Meet the Chefs

Jose Andres is the envy of the DC restaurant world, a hyperkinetic Catalonian who is on a quest to take over the nation's capital.

You might say Chris Schlesinger is a bit of a beach bum ... but the fact is that 20 years ago he turned his back on his high falutin culinary education and fancy pants, French techniques and embraced the down home food of his southern roots.

Suzanne Goin may look pure Hollywood but in the kitchen, she's an undisputed heavyweight.

To Daniel Boulud, the crème de la crème is just a starting point.

Jean Georges Vongerichten may look like an altar boy but when it comes to food, he's a rule-breaking revolutionary.

Gary Danko is a culinary god in San Francisco, a city where people fervently worship food.

Gabrielle Hamilton is a natural, and her New York restaurant, Prune, is as unpretentious as canned sardines on Triscuits - which, by the way, she's been known to serve at her bar.

Michel Richard is an artiste, but I think of him as part wizard, part elf - and his playfulness can't hide his ample kitchen prowess.