Mike Isabella Wins People's Best New Chef Mid-Atlantic

Congrats go out today to Mike Isabella, who was just revealed as the mid-Atlantic regional winner of Food & Wine's People's Best New Chef award. Pitted against nine other chefs — including four others from the DC area — Isabella and his army of Top Chef/Graffiato fans took the win after a week of online reader voting. Which can only help when it comes to building the already overwhelming buzz for the three new restaurants he's opening in the next year or so, right?

Noted, Birch & Barley's Kyle Bailey won the same award last year and then went on to win the Rammy for rising culinary star. And while Isabella may have beat his regional competitors from Philly and Pittsburgh, the overall winner of the competition is Tim Byres of Dallas' Smoke — who was just recently in DC for his Rogue Sessions week over at Rogue 24 back in January.

· People's Best New Chef [F&W]
· All Previous Mike Isabella Coverage [-EDC-]

[R. Lopez]