25 Trailblazing American Chefs You Should Know

History’s bandwidth can be sadly narrow when it comes to chefs.

To make sense of the past, historians simplify and consolidate, focusing on people who fit neatly into game-changing movements and trends. This makes for compelling storytelling; it also, unfortunately, erases or minimizes people who contributed but don’t reinforce a larger narrative arc. And, because restaurants are chefs’ chief platform, those who no longer own and operate them tend to fade from memory more quickly. ...