Top Chefs 2023

Jesse Newmister is a chef comfortable in many genres. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, he yearned to break away from the regional fare. “Any cuisine that’s not German in Terre Haute is exotic,” he laughs. Newmister was exposed to Filipino and…
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Oliver Royale Executive Chef Darin Hoagland’s culinary lineage goes back to his Grandpa Joe Bettencourt, who gave up life as a Yellowstone-type cattleman to become owner and grill cook at Marty’s Inn, a hunter’s restaurant in Newman,…
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Lonesome Dove Executive Chef Jason Scott once wrote in his personal notebook, “If you cook with passion in your heart, success will always follow.” No coincidence that he has “passion” tattooed in red on the inside of his right bicep and…
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Fire & Salt Chef and Proprietor Alex Gass grew up in Oak Ridge, helping his aunt, mother, and grandmother feed hundreds at the Kern United Methodist Church. He also cooked with his mother’s catering business and explored the art of…
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Chef Deron Little started Seasons Innovative Bar & Grille in 2013 and made it a perennial Top Chefs contender and winner. “He’s very traditional, very innovative, a purist,” says his protégé, Austin Altena. “He’s also a very good…
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Bistro By the Tracks Chef Robert McDonald III grew up in Fountain City. His grandfather Bob was a TVA engineer. His father Robert practices family medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Robert III started cooking when his family put in a…
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Noah Goodfriend started bussing tables at O’ Charley’s in high school. He waited at TGI Friday’s and Mellow Mushroom, then applied at the Pizza Kitchen on Northshore. “They didn’t need a waiter, so they put me in the kitchen,” he…
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