Mo-Chica’s Ricardo Zarate makes best new chef list

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Ricardo Zarate of much-loved Mo-Chica, the 2-year-old star of the Mercado La Paloma food court near USC, has been named one of Food & Wine magazine’s best new chefs of the year, joining such familiar past winners as Thomas Keller and Rick Bayless (both 1988) and Nobu Matsuhisa (1989).

Others named to this year’s list include: Bowman Brown and Viet Pham from Salt Lake City’s Forage, Jason Franey from Seattle’s Canlis, Bryce Gilmore from Austin, Texas’ Barley Swine and Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, Stephanie Izard from Chicago’s Girl & the Goat, James Lewis of Birmingham, Ala.’s Bettola, George Mendes from New York’s Aldea, Carlo Mirarchi from Brooklyn’s Roberta’s, Joshua Skenes from San Francisco’s Saison and Kevin Willmann from St. Louis’ Farmhaus.

Zarate is in the process of opening Picca, a small-plate anticucho and ceviche restaurant, later this spring.

-- Russ Parsons