StarChefs.com names 2010’s Rising Stars in the L.A. and San Diego areas

Culinary magazine StarChefs.com announced its 2010 Los Angeles-San Diego Rising Stars winners in Santa Monica. StarChefs announces Rising Stars in four cities each year; former Los Angeles winners include David LeFevre of the Water Grill, mixologist Vincenzo Marianella and pastry chef Elizabeth Belkind.

This year’s winning chefs: Kuniko Yagi of Sona; Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal; Ken Takayama, Melisse; Walter Manzke, Church & State; Rory Herrmann, Bouchon; Diana Stavaridis, BLD; Stephan Samson and Zachary Pollack, Pizzeria Ortica; and Michael Voltaggio, the Dining Room at the Langham. San Diego winners were Jason Knibb of Nine-Ten and William Bradley, Addison.

The winning pastry chefs: Jordan Kahn of XIV and Adrian Vasquez of Providence.

Awards also were handed to mixologists Julian Cox of Rivera and Eric Alperin of the Varnish, as well as sommelier Jesse Rodriguez of Addison and Christopher Miller, Spago.

DineLA creates ‘family tree’

To mark its winter 2010 restaurant week promotion, dineLA is unveiling its online “family tree� (https://discover losangeles.com/play/dining/familytree/).

Viewers can look by restaurant at which chefs worked there, or by chef to see the places a person worked. Look at Spago, for example, and you’ll see that its alumni include Mark Peel of Campanile, Neal Fraser of Grace and Govind Armstrong of 8 oz. Burger Bar. Look at Fraser and you’ll find his résumé includes not only Spago but also Rox, Checkers and Pinot Bistro.

DineLA has more than 200 restaurants offering specially priced three-course lunches and dinners Jan. 24 to 29 and Jan. 31 to Feb. 5 (two weeks minus Saturdays). Among them are Jar, Ortolan, Eva, the Foundry on Melrose, and the Bazaar by Jose Andres.

Also:

New food trucks and carts: Komodo Truck (Twitter: @ko modofood), Willoughby Road (@WilloughbyRoad) and the forthcoming Monsieur Egg cart (@monsieuregg).

-- Betty Hallock and Mary MacVean