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LA's 'Best New Chefs' are a Couple of Animals
Shook and Dotolo (Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu/For The LA Times via Animal's website)
This past week, Food & Wine magazine announced their selections for the Best New Chefs in America for 2009. Said Editor in Chief Dana Cowin: "We sought out great chefs in every corner of America, from Memphis, Tennessee to Portland, Oregon, and found some extraordinary cooking. Some of our winners are in seriously elegant restaurants. Others are in small, quirky, casual spots. But they’re all immensely talented, creative and driven.”A pair of locals made the cut, thanks to, well, their meat. Like a politico dissing a bill loaded with extras, NY Times food critic Frank Bruni recently visited LA's Animal and objected to how much pork was on the menu, but Food & Wine seems to have been charmed. The carnivore-enthusiast Chefs of the new eatery, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook, rep Los Angeles on the list of ten. A press release explains:
The F&W Best New Chefs are chosen as part of a months-long selection process. The magazine works with restaurant critics, food writers and other trusted experts around the country to identify outstanding chefs who have been in charge of a kitchen for less than five years. Then the editors travel, incognito, to taste the food themselves.
Let's raise our lamb shanks, foie gras with biscuits, pork belly, pork ribs, slab bacon, and fried chicken livers in salute to those award-winning Animals!
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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