as a leader and mentor across the restaurant industry. “For us, chef Daniel is someone who brings people together and genuinely supports the younger generation,” Ellia Park says. “For emerging chefs like us, his presence and encouragement are incredibly inspiring. Even with a busy schedule filled with his restaurants and events, chef Daniel takes the time—even just briefly—to support our events or leave a message of encouragement if he can’t make it. The fact that he does this for those outside his own restaurant team shows his deep sense of responsibility and influence toward the next generation. It’s an inspiration and a testament to his impact.”
Since arriving in the U.S. more than 40 years ago, Boulud built one of America’s great fine-dining empires that stretches from his flagship Michelin two-star Daniel in Manhattan to restaurants around the world. This year alone he has opened Café Boulud Riyadh, Cuisine Boulud New York, Maison Boulud Singapore, and more. And he’s readying his new steakhouse with Parisian influences, La Tête d’Or, in Manhattan. This comes on the heels of him opening the luxe Le Pavillon, which garnered him another Michelin star; backing the new 18-seat sushi omakase counter Jōji, which was recently awarded a star, too; and reopening the famed Café Boulud.
And those who know Boulud also come away impressed by his jovial, infectious attitude. “I first saw Chef at Charlier Trotter’s 20th anniversary in 2007,” says chef Justin Cogley of Michelin two-star Aubergine in Carmel, Calif. “I was a fish cook and just the the energy he brought was some thing that was so remarkable. I’ll never forget it. he ended up dancing on the table top at the bar next-door after the event. He was always on top of everything and seems to be all over the world and running very successful restaurants someone that is very admired and much respected.”
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Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller remains synonymous with American fine dining. He’s the only chef in the States to ever lead two Michelin three-star restaurants; he has won 10 James Beard Awards; his French Laundry topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list twice; and his six cookbooks have more than 1.5 million copies in circulation. He currently has 11 restaurants in his portfolio—adding Bouchon Coral Gables in 2023, with plans to expand to Coral Casino in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 2025. But beyond the accolades, there’s the influence he has had on his peers and mentees with his exacting technique, wit, and creativity on the plate and professionalism in the kitchen.
“Chef Keller is an American culinary Icon,” says Michelin three-star chef William Bradley. “He created a restaurant culture and community that inspires us all globally. It truly motivates us, and gives us hope. He is committed to new talent, shines his light on upcoming chefs, and is the ultimate mentor. His impact on fine dining with 30 years of excellence at the French Laundry, our most iconic American restaurant is a gift to the world. His contributions to Bocuse d’Or, his work with the Culinary Institute of America, and his relentless pursuit of raising the standards of our profession are just some of the reasons he is extraordinary.”
Through his restaurants, Keller trained a generation of American chefs who have raised the level of food around the country. Up and down this power list, there are Thomas Keller Restaurant Group alums who are now among the industry’s biggest power players. “There is such weight when someone has worked with TK,” says June Rodil, the Master Sommelier and partner of Michelin-starred March in Houston. “He endures because of the people who work with him and because what they have learn from his company undulates in their work when they depart.”