Meet the 2017 James Beard Rising Star Chef Of The Year nominees

The James Beard Awards return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago this coming Monday, May 1st.  Hosted by uber-foodie and ABC’s Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the JBA’s are perhaps the biggest event in the culinary community, celebrating the who’s who of chefs, bakers, restaurateurs and mixologists nationwide.  This year the Awards will celebrate the thrilling ways that technology has strengthened our connections through food, from the blog post that sparks a trend, to the Instagrams that inspire us, and the shared images that become our portal to cuisine from far afield.

As a long-time supporter of culinary arts and talent, S.Pellegrino® has the illustrious honor of presenting the award for Rising Star Chef of the Year. To be eligible for this award, contending chefs must be age 30 or younger and display an impressive talent, likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come. 

This year, leading up the awards S.Pellegrino® traversed the country to get to know the impressive Rising Star Chefs nominees a bit better.  Below, we’ve captured some of our favorite quotes from this wildly talented, insightful and surprisingly quirky group.

ZACHARY ENGEL, CHEF DE CUISINE — SHAYA — NEW ORLEANS, LA

“If I win the James Beard Award, I’m going to pop bottles all over Chicago and let my 7-week old daughter wear the award around her neck all night.”

MATTHEW RUDOFKER, EXECUTIVE CHEF — MOMOFUKU SSÄM BAR — NEW YORK, NY

“I probably spent a little bit too much money on my Whiskey and Scotch collection, so that’s probably my biggest guilty pleasure.”

CAMILLE COGSWELL, PASTRY CHEF — ZAHAV — PHILADELPHIA, PA

“My guilty pleasure foods are the worst ones, nachos with the fake Cheese Whiz, anything super processed.  I love it.”

JENNER TOMASKA, EXECUTIVE CHEF — NEXT — CHICAGO, IL

“If I had one meal left in the world to eat it would be vanilla ice cream, even though I’m lactose intolerant.”

BRADY WILLIAMS, EXECUTIVE CHEF — CANLIS — SEATTLE, WA

“The person dead or alive I would like to share a meal with is 1993, “Always Be My Baby” Mariah Carey.”