Walker Stern

Restaurant: Battersby, Dover (Read a review)

Location: Brooklyn

Why He's Amazing: Because from Battersby's tiny Brooklyn kitchen, he and his co-chef Joe Ogrodnek are turning out creative, market-fresh dishes that outshine those at many high-end Manhattan restaurants.

Culinary School: The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY)

background: Mix (/sites/default/files/as Vegas); Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Blue Hill (New York City); The Vanderbilt, Anella (Brooklyn)

Quintessential Dish: Crisp kale salad with kohlrabi, brussels sprouts and peanuts at Battersby

How Kale Can Taste So Good: Some leaves are raw, others are flash-fried until crisp. They're all tossed with a dressing made with bird chiles, palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.

On Working at Alain Ducasse: Says Stern: “In that kind of kitchen there’s one guy who just cooks fish. That’s it. He just cooks fish.” His co-chef Ogrodnek continues: “There’s another guy who just does the fish sauce. That’s it. Sometimes there are two guys doing nothing but the fish sauce, because it’s a crazy sauce. Which is kind of crazy when you think that here we do everything ourselves.”