31 Best New Chefs' Recipes from the Past 31 Years

By Justin Chapple
Updated April 09, 2019
Credit: Bobby Fisher
At Food & Wine, chefs are family. That’s why, for 31 years, our editors have devoted countless hours and thousands of meals to scouting and discovering the most talented up-and-comers in America. Our roster—now with over 330 names—includes some of the country’s greatest culinary minds, and we’re proud to say we put as much effort into identifying these chefs as we do in helping them launch their sensational careers.For us, it’s an honor to help share the vision of so many iconic chefs. One of our favorite (and certainly most fun) ways to do this is to bring their brilliant recipes—all tested and approved by the F&W Test Kitchen—into the kitchens of home cooks around the globe. Here, we’ve chosen our favorite Best New Chefs’ recipes from the last 31 years. You'll find everything from elegant crisps topped with smoked salmon (Thomas Keller, BNC 1988) to over-the-top prime rib with sour cherry conserva (Angie Mar, BNC 2017).With a roster as comprehensive as this, it’s tough to offer wine recommendations here, but these 15 Rules for Great Wine and Food Pairings will guide you well. And, for a foolproof, sure-to-please-everyone beverage pairing, we recommend matching each of the recipes in this list with S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. The gentle bubbles and unique taste enhance the best qualities of each dish.Make these recipes and become inspired by some of America’s most amazing chefs.
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Smoked Salmon Crisps

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Thomas Keller's salmon cornets (tuiles shaped into tiny cones and topped with crème fraîche and fresh salmon) are a famous kickoff to his luxe and whimsical meals. The original recipe appears in The French Laundry Cookbook. Shaping the tuiles into cones is tricky and involves working very quickly with a cornet mold. Instead, leave the tuiles flat, like crackers, and top them.

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Tuna Poke on Nori Crackers

Credit: © Con Poulos
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At Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco, chef Ravi Kapur serves his superdelicious take on the Hawaiian classic tuna poke on crispy, deep-fried nori crackers. A dollop of seasoned aioli is the perfect finish. Kapur makes his aioli, but he says any good-quality mayonnaise is a fine substitute.

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Black-and-White Pici Pasta with Squid and Shellfish

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Eli Kulp prepares this dramatic seafood pasta dish with freshly-made black-and-white noodles, which he tosses with a big, briny seafood sauce and finishes with spicy pickled cherry peppers.

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Brioche with Prosciutto, Gruyère, and Egg

Credit: © JOHNNY MILLER
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“I love a good frisée salad,” says Suzanne Goin. “And of course I love toasted, buttery bread, with big slabs of melted cheese and prosciutto and an egg on top.” Her sumptuous open-face sandwich, a staple at A.O.C. wine bar since the place opened in Los Angeles in 2003, combines all her favorite foods.

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Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro

Credit: Constantine Poulos
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Missy Robbins of Brooklyn’s Lilia restaurant swaps chickpeas for pasta in her version of spicy pomodoro. She finishes the dish with a shower of fresh herbs and salty pecorino cheese.

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Rye Capellini with Yeast Butter and Truffles

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
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At Chicago's Oriole, Noah Sandoval has created one of the most delicious pastas we’ve ever eaten. The fresh capellini is redolent with caraway and rye, and gets tossed with an umami-rich truffle butter sauce and just a whisper of citrus. Making the pasta takes a bit of effort, but the results are well worth it.

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7 of 31

Black Cod with Miso

Credit: © Chris Court
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A signature at Nobu restaurants, this sweet-savory fish dish has been cloned by chefs all over the world. Nobu Matsuhisa marinates the black cod in a good deal of the sake-miso marinade for two to three days, but the fish is also spectacular if you marinate it only overnight in just enough sake and miso to coat.

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“Espaghetti” with Poblano Cream and Crab

Credit: Greg DuPree
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At Mi Tocaya Antojería in Chicago, Diana Dávila’s “espaghetti” with poblano cream and crab sums up the essence of her cooking. It’s based on a dish her mom used to make, with broken and fried noodles. Dávila turns it up to 11 with sweet crabmeat, crunchy shaved cauliflower, and an oozy egg. The poblano cream sauce stays refreshingly green thanks to the addition of fresh spinach and cilantro.

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Soft-Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Sablefish and Trout Roe

Credit: © Chris Court
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Andrew Carmellini's luxurious, creamy eggs are heavenly on their own, but serving them with smoky sable, briny roe, and rich sour cream puts them over the top.

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Cold Tofu with Chestnuts in Apple Dashi

Credit: © Chris Court
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This light and elegant no-cook dish features custardy silken tofu in an ultra-refreshing broth. Here, David Chang uses umami-packed shiro dashi, a bottled Japanese stock, as the savory base for the broth, stirring in Fuji apple juice for just the right amount of sweetness.

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Halibut with Einkorn, Morels, and Tempura Rings

Credit: © Con Poulos
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This elegant dish from Seattle's Edouardo Jordan features high-in-protein einkorn, the oldest and smallest variety of wheat berry and the only one that’s never been hybridized. Its sweetness plays perfectly with the earthy morels. The fried ramps are more than just a flourish—they’re spectacularly tasty.

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Mexican-Style Fideos with Chorizo

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Alex Stupak believes that his style of modern Mexican food is the result of reverse colonization. "It's what happens when Mexico settles in New York," he says. His version of fideos is spicy, smoky, deliciously creamy, and a snap to make.

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13 of 31

Tea-Brined and Double-Fried Hot Chicken

Credit: © Chris Court
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Erik Anderson and Josh Habiger make their brine with sweet tea and thyme, a recipe inspired by Joseph Lenn of Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm; the brine gives the chicken a delicate, sweet flavor. After frying the chicken until it’s extra-crispy, they toss it in a sweet-and-spicy sauce of molasses and gochujang—a Korean chile paste.

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Snapper Escovitch

Credit: Bobby Fisher
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Nina Compton of Compère Lapin in New Orleans makes the most delicious version of Jamaican escovitch, combining the classic crispy pan-fried fish with a sweet and spicy pepper sauce.

15 of 31

Curry-Coconut Clam Chowder, Papi-Style

Credit: © Chris Court
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One of Roy Choi’s first chef jobs was at an L.A. country club where he made New England clam chowder every Friday. This lighter, Asian-inflected version includes green curry paste, coconut milk, and plenty of lime juice.

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Tajarin with Grilled Kale Pesto

Credit: © Con Poulos
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A combination of kamut and 00 flour makes this pasta extremely tasty and gives it a great texture. The number of egg yolks called for may sound extreme, but they’re what really make tajarin unique. Kevin Fink’s smart, simple grilled-kale pesto would also be stellar on any store-bought pasta.

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Jumbo Brownies

Credit: © Chris Court
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"Like all great desserts, these brownies have only three pertinent flavors: chocolate, butter and walnuts," says Anne Quatrano, She runs a small empire of restaurants throughout Atlanta.

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Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip

Credit: Greg DuPree
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Napa Valley produce inspires much of Katianna Hong’s cooking at The Charter Oak. For this seasonally adaptable dish, she keeps it simple, pairing just-picked vegetables with a thick, tangy soy dip. This dip is the perfect way to show off whatever fresh vegetables you can get your hands on. You can find soybean paste and fermented soybeans in syrup at Korean markets or online.

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Panna Cotta with Berry Granita and Caramel

Credit: © Con Poulos
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This voluptuous panna cotta is delightful enough to eat on its own, but New York City's Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske take the custard to new heights by topping it with fresh strawberry granita, silky golden caramel, and crunchy bits of milk cookies.

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Chilled Spring Pea Soup

Credit: Quentin Bacon
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Daniel Boulud puts this deliciously light and clean-tasting soup—a mix of sweet peas, favas, pea shoots, snap peas and snow peas—on the menu each spring. The recipe appears in the Café Boulud Cookbook. For this easier version, skip the labor-intensive fresh favas, as well as the snow peas and pea shoots. Instead, swap in sugar snaps and frozen baby peas.

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Golden Chicken Thighs with Charred-Lemon Salsa Verde

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Ristorante Masolino in Panicale, Italy, has served chicken with lemon and capers for years. Nancy Silverton makes the dish even better by roasting lemon slices, so they’re lightly charred, before stirring them into a piquant salsa verde. The sauce is an excellent accompaniment to these crisp-skinned chicken thighs, but it’s also great with roasted fish and vegetables.

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22 of 31

Crispy Grits with Kimchi Grits and Peanuts

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Hugh Acheson makes an ingenious version of the Southern classic by swapping rice grits for the traditional corn, and stirring in kimchi to go with crispy pork belly.

23 of 31

Ajo Blanco with Crab and Green Grapes

Credit: © John Kernick
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Katie Button’s take on this classic Spanish soup is jaw-droppingly silky thanks to her homemade almond milk. The crab adds a Southern twist.

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Bucatini with Clams and Red Peppers

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Jody Adams’ rendition of pasta with clams features strips of sweet roasted pepper, toasted walnuts, and fresh herbs along with Middle Eastern flavors like pomegranate molasses and cumin.

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25 of 31

Garlicky Roast Pork Shoulder

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This Puerto Rican classic pernil is extra-flavorful because Jose Enrique marinates the pork in lime and orange juices, as well as plenty of garlic, before roasting until the meat is caramelized and crispy. It can be carved, shredded, or pulled into large pieces for serving.

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Roasted Cod with Steamer Clams and Pistachio Sauce

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Anita Lo prepares this dish with buttery cod and briny steamer clams. She makes an unexpected but extraordinary warm sauce from ground pistachios, clam juice, lemon, and butter.

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Grilled Fruit with Honeyed Lemon Thyme Vinegar

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For this super-simple summer dessert, Dan Barber infuses honey with lemon thyme vinegar, then drizzles it over grilled summer fruit.

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Braised Chicken Thighs with Marinated Artichokes

Credit: © John Kernick
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To ensure maximum flavor, Naomi Pomeroy doesn’t just roast chicken thighs. Instead, she crisps the skin, then braises the pieces in a savory mix of marinated artichokes, olives, sherry, garlic, lemon, and thyme.

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Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Yuzu Kosho Pesto

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Yuzu kosho is a hot, spicy and aromatic Japanese condiment made from hot chiles and ultra-citrusy yuzu zest. It's the key to this simple and utterly delicious recipe from Ricardo Zarate of Mo-Chica in Los Angeles.

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Pork-Kimchi Dumpling Pancakes

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San Francisco star Corey Lee ingeniously reinvents pan-fried dumplings by adding a batter that turns the dumplings into one round, crisp pancake.

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31 of 31

Prime Rib with Sour Cherry Conserva, Truffle and Chocolate

Credit: Bobby Fisher
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The Beatrice Inn's Angie Mar is a master with meat, like this enormous, over-the-top and completely fabulous dry-aged beef rib roast. Mar’s trick is to take the meat out of the oven for 30 minutes during its overall cooking time, which creates evenly cooked and perfectly juicy meat throughout the roast.

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By Justin Chapple