Quince, Benu, Acquerello Chefs Are Chron Rising Stars

The Chronicle announced their five newest Rising Star Chefs on Sunday, with three of the five working at top-ranked restaurants: Mark Pensa, chef de cuisine of Acquerello; Devin McDavid, pastry chef of Quince and Cotogna; and Brandon Rodgers, chef de cuisine of Benu. But there was also some room for innovators at more modest local spots, with Kyle Itani of Oakland's Hopscotch and recent Hog and Rocks arrival Robin Song meriting recognition.

This year's cohort of chefs is diverse: McDavid is Trinidadian and Itani and Song have Japanese and Korean roots, respectively. But for the fourth year in a row, there is not a single woman on the list, and the Chron has tried to get out ahead of that criticism: "Traditionally the Bay Area has nurtured female chefs, but for the last several years we haven't been able to tap any who are on the verge of making their marks. It's too bad, because women have shaped our food scene today." (You're going to nominate all those awesome young female chefs you know for Eater's Young Guns awards, right? Right.)

· 2013 Rising Star Chefs [Chron]
· Chron's 2012 Rising Star Chefs: Where Are They Now? [~ ESF ~]