If you want to get a taste of New York’s up and coming culinary scene, make StarChefs’ Rising Stars Awards your ultimate guidebook, and their Rising Stars Gala Tasting your must-attend event. Since 2003, the Rising Stars Award has recognized the best emerging chefs, sommeliers, bartenders and artisans across major US cities, and the recently announced New York City list showcases some of NYC’s most diverse, bold and stylish talent.

“If opening a New York City restaurant is the ultimate goal, this class of Rising Stars proves it’s possible,” wrote Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs’ Editor-in-Chief, in an email to CulEpi.
With a fierce independent streak and despite the odds, they’re running exciting, soulful restaurants on their own terms. ~ Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs
One of those exciting restaurants is Win Son, serving Taiwanese-American fare lead by Chef Trigg Brown who told CulEpi, “We have an incredible team of good people at Win Son so it really just makes me proud to be partnered with Josh Ku and to be working with folks like Jesse Shapell, Erica Hall, Calvin Eng, and Monique Alden, along with all the other BOH and FOH team members.”

Winning a rising star award is a humbling reminder to keep my head down and continue working hard. ~ Chef Trigg Brown of Win Son in NYC
Included in the list is my own boss, Simone Tong, chef and owner of Little Tong Noodle Shop, much to the excitement of myself and our coworkers! I’ve seen for myself how hard Chef Tong and the rest of these professionals work – the long hours, the tough decisions, the careful fine-tuning of every little detail. The winners certainly deserve the recognition and get a promising sign of what’s to come in their careers.

“I’m honored and very happy,” Tong told me when I asked how she felt about her award.
I hope that this will bring more people to try our food so we can give them happy memories. That really is the goal, otherwise my work doesn’t mean as much. ~ Chef Simone Tong of Little Tong in NYC
StarChefs will host a tasting gala and awards ceremony at Capitale on February 19th, where the winners will present the hungry and thirsty crowd with their most noteworthy dishes and drinks. Tickets start at $100 and a portion of proceeds will be donated to Careers Through Culinary Arts Programs.
Full List of 2019 New York Rising Star Award Winners
Chefs
Eric Bolyard – Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Trigg Brown – Win Son
Matt Conroy – Oxomoco
Chintan Pandaya – Adda
Nico Russell – Oxalis
TJ Steele – Claro
Simone Tong – Little Tong Noodle Shop
Justin Skribner – Benno

Pastry Chefs
Isabel Coss – Cosme
Eunji Lee – Jungsik
Manuela Sanin – Eleven Madison Park

Hotel Chef
Mike Reilly – The NoMad
Community Chef
Mavis-Jay Sanders – Brownsville Community Culinary Center

Concept Chef
Lucas Sin – Junzi Kitchen
Game Changer
Angie Rito & Scott Tacinelli – Don Angie
Artisans
Max Blachman-Gentile – Café Standard
Joey Pepper – Folksbier Brauerei
Sahra Nguyen – Nguyen Coffee Supply

Sommeliers
Caleb Ganzer – Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Natalie Johnson – Loring Place
Guest Sommelier
Gabriella Davogustto – Clay

Bartenders
Aidan Bowie – The Office
Stacey Swenson – Dante