Food & Wine's Best New Chef awards, one of the major food world honors bestowed on the country's established and up and coming chefs, are announced every spring after the editors solicit nominations from restaurant world experts and then travel the country testing what said nominees have to offer. Usually, the identities of those in contention are tightly held secrets. Not so much with the introduction of a new F&W award, The People's Best New Chef. Now the editors name 10 chefs in each of the ten regions they cover and invite readers to vote on their favorite candidate, now until March 1. The chef with the most votes will be featured along with the 10 editorial winners.
A press release notes that inclusion as a nominee for The People’s Best New Chef award does not preclude consideration for a Best New Chef award. And in fact, looking at the New York list, we would argue that this is a short list for the real Best New Chefs. It includes George Mendes of Aldea, Torrisi Italian Specialties' Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, Cesar Ramirez of Brooklyn Fare, Dell'Anima's Gabe Thompson, ABC Kitchen's Dan Kluger, Sorella's Emma Hearst, Roberta's Carlo Mirarchi, Ma Peche's Tien Ho, and chefs from the elsewhere in NY, David Felton and Michael Ginor. Is there a potential New York Best New Chef that isn't on that list? Either way, go ahead and vote.
· Food & Wine's The People's Best New Chef 2011: New York Area [Eatocracy]