From a champion of Guatemala's cuisine diversity to couples reshaping London's events and dining scene
These are the trailblazing female chefs that are tearing up the recipe book with their original concepts and sense of humor. These are the people you need to be aware of right away, including a chef who creates bizarre edible art pieces throughout the world, vegan cooks, zero-waste pioneers, and more.
Laila Gohar.
Dazzling culinary artist and feast curator
With his Les Diners de Gala parties, Dal may have transformed food into art, but Egyptian-born, New York-based Laila Gohar is actively fusing the worlds of food, art, fashion, and design with surreal edible installations that resemble what might have occurred had Lewis Carroll and Escoffier ever crossed paths at the court of Louis XIV. Highlights from last year's debut at the design event Alcova, a spinoff of Salone del Mobile, include a chair made of cake, eggs in a chandelier, and swans made of artichoke leaves. Because of her designs for the Danish company Hay and the must-have lace tomato hat she made for Gohar World, the tableware company she founded with her sister Nadia, Gohar is quickly becoming a household name. She is creating barware for the Marriott Luxury Collection hotels in Kyoto, Paris, and Los Angeles this year.
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Her opinion: "I enjoy using basic foods like eggs and potatoes. Simple components are so much more intriguing when prepared with the same attention as those typically regarded as more precious or unusual."
Take a bite: Don't try this at home, but the mortadella served at the opening reception of the new Galeries Lafayette in Paris was an impressive 13 feet in length and was hoisted into place by a crane. lailagohar.com
Denai Moore.
Musician working a side gig at a supper club.
Denai Moore, a singer-songwriter who was up in Kingston but now calls Margate home, is changing how people think about Jamaican cuisine with her latest release, Modern Dread, a dark swirl of folktronica. Her London dinner club Dee's Table gives the island's culinary customs a vegan twist by substituting seaweed for saltfish, re-creating the beef patties of her youth with plants, and promoting breadfruit. Moore is a member of a new generation of chefs who are introducing Caribbean cuisine to the UK, along with James Cochran of the 12:51 restaurant and Marie Mitchell, the author of the cookbook Kin.
Her perspective: "Seasonality and trips to my neighborhood greengrocer impact my attitude to cuisine, which is constantly 'What's next? My cooking is filled with nostalgia and is influenced by fond family memories. On a platter, I attempt to convey my sense of home.
Take a bite: Tamales with jerk "meat" created from pulled mushrooms and served with ackee crema, influenced by Jamaican cuisine Moore explains, "It encapsulates everything Dee's Table is about.
Local advice Marianna, a new friend of mine, runs a fantastic restaurant in Kingston where she prepares one dish each day, posts about it on Instagram (@missmariannaf), and serves it up until she runs out of food. When I first met her in 2022, we spent hours talking about cuisine. I was immediately transported back to the tamarind tree in my childhood home when she produced this beautiful tamarind rose tonic drink.
On Thursday, April 13, Plentiful: A Vegan Jamaican Guide to Nyammin' Good will be released.
Jessica Naomi Fong
A pioneer in urban farming is working to make Hong Kong sustainable.
Jessica Naomi Fong's experience working in restaurants in Hong Kong awakened her eyes to the amount of food wasted in a city where more than 90% of its products are imported. In response, she founded Common Farms, converting abandoned industrial structures into indoor vertical farms à la Breaking Bad that grow delicious flowers, baby greens, and herbs ranging from spicy paracress to melon blooms that would have to be flown in. The self-taught Fong, currently located in Kowloon, and her all-female crew employs organic compost to grow ten times as many crops as an outdoor farm of comparable size while using just 5% of the water. In addition to providing Roganic, Caprice, and Amber restaurants, she has created a pop-up at the K11 Musea mall with free seminars to promote sustainable farming.
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Her take: "Hong Kong's carbon footprint is not acceptable. Giving residents access to the best fresh, locally sourced ingredients is something I'm enthusiastic about. If there is anything we can do in this respect, it is to set an example, and we hope that by doing so, more women will become involved in sustainable farming.
Get a taste of it: "My personal favorite is the Mexican marigold. It's so delicate but potent; when we harvest it, the entire farm is filled with its aroma. It has a fantastic fresh apple mint aroma and, when combined with other items, whether they be fish, meat, or sweets, really improves a dish.
The staff at Penicillin upcycles abandoned materials, and even the fermentation and distillation are done there. The drinks are systematic, inventive, and sustainable.
Shannon Martinez
A tenaciously independent chef is introducing vegan cuisine to a new market.
Few have the credentials of Shannon Martinez, who began experimenting with vegan food while traveling with her punk band Voltera. Food is sometimes referred to as the new rock 'n' roll. She launched Smith & Daughters in Melbourne's Fitzroy neighborhood in 2014, offering plant-based dishes with a practical, outsider viewpoint (she is not vegan). "Who can be fucking bothered soaking nuts for 24 hours before you cook something?" she remarked at the time. Although her meat-free recipes may irritate purists, they have earned a devoted following and her restaurant has evolved into a training ground for cooks who are vegan-curious. In Collingwood, Smith & Daughters returned in 2022 with a new focus on cooking over fire. According to Martinez, it gives veggies a lovely smokey character that elevates the ordinary to the remarkable.
Her perspective: "My goal has always been to elevate vegan eating to a professional level and to appeal to individuals like myself rather than preaching to the choir. The type of thing that gets my mind working is figuring out how to transform wheat, vegetables, and grain into chicken or meat. And I adore the "ooh" reaction when people exclaim, "Holy sh*t, this vegan stuff is really good."
Take a bite: The ideal way to eat oyster mushroom pinchos morunos is to play Toto Coelo's "I Eat Cannibals" loudly in the background. The mushrooms' texture is highly meat-like after being pressure-marinated. It pays homage to Martinez's Spanish ancestry and is a hit among avowed carnivores, he claims.
Tala Bashmi
Middle Eastern pioneer introducing her nation's food to the world.
One person from the Middle East was there when renowned chefs like Massimo Bottura and Anne-Sophie Pic gathered in Madrid for The Best Chef Awards last year. Although a small island nation, Bahrain packs a flavorful punch because of historical influences from Portugal, India, and Persia. Tala Bashmi is virtually in a league of her own after becoming a social media phenomenon for her sweets, working her way up to opening her restaurant, Fusions by Tala, and being named the finest female chef in the area by The World's 50 Best.
Her assessment: "The food provided here is quite traditional; it is meant to be shared, and the idea is that if the table isn't full of food, there isn't enough. I'm attempting to alter opinions and promote Bahraini cuisine internationally.
Take a bite: wagyu beef cheeks are used in a reimagining of bamia, a stew typically cooked with leftover meat and garnished with crispy "glass" formed of okra. Whether they are used to make salt or ice cream, mushrooms are also a favorite.
Local insider advice: "Tikka Abul for Bahraini tikka (skewered lamb with black lime) to go; Haji's Café for a hearty breakfast in the souk; and the Pearling Path in Muharraq for freshly produced halva and Arabic coffee."
Maria Georgiou and Rhiannon Butler, a.k.a. Mam Sham
The comic team is revolutionizing the London event scene.
Everyone knows that the important part of a memorable dinner is not where the food comes from or what time of year it is. Mam Sham met at school and now applies their double-act showmanship to the dinner club idea, offering "excellent eats and lols". Dinners are influenced by the performances they host, while private events like The Face's party last year included "Bah Humbug Ready Meals" in repackaged tins with a Crappy Christmas motif. A podcast will be released shortly, so keep an eye out for their Foundation FM program.
They assess that it is a high-concept interactive eating experience that is both high quality and pretentious-free. Step aside, sweetheart; we're tired of chef brothers being hedonistic heroes.
Get a taste: "We are putting tahini in everything right now, from salad dressings to pasta sauces, custards to curries. We can't get enough of it right now."
The best bread is made by Baban's Naan in north London, while La Princesse serves ridiculous pizza pieces, according to a local recommendation. It doesn't necessarily have to be sourdough bread and anchovies. Luke Findlay of Supa Ya Ramen and Pasta Princess Dara Klein are both talented, and comedians Baby Lame and Britney are expected to break out this year.
Read about 9 novel ideas that are revolutionizing the travel and tourism sector, from emissions-free cruises to language-translating spectacles here.
Tiger Liang, Lola Liu, and Jackwing Yao
Creative mixologists putting Chinese flavor front and center
The current cocktail kings of Asia may be Singapore and Bangkok, but three young mixologists are revolutionizing the rapidly developing scene in China. Jackwing Yao (SanYou bar in Guangzhou), Lola Liu (Hope & Sesame, Shenzhen), and Tiger Liang (Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou) developed a new speakeasy narrative that they continue to riff on when they were all employed by the Hope Group. They embrace ancient Chinese culture as much as high-end processes like dry-ice distillation and centrifugal clarifying, whether that means using ingredients like sand ginger and exotic teas or recovering baijiu (a liquor derived from sorghum) from their grandparents' beverage cabinet.
Their opinion Great bars have recently opened in second and third-tier cities, according to Liu. Many of these releases are the brainchild of women.
Take a bite: For Fxxk's Sake by Liu Tini combines sherry, grapefruit, seaweed, shiso, watermelon, sake, and gin. She explains, "I wanted something that makes people think of an omakase experience.
Local insider tip: Lucky Huang, who once worked at Union Trading Company bar, runs Shanghai's Pop Corner bar, according to Liu. "We enjoy her attitude because she's being herself and has developed what seems like a true Chinese neighborhood bar, a place to drop in for snacks and beverages that transport you to your youth," says one person. hopeandsesame.cn
Debora Fadul
Champion of Guatemala's food diversity
Where does Guatemala fit into the Latin American cookbook when we are longtime friends with Peruvian ceviche and Mexican tacos? Debora Fadul has been researching the biodiversity of her nation while collaborating with farmers, biologists, and even archaeologists. She has been showcasing her findings at Diacá, her restaurant in Guatemala City, and her food lab, where visitors can taste ancient corn varieties the same way they would coffee or wine.
Her opinion: "Reconnecting people with the earth and customers with farmers is something I'm all about. Knowing an ingredient's history alters your relationship with food on a sensory and spiritual level.
Take a bite: With surprises like marrying white fish with chocolate and bringing out the savory elements of fruit with her papaya ragu and watermelon tartare, her cuisine is based on maize, papaya, tomato, watermelon, and beans.
Local insider tip: "Chaito Alvarez's restaurant in Xela serves some of the most bizarre flavors from Guatemala's Quetzalteca area."