30 UNDER 30: NEW YORK CITY’S FOOD WORLD UP-AND-COMERS
By James Mulcahy
You’d think it would get harder after three years to find culinary stars to honor as part of our annual 30 Under 30 program. Nope. When we started making our 2013 list of young up-and-comers in the food and restaurant world, we found more creative and successful individuals to consider than ever. Our most recent group of honorees showcases a variety of food world talent, from front-of-house managers to business owners to our first-ever caterer.
Name: Jason Pfeifer
Age: 28
Gig: Chef de Cuisine, Maialino
When he was just 18, Pfeifer completed a five-month hike of the Appalachian trail where he created gourmet meals with foraged ingredients. He followed that up with a stint maintaining two organic farms at an inn in his native North Carolina. From there it was on to the Culinary Institute of America and then the kitchens of Gramercy Tavern and Per Se. He eventually headed back to Danny Meyer’s Union Square hospitality group, working as a sous-chef at Maialino, where he was recently promoted to chef de cuisine. He still manages to make trips into the woods these days, but less frequently than he used to. After all, “It’s more challenging when you live in New York,” he says.
Side Dish: In the fall of 2011, Pfeifer traveled to Denmark to perform a seasonal apprenticeship with Rene Redzepi at Noma, where he worked in the prep kitchen, the canape station and in the test kitchen.
(ORIGINAL ARTICLE)
30 Under 30 Honoree
