Meet the most exciting emerging culinary talent in the U.S. today—11 chefs and a restaurant in Nashville whose food is highly personal, unapologetic, and extremely fun. 

Dotdash Meredith’s FOOD & WINE announces today its highly anticipated list of America’s Best New Chefs of 2022, spotlighting the 11 most talented up-and-coming chefs reinventing restaurant culture with vibrant and innovative new concepts that are deeply personal, reflecting their social and cultural influences. This year, FOOD & WINE introduces a new accolade, naming Locust of Nashville its Restaurant of the Year. An in-depth story on Locust and its chef, Trevor Moran, and profiles of the 2022 Best New Chefs, along with their favorite spots to eat and drink in the cities they call home, are featured now online here: Best New Chefs and Restaurant of the Year, as well as in the October issue of FOOD & WINE, on newsstands September 23.

FOOD & WINE BEST NEW CHEFS IN AMERICA 2022

Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
Damarr Brown, Virtue, Chicago
Ana Castro, Lengua Madre, New Orleans
Calvin Eng, Bonnie’s, Brooklyn
Tim Flores & Genie Kwon, Kasama, Chicago
Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle
Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Los Angeles
Emily Riddell, Machine Shop Boulangerie, Philadelphia
Rob Rubba, Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.
Caroline Schiff, Gage & Tollner, Brooklyn

FOOD & WINE chooses the Best New Chefs after a monthslong selection process. Chefs who have been in charge of a kitchen or pastry program for five years or less are eligible. The process begins with F&W editors soliciting and vetting nominations from food writers, cookbook authors, Best New Chef alums, and other trusted experts around the country. Then, Restaurant Editor Khushbu Shah travels the country. This year, she visited 24 cities in three months, dining out in dozens of restaurants in search of the most promising and dynamic chefs right now.

FOOD & WINE celebrates the 2022 Best New Chefs this evening at CITY WINERY in New York City, featuring FOOD & WINE alumni Best New Chefs CHRIS SHEPHERD, SOUTHERN SMOKE FOUNDATION [2013 BNC]; ANGEL BARRETO, CHEF/PARTNER, ANJU [2021 BNC]; and PAOLA VELEZ, COFOUNDER, BAKERS AGAINST RACISM [2021 BNC]. To support the new class, FOOD & WINE will kick off the celebration with the Best New Chef Mentorship Program, which empowers new BNCs to grow personally and professionally in their careers. 

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