Menu Innovator Blog

italian

Becco, New York, NY (Italian)

By Tony Lagana / October 28, 2021

Becco has been a theatre district staple since 1993. Chef Gallagher joined the team in 1999 alongside  Lidia and Joe Bastianich to become the Executive Chef. He has shared his talents among numerous charity benefits as well as many television features throughout his career. This James Beard house chef learned to cook in his own…

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The Grey, Savannah, GA (Southern)

By Tony Lagana / July 22, 2021

Chef Mashama Bailey was born in the Bronx and raised in Queens but has family in Georgia where she  spent most of her young life. She learned to cook from her grandmother, aunts and mother during  summers in Georgia. She went on to attend ICE and then travelled to France and around the world to …

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latin

La Condesa, Austin, TX (Latin)

By Tony Lagana / July 8, 2021

Chef Rick Lopez is a native Texan who began his culinary career in Maine. He returned to San Antonio to work at La Mansion’s Las Canarias. He then moved to New York to work in a staging position at New  York’s Café Boulud. In 2009, he returned to Texas and was sous chef at La…

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seafood

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, Chicago, IL (Seafood)

By Tony Lagana / July 1, 2021

Chef Justin Diglia grew up in a small Midwestern town where he learned to cook from his Italian family  members. He recognized that food was his passion and enrolled in Sullivan University where he received  a dual degree in Culinary Arts and Business Administration. Upon graduation, he moved to Louisville,  Kentucky, to work at Vincenzo’s,…

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italian

Da Marco, Houston, TX (Italian)

By Tony Lagana / June 10, 2021

Chef Marco Wiles was born in Italy and raised in the United States. As a child, he began cooking with his aunt during summers spent in northeastern Italy. He worked for several celebrated restaurants in Houston before opening DaMarco in an old house in the Montrose section of Houston. Since then, he has opened several…

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