2011 TOP 5 RISING CHEFS IN THE U.S.
Emma Hearst

When she was only four years old, Emma Hearst already knew she wanted to be a chef, opting for cooking shows over cartoons on TV. She started working in kitchens as a prep chef at 13, and immediately after high school went to study cooking at the CIA. Following that she worked under Danny Meyer at Union Square Café, but longed to realize her dream of eating her way through Italy. Traveling with her friend and future business partner Sarah Krathen, she fell in love with Piedmont and came back to New York to open Sorella on the Lower East Side. Hearst was only 23 but proved to be a young master of rustic yet sophisticated Piemontese cooking. New York critics and diners vaulted the restaurant to the top ranks, and today Sorella is one of Gotham’s hottest dining tickets.