The People's Best New Chef: Mid-Atlantic Contenders

At F&W, we name America’s 10 most brilliant up-and-coming chefs every year. Now we want to know who you think is the most talented new chef in America.

Regions:
California, Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, New York Area, Northwest & Pacific, Southeast, Southwest Mid-Atlantic Chefs

• Joe Cicala
• Mike Friedman
• Christopher Kearse
• Eli Kulp
• Marjorie Meek-Bradley
• Kevin Sbraga
• Peter Serpico
• Justin Severino
• Caleb Shriver & Phillip Perrow
• Greg Vernick

Photo © Geoff Mottram

Joe Cicala

Restaurant: Le Virtù (Read a review)

Location: Philadelphia

Why He's Amazing: Because he's reviving old-school and even ancient recipes from Abruzzo using ingredients from Philly and Italy—and the results are incredibly delicious.

Culinary School: Self-taught

background: New Heights, Café Milano (/sites/default/files/ashington, DC); Del Posto (New York City)
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Mike Friedman

Restaurant: The Red Hen (Read a review)

Location: Washington, DC

Why He's Amazing: Because he's applying his top-of-his-culinary-class know-how to simple yet soul–satisfying Italian classics, like fried brussels sprouts with dill and anchovy aioli.

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

background: Proof, Zaytinya, Jaleo (/sites/default/files/ashington, DC)
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Christopher Kearse

Restaurant: Will (Read a review)

Location: Philadelphia

Why He's Amazing: Because he is cooking deeply personal and gorgeous high-end French cuisine.

Culinary School: The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College (Philadelphia)

background: Tru (/sites/default/files/hicago); Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel, Pumpkin (Philadelphia); Blackfish (Conshohocken, PA)
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Photo © Jim Graham

Eli Kulp

Restaurant: Fork (Read a review)

Location: Philadelphia

Why He's Amazing: Because he's masterfully taken over Philly's much-lauded, 16-year-old Fork with inventive dishes such as crab-apple soup with peekytoe crab and bay leaf powder.

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

background: Torrisi Italian Specialties, Casa Lever, La Fonda del Sol, Del Posto (/sites/default/files/ew York City)
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Photo © Greg Powers

Marjorie Meek-Bradley

Restaurant: Ripple (Read a review)

Location: Washington, DC

Why She's Amazing: Because her enthusiasm for food and the knowledge she gained cooking with Thomas Keller and Marcus Samuelsson are evident in her exquisite, hyperseasonal dishes.

Culinary School: The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College (Philadelphia)

background: Graffiato, Zaytinya (/sites/default/files/ashington, DC); Per Se (New York City); Bouchon (Yountville, CA); The Rittenhouse Hotel (Philadelphia)
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Photo © Jason Varney

Kevin Sbraga

Restaurant: Sbraga, The Fat Ham (Read a review)

Location: Philadelphia

Why He's Amazing: Because the Top Chef winner combines global influences in unexpected ways with spectacular results, as in his Greek red wine–braised octopus with African piri piri pepper sauce.

Culinary School: Johnson & Wales University (North Miami)

background: The Ritz-Carlton (/sites/default/files/aples, FL); Pano's & Paul's (Atlanta); Washington Square, The Ritz-Carlton, Garces Group (Philadelphia); Rat's Restaurant (Hamilton, NJ)
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Photo © Michael Persico

Peter Serpico

Restaurant: Serpico (Read a review)

Location: Philadelphia

Why He's Amazing: Because while the menu at his eponymous restaurant includes nods to his days with David Chang (e.g., the pork bun–style deep–fried duck leg sandwich with hoisin and pickles), Serpico's food is wildly inventive and all his own.

Culinary School: Baltimore International College (Baltimore)

background: Momofuku Ko, Ssäm Bar, Noodle Bar, Jovia, Sumile, 5 Ninth, Bouley (/sites/default/files/ew York City)
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Photo © Adam Milliron

Justin Severino

Restaurant: Cure (Read a review)

Location: Pittsburgh

Why He's Amazing: Because he closed a successful butcher shop in California to open a meat-centric restaurant in Pittsburgh where he butchers and cures everything himself and educates eaters about the provenance of their food.

Culinary School: Pennsylvania Culinary Institute (Pittsburgh)

background: Elements, Eleven (/sites/default/files/ittsburgh); Manresa (Los Gatos, CA); Bouchée Restaurant and Wine Bar (Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA)
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Photo © Kendal Dennis

Caleb Shriver & Phillip Perrow

Restaurant: Dutch & Co. (Read a review)

Location: Richmond, VA

Why They're Amazing: Because they're enlivening Richmond's food scene with unexpected ingredient combinations like spiced pork rillettes with honey-roasted nuts, pig's skin corn bread and pickled squash.

Culinary School: Shriver: apprenticeship program at the Coach House (Oklahoma City); Perrow: Johnson & Wales University (Charleston, SC)

background: Shriver: Aziza's (/sites/default/files/ichmond), SugarToad (Naperville, IL), Otom (Chicago), Metro (Oklahoma City); Perrow: Aziza's, Acacia (Richmond)

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Photo © Stuart Goldenberg

Greg Vernick

Restaurant: Vernick Food & Drink (Read a review)

Location: Philadelphia

Why He’s Amazing: Because he has talent for amplifying natural flavors in simple yet striking combinations, as in a dish that combines creamy morels with Meyer lemon glaze on sourdough toast.

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

background: Per Se, Perry St., Jean-Georges, Tocqueville (/sites/default/files/ew York City)
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