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Top 5 Rising Stars: Where are they now?
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Top 5 Rising Stars: Where are they now?
In 2006, A.D. Amorosi called out the top five hottest knives in the city; the cooks with the chops to go big, baby. Meal Ticket did a little internet stalking to find out what the culinary bad boys of the Bush era have their hands in now.
Two years ago, the-then 30-year old Christopher Lee had already won a James Beard Foundation Rising Star award and picked up a fourth bell for Striped Bass (now Butcher & Singer) from the Inquirer's Craig LaBan. Lee then moved to New York, accepting the executive chef position at Gilt. In short time he had earned them two Michelin stars and the general acclaim of the industry. Yesterday, New York Magazine reported that Lee would be departing Gilt at the end of this year to take over as executive chef of Charlie Palmer's Aureole, which is moving locations this winter. This chef isn't just a rising star — he's a brilliant comet of culinary skills, and a new dad in the bargain.
2 Sae An
Another young head at the helm of a big restaurant is Sae An, who has been captaining the Cork ship in Westmont, New Jersey, since Amorosi named him a rising star two years back. An is still creating the globally influenced cuisine that has made Cork a destination for dwellers of over-the-bridge bedroom communities. From a small plate croque madame flatbread to a frankendish of jambalaya served over fried rice, An has the whole world in his pans.
3 Kibett Mengech
Two years ago, Kibett Mengech was braising rabbit and roasting marrow alongside Ansill's namesake che until he reportedly clashed with a coworker and walked out. He resurfaced in September 2007 as Matthew Levin's executive sous chef at Lacroix, but after he departed that kitchen the trail goes cold. Kibett, if you are out there cooking something amazing, get in touch with Meal Ticket so we can hear all about it. [Ed.: Michael Klein of the Inquirer got us hip to Mengech's departure from Lacroix -- a return has not been ruled out -- while he currently ties up some family business in Kenya.]
Born in France and raised in Kentucky, Marc Plessis landed in Philly after working at Vix Restaurant in Miami's flesh-tastic South Beach. The man must have adjusted to the no-thong shock, 'cause he's stuck around at XIX (Nineteen). Its dining rooms are fashioned from the Bellevue's opulent baroque drawing rooms contrasted with extremely modern art; likewise, Plessis' cuisine showcases modern presentations and flavors, supported by classical technique and upmarket, local ingredients.
5 Justin Rambo-Garwood
After leaving the executive chef position at Philadelphia Fish & Co., the exotically double-named chef disappeared from industry gossip. His résumé includes time at Bleu and Le Bec-Fin, and according to Amorosi, he displayed a special affinity for cooking vegetables, a trait that many chefs have abandoned in favor of searing massive hunks of fatty pork belly. Rambo-Garwood, if you're in the Internet 'hood, let us know what's going on. Teach us ways to eat our veggies.
Though some rising stars have are no longer visible in our galaxy, others continue their trajectory across the truffled darkness of the food universe, lighting up palates and imaginations. Check out the Top 5 Rising Stars of today on Meal Ticket on Monday. Reader nominations for the exclusive list accepted from now till Sunday evening. E-mail felicia.dambrosio[at]citypaper[dot]net.
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