Phaidon’s latest cookbook sees 20 leading chefs choose 100 emerging chefs to present a menu.
Today’s Special tasks 20 well-established chefs from across the globe to select five emerging chefs each and is a sort-of sequel to Phaidon’s oddly-titled 2009 tome Coco. Coincidentally or otherwise, some of the chefs that were tipped by leading chefs back then are now doing the tipping themselves, including our own Skye Gyngell.
The 100 chefs selected are impressively diverse, proving that in 2021 one doesn’t have to look hard to find interesting people from a wide range of geographies and backgrounds creating brilliant food. Even more commendably, over a third of the chefs selected are female (taking into account the handful of woman/man chef duos featured in the book). 50% would clearly be better, but given the lack of representation of women in top kitchens it’s a step in the right direction.