Hello from Charleston

Dear Pros,

The inaugural Food & Wine Classic in Charleston is officially underway! Many of my colleagues are currently sipping whiskey and slurping down oysters with the likes of Andrew Zimmern, Al Roker, and Maneet Chauhan. What I'm most excited about — happening later this afternoon — is the Battle of the Biscuits, where Carrie Morey, Jason Stanhope, and 2024 F&W Best New Chef Erika Council will compete for the flour-coated honor of best biscuit of them all.

While Council might not yet be a household name like some of our other presenters, she is an absolute talent, in and out of the kitchen. She's a relatively new chef (she launched her pop-up in 2019 and opened her brick-and-mortar breakfast restaurant in 2022), but has been able to maintain a successful, unique career and personal brand. Her personality and culinary voice shines through her award-winning cookbook, Still We Rise, and every last hot honey chicken biscuit. Council has not only achieved success — she has maintained it.

Everyone has tips for how to become successful, but once you get there, what comes next? This was one of the main points of discussion at this year's Best New Chef Mentorship Program in New York City earlier this month. In a panel moderated by 2013 BNC Chris Shepherd, co-founder of Southern Smoke Foundation; 2002 BNC Mike Anthony, chef of Gramercy Tavern in New York City; 2020 BNC Tavel Bristol-Joseph, pastry chef and co-owner of Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group in Austin; and 2023 BNC Amanda Shulman, chef and owner of Her Place Supper Club, My Loup, and Amourette in Philadelphia gave the 2024 F&W Best New Chefs tips for how to navigate success.

Here are some of their most impactful pieces of advice:

"It took me a really long time to realize the importance of taking a moment and accepting that you deserve the accolades that you're given," said Anthony. "It's even more important to celebrate — to accept the pat on the back and realize that the next morning, you're still going to put yourself in front of the mirror and say, 'I have some more ideas. I'm just getting started.'"

"Success looks so different for every single person," said Shulman. "Some people want to be [restaurant group founder] Steven Starr and have a million restaurants. Some people want one and done. And some people want to use their restaurant to leverage opportunities and then get out [of the hospitality industry]." Shulman suggests finding someone in the industry to look up to and has a career path you hope to follow. For her, it's 1999 BNC Marc Vetri of Philadelphia — she's always been impressed with how he's able to prioritize spending his summers with his family.

For more pro tips on how to navigate success, check out my story.

So long for now,
Amelia