As part of our search for 16 fearless individuals for The Art of Plating Rising Talent, we asked our invitation-only community of actively engaged industry insiders — a comprised cross-section of more than 150 professionals and tastemakers in U.S. & Canada — to nominate names worthy of recognition. Here are our 36 semifinalists.

Purveyors & Farmers

Ian Purkaystha
Founder of Regalis Foods
New York, NY

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The first of the lobster mushrooms from the Oregon Coast. Treasured for their crunchy shellfish flavor and firmness after cooking. Lobsters are a particularly interesting find as they are technically infected in the wild by a parasitic species that preys on bland white russula mushrooms turning them red when fully colonized. The brighter red the final mushroom is, the more pungent and flavorful. #lobster #lobstermushroom

A post shared by Ian Purkayastha (@ianpurkayastha) on Jul 26, 2019 at 8:45am PDT

Liv Woudstra
Founder of Trufflin
New York, NY

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What came first, the truffle or the egg? Photo by @nicole_rutsch • • • #truffle #eat #gastronomia #cuisine #truffle #luxury #eggs #food #foodporn #delicious #foodie #foodgasm #foodpic #instafood #chef #chefsofinstagram #cheflife #dinner #finedining #kitchen #truffles #eat

A post shared by Trufflin (@trufflinnyc) on Jan 23, 2019 at 3:56pm PST

Tyler Trainum
Farmer at Autumn Olive Farms
Shenandoah Valley, VA

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Sweet peas @autumn_olive_farms

A post shared by Tyler Trainum (@pigpen_tyler_) on Jun 4, 2019 at 3:22pm PDT

Entrepreneurs

Aaron Arizpe
Curator and Hospitality Consultant
New York, NY

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sourdough cavatelli, spring onion & marigold

A post shared by Aaron Arizpe (@pocketfork) on Aug 18, 2019 at 9:48am PDT

Camila Basmagi
Founder of Recipes for Change
Miami, FL

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It’s been an incredible year We have served and fed over 4,600 people in need and have secured food donations for many more others. This was all made possible thanks to our amazing team, Chefs and group of volunteers. Bigger, better things are coming. Thank you for being a part of the change. Thank you @chefsantiagogomez @carlosgarciareq @harpkefamilyfarm @betoshub @camiocean @social_gastronomy @camillus_house

A post shared by Recipes For Change (@recipesforchange) on May 1, 2019 at 11:10am PDT

Francis Miranda
Co-owner of Nightshade
Los Angeles, CA

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What’s more luxurious than Caviar? We collaborated with @therealtsarnicoulai to make our own custom cured caviar. It’s served with Tom Yum flavored Chicharron! Come try it today!

A post shared by Nightshade (@nightshadela) on Jun 29, 2019 at 3:22pm PDT

Holly Liss
Social Media Consultant and Founder of Enlisst
Los Angeles, CA

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Cookbook Club IX @gabrielacamara #MyMexicoCityKitchen edition. The crew today was fuego and honestly brought their best to the table. This one definitely took you out of your comfort zone *thanks @juliafication for helping me take out the red snapper * but it was worth it to make that fame red and green . All the @contramarmx hits were made flawlessly. Way to go ladies, you continue to impress me time after time! Luv dis club ❤️

A post shared by Holly Aerin Liss (@hollyliss) on Jun 2, 2019 at 6:20pm PDT

Jenny Gao
Founder of Fly by Jing
Los Angeles, CA

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Finish line ⚡️ only 24 hours left to get in on first ever international batch of @flybyjing sichuan chili crisp! Big thanks to all 1600+ of you who have backed so far. We’re just getting started. Link in profile to preorder ✨ : @thehungrycooknz

A post shared by Jenny Gao (@jingtheory) on Jul 3, 2018 at 5:56am PDT

Jonah Freedman
Owner of Freedman’s
Los Angeles, CA

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Latkes aren’t just for Hanukkah, but it’s Hanukkah so we got the latkes : @dylanandjeni

A post shared by Freedman’s (@freedmans_la) on Dec 4, 2018 at 11:26am PST

Matthew Jozwiak
Founder of Rethink Food NYC
New York, NY

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Hello new followers! It’s been a while since we’ve really talked about the root of our operations. Long story short, we collect excess food from high quality restaurants and food purveyors that would have otherwise gone unused, we take it back to our Rethink kitchen, and we transform the excess into innovative, creative, and nutritious meals. Photo via @valrizzo for @ediblemanhattan

A post shared by Rethink Food NYC Inc 501c3 (@rethinkfood.nyc) on Feb 7, 2019 at 5:04pm PST

Chefs

Casey Palermino
Chef de Cuisine at Willow’s Inn
Lummi Island, WA

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A summer classic. Herbed tostada (Willows Inn, June 2018)

A post shared by Casey Palermino (@casebase21) on Jun 21, 2018 at 11:22am PDT

Daniel Garcia
Executive Sous Chef at Crown Shy
New York, NY

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Italian Summer

A post shared by Daniel_M_Garcia (@d.garcia) on Jun 13, 2018 at 10:13am PDT

Francois Emmanuel Nicol
Chef and Co-owner of Tanière³
Quebec City, Canada

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Quand les saumons font des nids! Œufs de saumon/foin d’odeur/topinambours #eatyqb #foodieqc #finedinninglovers #enroutemag #quebecoriginal

A post shared by François-Emmanuel Nicol (@francoisemmanuel.nicol) on May 27, 2019 at 11:07am PDT

Jenny Dorsey
Chef and Founder of Studio Atao
Los Angeles, CA

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This week I’m bringing Asian in America to Napa Valley!! @TheCulinaryInstituteofAmerica and @MITMediaLab is hosting their annual ReThink Food Conference and we will be one of the featured breakout sessions on November 8th (also my birthday!). This officially kicks off Asian in America’s North American tour and I’m really stoked to share the experience with many food futurists and activists in Northern California. If you’re in the area, please come by! . I also want to give a shout out to Lisa @Macabasco and @HillaryDixlerCanavan for the wonderful profile about Asian in America on @Eater 2 weeks ago. A heartfelt thank you for helping share my work and the Asian American story with a national audience. You can read that at: http://bit.ly/AiAEater. . Photo by Jennifer Reagan from the good times at @FutureofStorytelling. This particular iteration of Model Minority had its 3D printed by @natural.machines

A post shared by Jenny Dorsey (@chefjennydorsey) on Nov 5, 2018 at 12:01pm PST

Jeongin Hwang
Executive Sous Chef at Benu
San Francisco, CA

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GermanKoreanCreation, 1st Pic is Omiza+Asian pear+Radicchio Tart, 2nd pic is Handkäse(Traditional cheese from Frankfurt where chef @sven.elverfeld from) with our Hoshikaki from last year. Great harmony between Asian and western ingredients and technic . @restaurant.aqua #4hands #omiza #peartart@

A post shared by JeongIn Hwang (@jeong.in.sf) on Jan 12, 2019 at 6:11am PST

Joe Anthony
Chef de Cuisine at Gabriel Kreuther
New York, NY

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Aged Long Island duck breast, salt baked celery root stuffed with black truffle and compte crust, marinated cabbage and eucalyptus jus… side of celery root “tagliatelle” with duck liver ragu and parm… couldn’t look this good without @evansungnyc

A post shared by Joe Anthony (@joe.anthony001) on Apr 25, 2019 at 7:18am PDT

Jordan Guevara
Chef de Cuisine at Nico
San Francisco, CA

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Fluke, Summer squash, Seaweed sauce. Nico SF.

A post shared by Jordan Guevara (@jordansacct) on Aug 7, 2019 at 9:22am PDT

Kacie Carter
Chef-owner of Honey-Hi
Los Angeles, CA

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HOT NEW TOAST POST! “The A.B.J.” Yemetz Farms organic and very local roasted almond butter, housemade @tamaifamilyfarms fresh strawberry chia jam (sweetened with just a lil honey), black sesame tahini, Aunt Willie’s bee pollen on gf buckwheat sourdough. we cut it down the center so you can fold in half for a comforting pb&j-like experience 🙂

A post shared by honey hi (@honeyhi) on Jan 30, 2019 at 12:15pm PST

Kane Adkisson
Chef-owner of Kano
Omaha, NE

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Grilled black cod with house fermented chili and vadouvan spices

A post shared by kano restaurant (@kano.omaha) on Jul 28, 2019 at 11:08am PDT

Marisol Corona
Chef de Cuisine at Atla
New York, NY

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#Repost @danielasotoinnes ・・・ Mole negro y ricotta – This mole doesn’t need a chicken it is already a crazy protein bomb with all the ingredients the sauce has. @atlanyc

A post shared by Marisol Corona (@_mcorona) on Feb 28, 2019 at 9:37am PST

Roze Traore
Private Chef
New York, NY

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I’m working on something light and fresh for you! I’ve always enjoyed seafood. Being from the Ivory Coast I come to understand all the health benefits you can gain from the sea. In this recipe, I kept it simple:Salt,,olive oil, dill,fennel,rosemary&thyme. Recipe will be on our website! #nom @mauviel.1830 #mauviel #nomadlife

A post shared by Rōze Traore LLC. (@rozetraore) on Jun 9, 2019 at 9:56am PDT

Sean MacDonald
Chef-owner of ēst Restaurant
Toronto, Canada

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Duck Breast, Sweet Potato, Peanut, Turnip, Fermented Coffee Bean @est.restaurant

A post shared by Sean MacDonald (@seanymacd) on Aug 5, 2019 at 6:11pm PDT

Vince Nguyen
Chef-owner of Berlu
Portland, Oregon

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Chewy carrots and slightly dried sungold tomatoes in a nectarine tea flavored with marigold. @artculinairemagazine #berlupdx

A post shared by berlu (@berlupdx) on Aug 7, 2019 at 3:06pm PDT

Pastry Chefs & Bakers

Allison Osorio
Pastry Chef at Otium
Los Angeles, CA

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Chocolate Sable, Black Sesame Gateau, Creme Fraiche Namelaka, Peach, Lemon Verbena . . Paired with an Oolong tea from Nanping, China with notes of peach, honey and oak @artofteala . . . #sugarhighseries [ by @gmasinas]

A post shared by allison_olivia (@allison_olivia) on Jul 22, 2019 at 2:44pm PDT

Andy Kadin
Baker and Owner of Bub and Grandma’s
Los Angeles, CA

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New loaf at the market today – oatmeal honey. 16% spelt and 14% hard red wheat. Great nutty oat-y flavor with a nice salt sweet balance.

A post shared by BUB AND GRANDMA’S (@bubandgrandmasbread) on Jun 30, 2019 at 3:28pm PDT

Dyan Ng
Pastry Chef at Auburn
Los Angeles, CA

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Strawberry tartine, geranium foam, milk ice cream, milk jam, granité of strawberry infused whey #barfood

A post shared by dyan (@dyan.ng) on May 11, 2019 at 2:25pm PDT

Nick Muncy
Pastry Chef and Founder of Toothache Magazine
San Francisco, CA

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Mango, pistachio, labneh, and mint. Some techniques you have seen me use in the past with some new flavors. The labneh siphon is seasoned with amchoor powder to not only up the acidity but to also incorporate another mango product. #notahotdog

A post shared by Nick Muncy (@nick_muncy) on Feb 26, 2019 at 2:58pm PST

Samira Saade
Pastry Chef at Bachour Bakery
Miami, FL

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After baking we fill these up with dulce de leche w/ @antonio.bachour @karinarc_5 @bachourmiami • • • • • • • • • • • • #antoniobachour #croissant #viennoiserie #pastry #cruffin #pastrylife #ilovemyjob #chefkarinarivera #pastrychef #layers #lamination

A post shared by Samira Saade (@samirasaadeb) on Mar 7, 2018 at 12:06pm PST

Media

Alex Testere
Illustrator & Editor
Brooklyn, NY

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I did SO many things today! I VOTED; I tried and failed (and the tried AGAIN and SUCCEEDED) to get Robyn tickets for March, I went to yoga, AND I published this illustrated guide to making #tequila at @saveurmag! BUSY DAY! thanks for showing me first hand how it’s done, @volcantequila

A post shared by Alex Testere (@alextestere) on Nov 6, 2018 at 11:00am PST

Emily Elyse Miller
Founder of Breakfast Club
New York, NY

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Morning Ritual 216 7:00am in New York and I have nothing to report except that I’m grouchy because I got no sleep. 8:00am No hand-grinding for me this morning. ✋The new @chameleoncoldbrew oat milks are good-to-go in my fridge. Stay tuned for a fun, highly caffeinated project coming up with them. ❄️☕️ 9:22am @phaidonfood BREAKFAST launch date is coming up on the 29th!! Did you pre-order yet? @paulasays

A post shared by Emily Elyse Miller (@emilyelysemiller) on May 24, 2019 at 11:50am PDT

Marissa A Ross
Wine Editor at Bon Appetit
Los Angeles, CA

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CO-FERMENTS ARE NOT BLENDS & BOY ARE THEY DELICIOUS, ESPECIALLY @samvinciullo’sLearn about one of my favorite styles of wine in the June/July issue of @bonappetitmag on newsstands & in bio now! ⛓ Side note: Can we talk about how perfectly dreamy this photo @yungbludlau took is?! Shouts to him, @michibuttons & the BA art dept for making my heart skip beats. Also for the record, co-ferments are not strictly red & white grapes and I don’t actually believe blends are like daiquiris. But I DO believe some people left their sense of humor at their ex’s, and I hope it fits like a perfect old t-shirt & they never get it back. ‍♀️

A post shared by MAR (@marissaaross) on Jun 5, 2019 at 3:04pm PDT

Matty Yangwoo Kim
Photographer
New York, NY

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ceviche [Zerocomplex / Seoul] Happy 5 year anniversary! #SanPellegrino #Eater #lefooding #TheArtofPlating #MichelinGuide #LeicaQ #tagforlikes #먹방 #먹스타그램 #소통

A post shared by Matty Yangwoo Kim (@hungrymatty) on Jul 1, 2018 at 7:19pm PDT

Samuel Wells
Filmmaker and Photographer
San Diego, CA

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Link in profile to see the video of this being made by @davinwaite

A post shared by Sam Wells (@swellscreative) on Mar 21, 2019 at 9:03am PDT

Beverage

Shiva Reddy
Wine Director at Savio Volpe
Vancouver, Canada

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“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” ~ Galileo Galilei The Lambrusco Spritz. #SummerofSpritz

A post shared by Osteria Savio Volpe (@savio_volpe) on Jul 19, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT

Marie Vayron Ponsonnet
Sommelier of Le Bernardin and Winemaker of Colète
New York, NY

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Colète’s backstage! Corks+bottles samples to dress her with the best robe ✨#gettingready #dreamofmerlot #napa #pomerolinspiration

A post shared by Marie Ponsonnet (Vayron) (@marie_ponsonnet) on Feb 9, 2019 at 7:32am PST

Mary Allison Wright
Wine Director and Owner of Rino Yacht Club
Denver, CO

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Mark your calendars! RYC will set sail from The Source February 1st for our own spot of land ⛵️⚓️ Festivities include guest bartenders from around the globe, surprise musical guests, and enough cocktails to sink a ship. Kicking off at 6pm, things will ramp up later in the evening with our last hosted Source After Hours from 10pm-2am ☠️ #setsail #rinoruffryders #farewelltour #falsefarewells #seizethedaycapthenight

A post shared by Yacht Club (@rinoyachtclub) on Jan 18, 2019 at 11:12am PST

Final Honorees will be hand chosen by our Committee, a group of iconic industry leaders that includes chefs Dominique Crenn, chef Daniel Humm, hotelier Brian De Lowe, photographer Evan Sung, and The Art of Plating’s Founder Maria Nguyen. The final list will be announced on October 15, 2019. Read more here.