These local restaurateurs are among the best under 30 in America, according to Zagat
Over the last few years, restaurant reviewing company Zagat has been going from city to city cataloguing some of the best young chefs and restaurant owners in major American cities, including Boston. Now the company is narrowing its list to 45 finalists before choosing 30 restaurateurs under the age of 30 nationwide—and two Bostonians are finalists.
The local duo chosen by Zagat are Linchul Shin, 27, the general manager of Pabu Boston, and Irene Li, 27, the co-founder of Mei Mei Street Kitchen & Restaurant. Pabu, the Boston branch of chef Michael Mina’s San Francisco Japanese restaurant, has offered upscale yet moderately priced cuisine in the swanky confines of Millennium Tower since opening in November 2016. Meanwhile, Mei Mei Street Kitchen has been known for its incredible dumplings since first opening as a food truck in April 2012. It expanded to a brick-and-mortar location in the Fenway neighborhood in November 2013.
Maine Lobster Okonomiyaki at Pabu restaurant in Boston.
Elsewhere in New England, Melissa Denmark, 28, the executive pastry chef of Gracie’s and Ellie’s Bakery in Providence, Rhode Island, also made the list.
According to a press release, qualifications for making the list include “being under the age of 30 (duh), currently working at a restaurant/cafe/bar/brewery/distillery/farm/bakery, etc. and, finally, undeniable awesomeness.”
The final list will be revealed in September.
