StarChefs 2016 Rising Stars Winners Announced for San Francisco

Awards season is upon us, as StarChefs announced the winners of its Rising Stars 2016 of the Bay Area hospitality industry today.

Winners of the award are chosen from categories that include chefs, pastry chefs, artisans, sommeliers, restaurateurs and bartenders, as well as corporate, hotel and guest chefs. The last time the online publication focused on San Francisco was 2013, and included winners like Rich Table's Evan and Sarah Rich, as well as the former Outerlands chef Brett Cooper (Aster).

The winners are "up-and-coming chefs and culinary professionals, who represent the vanguard of the contemporary American dining scene. They have strong, compelling culinary philosophies and are committed to fostering a culinary community by sharing their knowledge with fellow professionals." They also have to be under 40 and have less than 10 years of experience in the business. (It's a longer term version of Eater's Young Guns, wherein winners must be 30 or under, or have less than 5 years of experience in their industry.)

Check out the full list of winners below, who will be honored at a gala on Tuesday, June 21 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom; tickets available here to the general public.

Chefs

David Barzelay - Lazy Bear
Carrie Blease and Rupert Blease - Lord Stanley
Val Cantu - Californios
Yoni Levy - Outerlands
Ian Palazzola - Mourad
Ryan Pollnow - Aatxe
Brandon Rice - Rich Table

Hotel Chef
Luke Knox - Burritt Room + Tavern at the Mystic Hotel

Community Chef
Evan Allumbaugh - flour + water

Concept
Charles Bililies - Souvla

Corporate Pastry Chef
Lisa Vega - Dandelion Chocolate

Pastry Chefs
Maya Erickson - Lazy Bear
Edward Martinez - Cadence
Mikiko Yui - State Bird Provisions

Artisans

Kinani Ahmed - Sextant Coffee Roasters
Josey Baker - Josey Baker Bread
John Blevins- John Blevins
Salvatore Cracco -Trou Normand
Jay Goodwin - The Rare Barrel

Sommeliers
David Castleberry - RN74
Tara Patrick - Mourad
Bartenders
Brian Felley and Mo Hodges - Benjamin Cooper
Alicia Walton - The Sea Star

Restaurateurs

Ryan Cole, Jason Halverson, Cyrick Hia, Jason Kirmse and Tai Ricci - Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group

Guest Chefs
Helene Kennan- Guckenheimer Enterprises
Victor Scargle- The Culinary Institute of America
David Hollands- San Francisco Marriott Marquis
Justin Koenig- Dirty Habit