6 Questions with Tory Miller How did you know from working in your grandparents’ diner this was what you wanted to do? Oh man, I just loved the action and pace of it. And the instant gratification of making something for people to be able to eat. You make something and right away you hear how it is. Especially as a kid, that positive feedback was so great to have.…

6 Questions With Jonathan Zaragoza Inheriting a 200-year-old birria recipe seems like an origin story. Do you think this was fate? Yeah, that we inherited these goat-roasting abilities?! And with an Instagram handle like Goat Boy, it kind of begs for that. I think it was a time and place thing, like a lot of things in life are—like a Modern Adventure. The master goat roaster didn’t have any sons…

6 Questions with Andrew Zimmerman So, you wanted to be a musician. What did you play? I started playing the saxophone real early on, then I started learning the guitar. I was in a series of mostly punk rock bands, for lack of a better way to describe them, in the late ‘80s. None of them went very far—I got a free trip to Japan out of one of them—but…

Michael Scelfo Chef Eating in Boston at one of Michael Scelfo’s restaurants is like pulling up a chair at his own dinner table—simple dishes, quality ingredients and good conversation. The Scelfos are originally from Italy; Michael grew up slow-stirring his grandmother’s red sauce, and his Italian family has inspired his love for food. His menus offer variety—think veg-forward fare at Cambridge’s Alden & Harlow, named one of the “Best Restaurants in…

Claudette Zepeda Chef Claudette Zepeda is a San Diego-based chef and the culinary driving force behind Michelin-honored El Jardín. She has worked with some of the industry’s best and brightest, from Javier Plascencia at Bracero to Gavin Kaysen at El Bizcocho. She’s competed on two seasons of Top Chef and continually earns rave reviews—not to mention a passionate, dedicated following—for her hyper-regional Mexican masterpieces. Born in the U.S. and raised…

6 Questions with Jeremiah Langhorne How did learning that cooking was more than just recipes shift your perspective? I mean, it completely opened an entire new world to me. For whatever reason—probably because I was a 15-year-old kid—I just thought that when people cooked, they followed a recipe, and it was just that simple. But the idea that anybody anywhere could have the ability to have the creativity and to…

Andrew Zimmerman Chef Andrew Zimmerman is the five-time James Beard Award finalist behind Chicago’s Sepia and Proxi. The two restaurants have risen to must-eats of the Windy City—the former featuring elevated and stylish rustic American cuisine, the latter an itinerant ode to global delights. Aside from being named a Rising Star Chef, Jean Banchet Chef of the Year and an Iron Chef America winner, Sepia has earned a Michelin star…

Kate Williams Chef Although Chef Kate Williams’ restaurants—Lady of the House, Karl’s and Candy Bar—have only recently opened, they’re already ingrained in the Detroit community. In just a few years, she’s been named as one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs, noted among GQ and Esquire’s best new restaurants lists and was a James Beard semifinalist. No matter if you’re at her ode to family dining or her spunky and sparkly cocktail bar,…

Ferrell Alvarez Chef In 2013, a young Ferrell Alvarez opened his first restaurant, Rooster & the Till, in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. Fast forward six short years, and he’s stacked up a James Beard nomination and a slew of Best Restaurant awards from preeminent Florida food, trend and creative publications. But don’t think Ferrell’s spent all his time in one place. In this time, he’s also opened a waterfront…

Gregory Gourdet Chef Portland’s chef all-star has been on the rise for a long time. He’s the former Executive Chef at downtown Portland’s Departure and has worked at a slew of Jean-Gorges restaurants, cooking up everything from French to Thai. Gregory’s true break-out was becoming a finalist on Top Chef in 2015, and returning to the show as a competitor in 2020 and a Top Chef judge in 2021. He is a three-time James Beard…