Alec Gioseffi, Ironbound
Not many chefs can say they’ve helped to build their restaurant from the literal ground up. But the newest member of TPW’s chef-picks-chef society of top toques has done just that, using his synergistic approach to food, farming and community to tie it all together at Ironbound Farm and Ciderhouse in Hunterdon County.
Eddie Aguilar, The Stirling Hotel
The newest inductee into TPW’s chef-picks-chef society of top toques has mastered work-life balance all the while expressing his far-ranging experiences and talents on every plate. As his fan and selector notes, he’s “never lost his flair.”
Luis Blasini-Sinchi, 7 Doors Down Ramen Co.
His life and cross-cultural experiences are expressed on the plates the newest member of TPW’s chef-picks-chef society of top toques serves forth at his destination restaurant in Bloomfield. It’s a Luis Blasini-Sinchi moment and it’s destined to endure.
Joe Beninato, The Frog and the Peach
Once upon a time, he did his homework after school at the bar of the legendary restaurant in New Brunswick while his pastry-chef Mom put the finishing touches on the desserts that would be served that night. Today, Joe Beninato is the newest inductee into TPW’s chef-picks-chefs society of top toques, and driving that very same kitchen.
AJ Capella, Summit House
Unabashedly in love with the Garden State’s abundant and diverse ingredients, the newest inductee into TPW’s chef-picks-chef society of top toques isn’t shy about speaking out on behalf of New Jersey’s glorious foods.
Tom Valenti, Jockey Hollow Bar + Kitchen
Long a resident of Sussex County but more recently head of the kitchen at this mecca in Morristown, the newest inductee into TPW's chef-picks-chef society of top toques made humble foods haute and, in turn, influenced new generations of both chefs and diners.
Andrea Lekberg, The Artist Baker
The newest inductee into TPW’s chef-picks-chef club of top toques in the Garden State is multitalented in various art forms, an activist with commitment and passion for her community, and has a background as diverse as her culinary crafts. She’s the consummate Renaissance woman.
Ethan Unick, Aunt Chubby’s/The Chubby’s Project
The newest inductee into TPW’s chef-picks-chef club of top toques in the Garden State takes good in its many forms to its many ends as part of his work – and his work ethic. It’s a philosophy with deep roots, grounded in the respect the Hopewell-based chef has for all his mentors and teachers.
Tommy Pollio, The Pasta Shop
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chef-picks-chef club of top toques in the Garden State proved his mettle as a teen and never stopped playing it forward in the kitchen. Today at his self-described “neighborhood restaurant” in Denville, Tommy Pollio takes the philosophy of Italian cuisine and applies it to local ingredients and deeply rooted heritage.
Andre deWaal, Andre’s Lakeside Dining
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chef-picks-chef club of top toques in the Garden State may be justly revered for his haute French approach to seasonally specific dishes. But, then again, he’s got a ramen/soft-serve thing going in an old filling station. More to love about this Sparta-based virtuoso.
David Felton, Wonder
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chefs-pick-chefs club of top toques in the Garden State has left his distinguished mark on some of New Jersey’s most acclaimed restaurants. Today, he’s also one of the anointed at Wonder, a food-tech enterprise looking to revolutionize dining.
Kara Decker, 100 Steps
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chef-picks-chef club of top toques in the Garden State hails from the same Union County community where she’s leading a kitchen today – and pushing boundaries to deliver detail-centric takes on the modern seasonal vernacular.