As Part of Worldwide Program, Zagat Honors Next Generation of Culinary Leaders with its First-Ever Boston "30 Under 30" Awards

BOSTON, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a worldwide program, today Zagat announced its first-ever Boston 30 Under 30 Awards. Compiled by Zagat's editorial team, the winners spotlight up-and-coming chefs, managers, beverage directors, patissieres and even a chief cheese griller, all under the age of 30. The list of honorees were celebrated last night with a cocktail party at the Boston Public Library. Over the past year, similar 30 Under 30 awards have been held in New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

"These awards are meant to recognize the next generation of Boston culinary professionals who are expected to lead the industry in the future," said Tim Zagat, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Zagat. "We award not only the top young chefs, but also professionals from the front of the house, since all of these people are vital to the success of the industry."

Zagat's 2012 Boston 30 Under 30 Honorees are the following:

• Jessie Banhazl, Owner/Managing Director, Green City Growers (28)
• Marley Brush, Co-Owner, Crema Cafe (29)
• Brahm Callahan, Wine Director, Grill 23 & Bar, Post 390 (28)
• Patrick Cassidy, Former Bar Manager, Saloon (26)
• Christopher Coombs, Executive Chef, dbar; Owner/Exec. Chef, Deuxave (28)
• John Paul daSilva, Executive Chef, Spoke Wine Bar (28)
• Joey DePasquale, Vice President, DePasquale Ventures (21)
• Meredith Devinney, General Manager, Menton (26)
• James DiSabatino, Founder and Chief Cheese Griller, Roxy's Grilled Cheese
• Selena Donovan, Restaurant Manager, Towne Stove & Spirits (26)
• Patrick Gaggiano, General Manager, Trina's Starlite Lounge and Parlor Sports (25)
• Robert Grant, Executive Chef, The Blue Room and Belly Wine Bar (27)
• Shore Gregory, President, Island Creek Oysters (28)
• Kurt Gurdal, General Manager, Formaggio Kitchen (29)
• Jeremy Kean and Philip Kruta, Chefs/Owners, Whisk (Jeremy, 26; Philip, 23)
• Jason Kilgore, Beverage Manager, Catalyst (27)
• Katie Kimble, Pastry Chef, Area Four (28)
• Kristen Kish, Chef de Cuisine, Stir (28)
• Hilary Koloski, Owner & Chief Baking Officer, Cow & Crumb Baking Company (27)
• Tim Maslow, Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Strip-T's (28)
• Heather Mojer, Bartender and Front of House Manager, Hungry Mother (29)
• Samuel Monsour, Executive Chef, JM Curley (29)
• Helder Pimentel, Founder and President, Backlash Beer Company (28)
• Daniel Raia, Chef de Cuisine, Sweet Cheeks Q (28)
• Marcos Sanchez, Executive Chef, Tres Gatos (29)
• Shaun Brian Sells, Executive Chef, Harbor View Hotel (28)
• Mike Smith, Chef de Cuisine, Toro (29)
• Fernanda Tapia, Chef de Cuisine, 51 Lincoln (28)
• Josh Taylor, Bar Manager, West Bridge (29)
• Sam Treadway, Bar Manager and Co-Owner, Backbar (28)

For more information including bios and pictures of this year's winners, please visit Zagat's Blog: http://blog.zagat.com/Boston.

About Zagat:
Zagat is known as the "burgundy bible" and is a trusted source for consumer-generated survey information. With a worldwide network of surveyors, Zagat rates and reviews restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, shopping and a range of other entertainment categories, published on all platforms. Zagat content is integrated throughout Google, including Maps, Search, Google+ and mobile. Guidebooks are also available at all major booksellers. In September 2011, Zagat was acquired by Google Inc.

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SOURCE Zagat