BEST RISING CHEF

BEST RISING CHEFJordi VallésThe first wave of boisterous Basque cuisine came ashore a couple of years ago by way of La Broche, which was quickly swept back out to sea before most people even had a chance to dip their toes in. The second wave was Mosaico, with executive chef Jordi Vallés riding atop the cresting foams and making a very big splash in the Brickell area. Born and raised in Barcelona, Vallés is no newcomer to the brash, cutting-edge Spanish cooking that has garnered gastronomic gasps around the globe. He trained with three of Spain's most renowned Michelin-starred chefs, including a tenure as chef poissonnier under Ferran Adrià at El Bulli. After his apprenticeships and experimentations in juxtaposing the tastes and textures of classic and contemporary Spanish cuisine, Vallés spent another five years adding to his repertoire at Ritz-Carlton properties. One taste of his tantalizing, langoustine-laden gazpacho Andaluz or Gulf Stream grouper in sumptuous pork and garbanzo stew and you'll realize just how much experience does count. Even when conjuring up savory sorbets, tropical fruit gels, and other avant-garde whimsies, Vallés's cooking never veers away from diner accessibility. His ascendant talent makes him the cream of the crop (or shall we say foam at the top) among our young local chefs.