"The food we serve smells so good," the normally reticent Vongerichten says in his staccato tones. "We enjoy that in the kitchen, but the people who are paying get none of it."
RICK BAYLESS @ FRONTERA GRILL, TOPOLOBAMPO, CHICAGO
An academic and gastronomic scholar of Latin American culture, Bayless, 43, is showing Americans that Mexican food isn't just cardboard tortillas and iceberg lettuce. At his widely hailed Chicago restaurants--Frontera Grill, a casual space serving contemporary Mexican fare, and Topolobampo, a more formal setting--Bayless blends flavors and textures to create a multidimensional sensation on the palate.
"People think that chilies are just heat," says the professorial Bayless (above). "But each has a different flavor that can add something special to a sauce." These flavors are reflected in Bayless classics such as wood-grilled pork tenderloin with a spicy sauce of cascabel, guajillo, and ancho chilies.
Bayless and his wife, Deann, have written two award-winning books--Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (1987) and Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine (1996)--and are working on their next book, about chilies. And, like many leading young chefs, Bayless is launching his own line of food products: Mexican salsas that will be distributed by Neiman Marcus and Crate & Barrel.
ROBERT DEL GRANDE @ CAFE ANNIE, RIO RANCH, HOUSTON
At his groundbreaking Cafe Annie in Houston and his four-year-old Rio Ranch, both featuring what he calls "cowboy cuisine," this handsome and articulate 42-year-old Texan (right) has transformed chuck-wagon fare to a level of Mercedes sophistication.
What is cowboy cuisine, anyway? "Well, I kind of made up that term," Del Grande says. "Our food is steeped in the history and traditions of northern Mexico but then given a modern twist." One of his most savory trail rations is fillet of beef coated with coffee grounds and served with sage aioli (a garlic mayonnaise).
Del Grande arrived at chefdom with the serendipity of a tumbleweed. Armed with a Ph.D. in biochemistry and postgraduate ardor for a young woman in Houston, he headed straight to Texas in 1981. "I wanted to see Mimi [his then girlfriend, now wife], and it turned out that her sister and brother-in-law owned Cafe Annie," he recalls. "So I started fooling around in the kitchen." Del Grande took to cooking so fast that within a year, he was named chef. The two couples now co-own the restaurant.
ALLEN SUSSER @ CHEF ALLEN'S, AVENTURA, FLA.
Call his style New Floridian, New World Cooking, or Gulf Stream Cuisine. The Brooklyn-born Susser (left) is the skipper of an adventurous skiff, exploring new culinary ports of call at his north Miami restaurant, Chef Allen's. A warm, soft-spoken man, Susser stands at the forefront of one of the most exciting regional food frontiers: South Florida, where experimental cooks are combining Caribbean and European traditions with Latin American secrets.
