Nate Appleman

Why he won Because at his two Bay Area restaurants he uses exceptional ingredients—especially house-butchered meat—for his marvelous Italian menus. Born 1979 Raised Greenville, OH Education The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Experience Brasa, Seattle; Ristorante Dulcamara, Florence, Italy; Campton Place, San Francisco. Career turning point “Most of my training had been French. But at Brasa, I discovered a new way of cooking: wood grilling, wood-oven roasting.” Favorite kitchen tool A calculator. “We use whole animals, so if I make sausages, I need to adapt proportions.” Won Best New Chef at: A16 and SPQR, San Francisco, CA