How Khushbu Shah Picked Food & Wine's Best New Chefs 2020

Food & Wine's Restaurant Editor spent months on the road to find the chefs who will lead us into the future.

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Published on May 13, 2020

Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks with hospitality pros about they manage their business, brain, and body for the long haul. Is there a topic you'd like to know more about or a guest you'd love to hear from? Tell us at fwpro@foodandwine.com or tweet to Kat @kittenwithawhip, and subscribe to the weekly Food & Wine Pro newsletter. Subscribe to the new Communal Table YouTube page and never miss an episode. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Episode 70: How Restaurant Editor Khushbu Shah Picked the Best New Chefs of 2020

For months, Food & Wine's Restaurant Editor Khushbu Shah spent every waking (and sleeping) second scouting out restaurants across the United States and Puerto Rico to assemble the 2020 class of Best New Chefs. Just a very short time after her final flight, restaurants all over the country closed their doors — some temporarily and some permanently — as social distancing regulations set in and the coronavirus pandemic threatened the lives and livelihood of millions of hospitality workers. On the day before the BNC 2020 class was announced, Shah explained what went into her extremely rigorous decision making process, and why she believes that this group of chefs holds the future of restaurants in their very capable hands.

Note: Because the podcast had to be recorded in a less than ideal setup, the sound quality may not be as crisp as usual. We're all doing our best.