Food and Wine Best New Chefs 2008

Food and Wine touts their annual list of Best New Chefs in the country in their July issue. While being named to this list in now way guarantees success, it's certainly a boost. In this year's case, it seems that several of those named have already been making a name for themselves including Koren Grieveson at Avec in Chicago and St. Louis' Gerard Craft. Here's the list. Plan your travels accordingly.

1. Jeremy Fox
Ubuntu, Napa

2. Tim Cushman
O Ya, Boston

3. Sue Zemanick
Gautreau’s, New Orleans

4. Ethan Stowell
Union, Seattle

5. Eric Warnstedt
Hen of the Wood, Waterbury, Vermont

6. Jim Burke
James, Philadelphia

7. Koren Grieveson
Avec, Chicago

8. Gerard Craft
Niche, St. Louis

9. Michael Psilakis
Anthos, New York City

10. Giuseppe Tentori
Boka, Chicago

Of Wine, and Water...and Coffee

From my favorite St. Louis food blog, Gut Check, Master Court of Wine Advanced Sommelier Chris Hoel has accepted a job with Keller at The French Laundry. Some of you wine folks may know Chris as he's one of St. Louis' two Advanced sommeliers from the Master Court.

Starbucks has a brand new bag...of coffee. Yesterday, they launched a new blend, Pike's Place blend (named after the famed market in Seattle) with a smoother taste than their other brewed coffees. (So says the WSJ.)

Talk about capitalizing on the "greening of America", several hot spots in NYC (including the Waverly Inn) are 86ing bottled water -- especially imported waters -- from their menus. Not sure where they're going to get the same mark ups/margins on tap, but they're getting good press out the ban. Other credible NYC spots like Per Se use high-end filtration systems for standard water service and offer other bottled options at no charge. (NYP via Grub Street)

Food and Wine Announces Best New Chefs 2008

Look for Food and Wine's "Best New Chefs" issue coming soon. The magazine announced the chosen 10 yesterday. Notables in the Region include one St. Louis and two Chicago chefs (including Koren Gieveson of Avec, yea!) They all partied down in NYC last night to celebrate with chefs Daniel Boulud and Tom Colicchio:

Gerard Craft, Niche, St. Louis, MO

The chef and owner of Niche and the adjoining Veruca Bakeshop & Café, Gerard Craft, 28, began his career washing dishes in a pool hall in Salt Lake City. His love of cooking led him to take a job at Bistro Toujours, one of the city’s top restaurants, under Bryan Moscatello (a Best New Chef 2003). Craft held positions at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles under Mohammad Islam and the Metropolitan in Salt Lake City under Perry Hendrix. He moved to St. Louis in 2005 to open Niche, which is in a converted warehouse in the Benton Park area. Menu standouts are a “Bacon and Eggs” sandwich of braised pork belly, buttery brioche and an oozing poached egg.

Koren Grieveson, Avec, Chicago, IL

Influenced by the cuisine of Europe’s wine regions, South African-born chef Koren Grieveson, 36, helped launch the wine bar Avec in October 2003 with her mentor, chef Paul Kahan (a Best New Chef 1999). Grieveson, who lived in Angola, Iran, England and Brazil as a child, was a caterer for the entertainment industry and a solider in the United States Army for nine years before attending the Culinary Institute of America. Prior to opening Avec she worked with Kahan for five years as sous chef at his restaurant Blackbird and also worked at San Francisco’s Aqua under chef Michael Mina.

Giuseppe Tentori, Boka, Chicago, IL

As a boy, Giuseppe Tentori helped out on his grandmother’s farm in a small town outside of Milan. At the age of 19, while at Antica Osteria la Rampina in Milan, he was invited by chef Gabriel Viti (a Best New Chef 1991) to work at Carlos’ in Highland Park, Illinois. He went on to become sous chef at the Metropolitan in Salt Lake Cityand chef de cuisine at Chicago’s Charlie Trotter’s before becoming executive chef at Boka in March 2007. Tentori, 35, has created an innovative menu revolving around seasonal squid stuffed with baby spinach, spicy pineapple and black tapioca.