Abruzzo-born, self-taught chef Niko Romito remains true to his roots while developing Italian food into something indisputably unique. Le Reale, which he took over in 2000 with his sister Cristina, is as much a restaurant as a testing ground for the wizardry of Romito’s invention, which focuses on intense research into ingredients and techniques, often resulting in dishes with very few ingredients but incredible complexity. He’s also a global entrepreneur with Il Ristorante Niko Romito in Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Milan, and Paris thanks to his partnership with the Bulgari hotels, with Tokyo and Rome openings in the diary for 2023. Ever keen to share his expertise, the Accademia Nico Romito trains chefs at his Casadonna monastery location, where he is also developing his Campus project, a research hub for the future of nutrition and food processing techniques which will open within two years.

It’s thirty years since Daniel Boulud opened DANIEL on New York’s Park Avenue, and forty since he began cooking in the Big Apple, but he remains at the top of his game, with eleven New York establishments and many more around the world. His Dinex group has gone from strength to strength, seen off the challenge of Covid, and enjoyed two recent openings. Le Pavillon at One Vanderbilt borrows its name from Henri Soulé’s legendary restaurant (1944-1966), a chef who defined French cuisine in the United States. Le Gratin, an authentic Lyonnaise bouchon on Beekman Street, is a tribute to the city of Boulud’s birth. He has also opened his first west coast restaurant, in Beverly Hills with Mandarin Oriental, and Le Voyage, a restaurant on the cruise liner Beyond. His tireless innovation brings traditional French food to new diners year after year.