Food & Wine USA - (07)July 2020

HERE IS A TYPICAL STRUCTURE to these types of introductions.

First, the editor talks about how many places they traveled in

the creation of the list (for me, that would be 25; remember

airplanes?). Then, they recall how many meals they’ve eaten

for research (110). Finally, there is a statement about what made this year in dining

so special (Bold flavors! Casual dining has never been better!).

But there is nothing typical about 2020. By March, it had become clear that life as

we knew it was on pause as the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the world. Restau-

rants were hit fast and hard. Most had to close—some temporarily, others forever.

The handful that remained open were forced to swap the intimate conviviality of

the dining room for the sanitized transactions of delivery and curbside pickup.

Restaurants, places of hospitality, had to become inhospitable to survive.

So why run this list now, when restaurants as we know them are on indefinite hia-

tus? Since 1988, Food & Wine has recognized 31 classes of Best New Chefs—groups

of 10 (or sometimes 11) chefs who are making the sharpest, most forward-thinking,

and most satisfying food in America. For 32 years, the accolade has celebrated the

best cooking of the day while heralding the culinary leaders of tomorrow.

In that respect, this year is no different. This year’s class will shape the future.

They are resilient and brilliant, thoughtful and caring. They are leading their teams

through unprecedented circumstances, navigating choppy waters with sheer

determination and optimism as their compass. They are the people who not only

will help rebuild their shattered industry, but also will eventually help it thrive in

new ways—through their cooking, their resolve, and their vision for what a more

equitable future in restaurants might look like.

What a strange time to be a restaurant editor, but what an honor. During my

first year on the road scouting for Food & Wine, I encountered the punchy, flavor-

to-the-face kind of cooking I am always chasing. I saw menus that weren’t afraid

to deviate from the standard French culinary techniques. I met chefs who cared

just as much about their staffs and their communities as they did their food. This

groundbreaking cooking and leadership are evident in all corners of the kitchen,

which is why, for the first time in more than 20 years, we’re including pastry chefs

in this class of BNCs.

The fallout from the pandemic has revealed new layers of strength and creativ-

ity, best embodied by this year’s class of Best New Chefs. With them at the helm,

the future of dining looks brighter, fairer, and more delicious than ever before.

by khushbu shah

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