Continental Shift

The romantic notion goes something like this: The chef toiling away in the kitchen of (insert name of your favorite restaurant here) had been, during his teenage years, an indentured servant to some ill-tempered but brilliant chef back in the mother country. Following a decade or two of moving up the ranks, from prep boy to executive sous chef, absorbing insults and blows along the way, the long-suffering cook finally rises to head chef. He practically has his native cuisine genetically programmed into his DNA, and you can taste it in every bite of your food.

Yeah, right. While skilled cooks still routinely work their way to the top, the fact is that a good number of chefs were born and raised in locations far removed from the cuisine they now produce. The massive influx of Latino immigrants, who regularly work the line at local restaurants, only partially explains these culinary shifts. The larger truth is that a talented chef, trained in the classic techniques, is a flexible chef. Given enough time, he or she can master almost any cuisine. Don’t believe it? Check out our map.

Kera Carpenter, Chef and owner of W Domku Bar and Cafe:
Born in: South Korea; Cuisine: Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Slavic