Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2009

I can't recall whether or not this is already old news, since by the time something is in print it's already been blogged and twittered for a month, but I just received my July Food & Wine magazine with the "Best New Chefs" of 2009. The list is:

• Naomi Pomeroy - Beast, Portland OR


• Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook - Animal, Los Angeles, CA


• Christopher Kostow - Meadowood Napa Valley, St. Helena, CA


• Kelly English - Restaurant Iris, Memphis, TN


• Nate Appleman - A16 and SPQR, San Francisco, CA


• Mark Fuller - Spring Hill, Seattle, WA


• Brian Caswell - Reef, Houston, TX


• Linton Hopkins - Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta, GA


• Paul Liebrandt - Corton, New York, NY


• Barry Maiden - Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA

I noted a few months ago how no South Floridians were nominated for the James Beard Awards' "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award." The shutout continues with the F&W Best New Chef awards. The complete list of Florida F&W Best New Chef winners is here. It's a pretty short list, and the only chefs who won for restaurants they actually ran in Florida are:

• Mark Militello (1990) - won at Mark's Place in North Miami, now at 1 Bleu in Bal Harbour


• Allen Susser (1991) - still plugging away at Chef Allen's in Aventura


• Hubert des Marais (1993) - won at Ocean Grand in Palm Beach, now supposedly at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle in Aventura (not Bourbon Steak)


• Robin Haas (1994) - won at Chispa in Coral Gables, now ?)


• Pascal Oudin (1995) - won at Grand Cafe in Coconut Grove, now at Pascal's on Ponce in Coral Gables


• Andrea Curto (2000) - won at Wish in Miami Beach, now at Talula in Miami Beach

So are we really approaching a 10-year drought of notable new culinary talent in South Florida? Consider, as possible candidates, the StarChefs list of 2008 South Florida Rising Stars.

In any event, congrats to all the winners.