GQ's Men of the Year issue is hot off the presses, and you can probably guess who their Chef of the Year is: none other than soup sachem David Chang. It's got to feel good to the Momofuku Man, but we wonder if he might be experiencing a little anxiety as well. The most recent deluge of media love has been largely in response to the top-notch work Chang and co-chefs Joaquin Baca and Tien Ho pulled off in opening the justly popular Ssäm Bar, and Chang could be staking his good name on the success of his forthcoming Ko. Ko will have to be phenomenal (and, let's be honest, it very well could be) to shield him from what could be some backlash against the flood of praise bestowed upon the young chef in the past year. At any rate, you've got to admire Chang's willingness to rise above the Momofuku/Ssäm love parade and take his game to the next level. Between now and the time Ko opens, we hope he lets himself bask in the glow for a few minutes.

Year of the Pig [GQ]
Related: Yet More Kudos for David Chang!