In a business known for its unsubtle gender bias, Alex Guarnaschelli has proven to be a welcome anomaly. As the executive chef at Butter, she is the only woman in her restaurant's kitchen and one of the few successful female chefs in New York City.

A former sous-chef at Daniel and executive chef at Nick & Stef's Steakhouse, Alex, 37, now mans one of the city’s trendier restaurant-lounges, serving an evolving New American menu anchored by greenmarket ingredients and  punchy flavors.

The daughter of renowned cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli, Alex grew up in Midtown and inherited a natural fierce wit that’s as biting as it is enticing. Metromix cozied up to the chef for a few days as she shuttled between life at home with husband Brandon Clark and daughter Ava Simone, and life at Butter.

ON TO THE GALLERY —>