Food & Wine Reveals The 2026 Best New Chefs

The 38th Class of Best New Chefs Honors 14 Rising Stars Redefining American Dining

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Food & Wine, a People Inc. brand, reveals its 2026 Best New Chefs, sponsored by Resy and American Express, recognizing 14 extraordinary chefs across 10 restaurants whose cooking is helping define the next era of American dining.

For 38 years, Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs award has identified rising talent at a pivotal moment in their careers, often years before they become household names. The 2026 class joins an alumni network that includes Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Nancy Silverton, David Chang, Stephanie Izard, Kwame Onwuachi, Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone, and many other chefs who have profoundly influenced how America eats.

The 2026 Food & Wine Best New Chefs:

• Charlie Mitchell, Saga: New York City, New York
• Zubair Mohajir and Rishi Kumar, Mirra: Chicago, Illinois
• Quynh Nguyen and Gian Carlo Reinardy, The Paper Bridge: Portland, Oregon
• Melissa López, Barra Santos: Los Angeles, California
• John Wesley, Kiln: San Francisco, California
• Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, Honeysuckle: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Carlos Delgado, Causa: Washington, D.C.
• Masako Morishita, Perry’s: Washington, D.C.
• Zachary and Hannah Welton, Weltons Tiny Bakeshop: Charleston, South Carolina
• Lucas McKinney, Josephine’s: Houston, Texas

“For 38 years, Best New Chefs has been a way to find the people who will change how we think about restaurants before the rest of the world fully knows their names,” said Hunter Lewis, Editor in Chief of Food & Wine. “This class has that electricity. Their restaurants could not be more different, but each of these chefs has a distinct point of view, extraordinary command of their craft, and the ability to make you see something familiar in an entirely new way. These are chefs we will be talking about for decades.”

The announcement is the culmination of a rigorous, months-long nationwide search. Food & Wine solicits and vets nominations from Best New Chef alumni, food writers, cookbook authors, and trusted culinary experts across the country, with editors traveling across the country to dine anonymously and identify chefs who combine exceptional cooking with the potential to shape the industry. Eligible chefs must have been in charge of a kitchen or pastry program for five years or less.

This year’s class reflects a restaurant culture that is increasingly personal and geographically expansive, reflecting the range of American dining today. The chefs draw from the food of Peru, North Vietnam, Portugal, Japan, India, Mexico, the African diaspora, the Gulf Coast, and the American South, among other traditions, while creating restaurants that are unmistakably their own.

Among the class, Charlie Mitchell brings precision and deeply personal Southern and Asian influences to the tasting menu at Saga in New York. At Chicago’s Mirra, Zubair Mohajir and Rishi Kumar weave the cuisines and techniques of India and Mexico into a singular menu of dishes including chaas aguachile and lamb barbacoa biryani. Quynh Nguyen and Gian Carlo Reinardy have made housemade rice noodles the heart of Portland’s The Paper Bridge, using years of research to explore the cooking of North Vietnam.

In Los Angeles, Melissa López channels Portuguese classics through the joyful neighborhood spirit of Barra Santos, while John Wesley builds a technically ambitious tasting menu full of surprise at San Francisco’s Kiln. At Philadelphia’s Honeysuckle, Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate bring together food, art, storytelling, and the ingredients of the African diaspora.

Washington, D.C. is represented by two distinct talents: Carlos Delgado, whose Causa tasting menu explores the regions and food culture of Peru, and Masako Morishita, whose cooking at longtime neighborhood institution Perry’s finds new connections among Japanese comfort food and American and Italian classics. In Charleston, Zachary and Hannah Welton have built Weltons Tiny Bakeshop around exacting breads and laminated pastries, while Houston’s Lucas McKinney celebrates Gulf Coast seafood, local sourcing, and the food traditions of the coastal South at Josephine’s.

Becoming a Best New Chef is the beginning of a relationship with Food & Wine designed to extend far beyond the accolade itself. This week in New York, the 2026 class is being welcomed into the community through an immersive series of experiences with Food & Wine editors, leading chefs and Best New Chef alumni. The program includes an intimate welcome dinner, mentorship sessions with hospitality veterans, and a lunch bringing together generations of Best New Chefs.

The experience culminates the night of September 15 at ZZ’s Club in New York City, where the new class will be formally welcomed during Food & Wine’s annual Best New Chefs awards celebration. Hosted by Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis, and joined by actor and comedian Joel McHale, the evening brings together hundreds of celebrated chefs, restaurateurs, media, and industry leaders. Best New Chef alumni including Kwame Onwuachi (2019), Eunji Lee (2023), Michael Anthony (2002), Aretah Ettarh (2025), Calvin Eng (2022), and Rick Bayless (1988) will cook for guests as the newest class receives its chef coats and officially joins a community nearly four decades in the making.

For the first time in the event’s 38-year history, a limited number of tickets to the celebration were made available to the public exclusively through Resy as part of Food & Wine’s partnership with American Express. This October, Food & Wine, American Express, and Resy will bring the Best New Chefs experience to the West Coast with a Food & Wine Best New Chefs Supper Club dinner in Los Angeles. The one-night-only collaborative dining experience will bring together three Resy partner chefs: newly named 2026 Best New Chef Masako Morishita of Perry’s in Washington, D.C. with 2017 Best New Chef alumni Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson of Kismet in Los Angeles.

On September 15 at 11 a.m. PDT, American Express® Card Members will have exclusive 48-hour access to this event. An eligible American Express® Card must be saved to your Resy profile to unlock.

Tickets will be available to the general public on September 17 at 11 a.m. PDT.

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Location: Kismet, Los Angeles, CA
Tickets: $150 per person (plus tax); alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available a la carte; service fee included. A mandatory service fee required by the restaurant is included in the ticket price.
Availability: Reservations available on a first-come, first-served basis. A maximum of 6 seats per purchase.
Includes: Five-Course collaborative, family style dinner with special gift

For tickets and additional information, visit Resy here. Terms apply. Must be 21+ to drink alcohol. Please drink responsibly.

In-depth profiles of the 2026 Best New Chefs, their restaurants, and the dishes defining their work are available now on foodandwine.com and in the October issue of Food & Wine magazine. Starting in October, diners will be able to book their favorite Best New Chefs restaurants via Resy on https://www.foodandwine.com/2026-best-new-chefs.

PRESS IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE. PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Lau.

Media Contact
Alexandra Kerr for Food & Wine
akerr@people.inc 

ABOUT FOOD & WINE
Food & Wine, the ultimate culinary authority, celebrates the global epicurean experience through its magazine, website, social platforms, newsletters, podcasts, premium events such as the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, and accolades like its annual Best New Chef awards. With rigorously tested recipes and the most trusted restaurant, drinks, culinary travel, and home coverage, the brand inspires and empowers people to discover, create, and devour the best in food and drink—every day and everywhere. Food & Wine is a People Inc. brand which is owned and operated by People Incorporated (NASDAQ: PPLI).

ABOUT RESY
Resy is a digital dining platform that powers restaurants around the world and provides reservation booking for passionate diners. With the powerful backing of American Express, Resy has created best-in-class software that elevates dining experiences and connects restaurants to a vast network of highly engaged diners. Resy is a destination for restaurant discovery, exclusive access, original content, and chef-driven culinary events. The amazing world of restaurants is just a few taps away in the Resy app and at Resy.com.

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS
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