Damarr Brown
Born1990 or 1991 (age 32–33)[1]
Germany
EducationLe Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago
Culinary career
Cooking styleBlack Southern cuisine
Television show(s)
  • Top Chef Houston
Award(s) won

Damarr Brown is an American chef. In 2022 he was named one of the country's best new chefs by Food & Wine and in 2023 he was named the James Beard Foundation's Emerging Chef.

Early life and education

Brown was born in Germany and grew up in Harvey, Illinois.[2][1] He is an only child and was raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunt, all of whom encouraged his interest in cooking.[2][3][1] His mother set Chopped-style challenges for him, purchasing a variety of ingredients and telling him to produce a dish with them.[4][5] His grandmother was born in Mississippi, and he learned to cook Black southern cuisine from her.[6]

Brown graduated from Chicago's Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in 2011.[2]

Career

Brown worked at mk in Chicago for seven years under Erick Williams, starting as an unpaid prep cook and eventually as garde manger and sous chef.[2][6][1] With Williams' encouragement he moved to Roister for a year, and when Williams opened Virtue in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood in 2018, he hired Brown as chef de cuisine.[2][6][7] Virtue serves Black southern cuisine.[1] Esquire named it to their list of the best new restaurants in the country in 2019.[8][9]

In 2022 Brown competed on Top Chef, coming in fourth behind Buddha Lo, Evelyn Garcia, and Sarah Welch; Brown was voted fan favorite.[2][6] That same year, Food & Wine named him one of the country's best new chefs in 2022.[10][11]

Brown and three other Black James Beard Award winners, including Williams, Gregory Gourdet, and Kwame Onwuachi created a popup restaurant showcasing cuisines of the African diaspora at the 2023 Aspen Food & Wine Classic.[12]

Awards

In 2023 Brown was named Best Emerging Chef by the James Beard Foundation.[3][13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Loria, Michael (2022-08-10). "Chef Damarr Brown's Southern roots at the heart and soul of his cooking success". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Spiselman, Anne (2023-06-09). "Chef Damarr Brown does Virtue and Hyde Park proud". Hyde Park Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  3. 1 2 "Hyde Park's Damarr Brown of Virtue wins James Beard Award - CBS Chicago". CBS News. 2023-06-06. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  4. ↑ Golden, Jamie Nesbitt (2022-11-28). "At South Loop's Top This Macaroni & Cheese, Virtue Chefs Give Comfort Food Staple A Decadent Upgrade". Block Club Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-01-28. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  5. ↑ Shah, Khushbu (12 September 2022). "Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2022: Damarr Brown". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Womack, Cassie (2023-06-06). "The James Beard Awards' 2023 Emerging Chef Is Damarr Brown". Tasting Table. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  7. ↑ Hart, Karen (2022-03-10). "The Truth About Damarr Brown From Top Chef Season 19". Mashed. Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  8. ↑ Gordinier, Jeff (2019-11-13). "Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America, 2019". Esquire. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  9. ↑ Wong, Grace (2019-11-18). "Hyde Park's Virtue restaurant named by Esquire as on of the Best New Restaurants in America". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  10. ↑ Shah, Khushbu (12 September 2022). "Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2022". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  11. ↑ Marotti, Ally (2023-06-05). "Chicago chefs notch two wins at James Beard Awards". Crain's Chicago Business. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  12. ↑ Williams, Kaya (22 June 2023). "Aspen Food & Wine Festival celebrates the rich history of Black cuisine". WBUR. Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  13. ↑ Azu, Lauren; Kindelsperger, Nick (2023-06-05). "James Beard Awards 2023: Chicago chefs take away wins". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
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