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Food & Wine Magazine announced their prestigious 2013 Best New Chef winners today, which came with a few surprises.
L.A.'s Michael Voltaggio, a seasoned vet of the industry, finally got a nod from Dana Cowen and the folks over at Food & Wine magazine for his work over at ink. Though he has been dominating the scene here in L.A. ever since his work at the Bazaar and his "Top Chef" season 6 win, Voltaggio's restaurant has been open for just over a year, making him eligible for the awards.
Also fresh on the scene is the up-and-coming dining destination of Puerto Rico, which for the first time had a chef—José Enrique of San Juan—make the rankings.
Enrique, Voltaggio and the rest of the toques will be feted at a big fancy party in Manhattan tonight, with a meal prepared by former winners like Michael Symon of Lola (‘98); Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 and the new Alder (‘01); Grant Achatz of Alinea (‘02); Scott Conant of Scarpetta Restaurants (‘04); April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig (‘07); Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen (‘12); and "Top Chef" season 9 winner Paul Qui.
The full list of winners of Food & Wine's Best New Chef 2013 is below:
Danny Bowien -- Mission Chinese Food New York, NY
Justin Cogley -- Aubergine Carmel, CA
José Enrique -- José Enrique San Juan, PR
Matthew Gaudet -- West Bridge Boston, MA
Jamie Malone -- Sea Change Minneapolis, MN
Chris Shepherd -- Underbelly Houston, TX
Alex Stupak -- Empellón Cocina New York, NY
Andy Ticer & Michael Hudman -- Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen Memphis, TN
Jason Vincent -- Nightwood Chicago, IL
Michael Voltaggio -- Ink Los Angeles, CA
