On the move
Someone always needs to man the stove. But even for peripatetic chefs, job security ain't what it used to be. Many prominent NYC chefs took leave of their permanent positions this year, moving on to higher-profile gigs or to simply get out of a situation gone wrong.
One particularly interesting move came from Neil Ferguson, who put Allen & Delancey on the map after a brief, failed foray with Gordon Ramsay. Ferguson's cooking attracted a tony crowd to the wilds of the LES, so his new appointment as the executive chef at the members-only Soho House will surely see some crossover customers.
This year, a few chefs left important positions without a new kitchen job in sight: Anne Burrell, spiky-haired darling of Centro Vinoteca and Gusto, left her role with both restaurants to concentrate on her burgeoning Food Network career. And Andrew Carmellini, the Boulud-trained mastermind who made A Voce such a hit, left that restaurant to pursue cookbook projects and consulting work.
Ryan Skeen's shift from Belgian pub Resto (where he got famous for his beefy burger) to American-country bistro Irving Mill (with burger intact) helped cement his role as one of the city's young hot chefs. But one industry veteran wasn't so fortunate: Famed chef Gray Kunz named fancy townhouse restaurant Grayz after himself and promptly left the establishment. The new incarnation will be called, oddly, Gneiss, and Kunz has nothing to do with it.
Read more about Skeen's mighty year.
Welcome to New York
Like A-Rod arriving in the Big Apple, heavy-hitting out-of-towners are bringing their big names to our humble burg. Patrick Connolly parlayed his James Beard win at Boston's Radius into a top-toque gig at celeb-magnet Bobo.
Chicagoan Rohini Dey opened At Vermilion, the confusingly named branch of her famed Latin-Indian restaurant that slings mashups like paneer with Oaxacan crepes.
Atlanta's lauded Joël Antunes reinvigorated the renovated Plaza Hotel's Oak Room and Bar with olive oil–poached halibut and bone-marrow dumplings. Big deal? Not compared to foodies' feverish anticipation of Canadian Susur Lee, the Toronto chef now manning the stoves at Asian all-star Shang. Trust us: You'll trade your firstborn for his crunchy Singapore slaw.
