Wallen relaxes with a couple of friends.Photo: Melissa Hom

Age: 31

Background: Without any culinary-school background (he was an English major), Wallen landed a job at Lupa, working his way up, under Mark Ladner. He did the same in Tom Colicchio's Gramercy Tavern, before rising to chef de cuisine at L’Impero, under Scott Conant. When Michael White took over there last year, the transition was basically seamless.

"My main focus was always Italian cooking, my way."Photo: Melissa Hom

Age: 35

Restaurant: PT

Background: Milazzo’s career has taken him through some of the most famous restaurants in Europe, most notably (and recently) Alain Ducasse’s three-star Louis XV restaurant in the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, where he was saucier. (He also worked at the two-star Tantris, in Munich.) But when he wanted to come to New York, Milazzo contacted East Village pizza master Federico Carlucci of Gnocco. Carlucci introduced him to the owner of PT, where Milazzo now runs the kitchen.

"Imagine you’re a soft-shell crab. How would you want to be cooked?"Photo: Melissa Hom

Age: 33

Restaurant: DB Bistro Moderne

Background: A local product (he grew up in Scarsdale), Leiken worked with Mike Anthony at March, and later opened Tabla’s Bread Bar as head cook. Another spell at March under Wayne Nish led to three years at Daniel, where he worked every station in what amounted to a fine-dining graduate program. He's currently executive sous chef (the equivalent to chef de cuisine) at DB Bistro Moderne.

Sohui Kim has had a fast rise, after a false start.Photo: Melissa Hom

Name: Sohui Kim

Age: 37

Restaurant: The Good Fork

Background: Kim had a false start in a publishing career, but decided to go to the Institute of Culinary Education, afterwards training with Michael Anthony and Dan Barber at Blue Hill and with Peter Hoffman at Savoy. Kim put in time with Anita Lo at Annisa, and then Italian Wine Merchants with Anne Burrell. After all that, there was work in catering, food styling, and recipe testing, before finally opening up the Good Fork with her husband, Ben Schneider.

Jason Hall is like a son to Michael Psilakis. Or maybe a grandson?Photo: Melissa Hom

Age: 28

Restaurants: Anthos and Mia Dona

Background: Hall Worked at San Francisco’s Aqua and One Market, followed by a long period as a line cook under George Morrone, at the four-star restaurant the Fifth Floor. Hall then spent five formative years at Craft, first under Marco Canora and then Damon Wise, before joining with Michael Psilakis and eventually becoming executive chef at his restaurants.

Amy Louise Eubanks and Emilie Bousquet: the force behind BLT Fish.Photo: Melissa Hom

Name: Amy Louise Eubanks and Emilie Bousquet

Age: Both 32

Restaurant: BLT Fish / BLT Fish Shack

Background: BLT Fish and BLT Fish Shack are twin restaurants under one roof and have separate chefs de cuisine. Eubanks cooked at Cello, Laurent Tourondel’s first big New York restaurant, and then with Andrew Carmellini at Café Boulud before returning to open BLT Steak and then BLT Fish. Bousquet worked on the line at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Spice Market, and Olives NY, and was the executive chef at Café des Artistes.

A rock-solid classicist, no fan of "crazy Asian flavors."Photo: Melissa Hom

Each week, we highlight one of the city’s great — but obscure — young chefs.

Name: Jason Kallert

Age: 29

Restaurant: Le Cirque

Background: Kallert is a CIA graduate who, after time spent under the late Patrick Clark at Tavern on the Green and Union Pacific with Rocco DiSpirito, began a long association with Le Cirque, outlasting three executive chefs: Sottha Kuhnn at the original Le Cirque, Pierre Schaedelin at Le Cirque 2000 and the current iteration of the restaurant, and his replacement, Christophe Bellanca.

Self-described style: “Very simple and traditional. I’m not into too much technical stuff or using crazy Asian flavors and herbs. If garlic and thyme goes with lamb, I use garlic and thyme. I’m not as creative as some chefs. I like a classic approach.”

Nick Anderer can expedite with the best of them.Photo: Melissa Hom

Name: Nick Anderer

Age: 29

Restaurant: Gramercy Tavern

Background: Anderer put in time with New American pioneer Larry Forgione at the start of his career, followed by a short stint working the line at Babbo, and six months in Milan at the well-regarded San Giorgio et il Drago. He joined Gramercy as a line cook under Tom Colicchio and became executive sous-chef, the restaurant’s equivalent to chef de cuisine, under new chef Mike Anthony.

Jordan Frosolone: Marco Canora's alter ego (for now).Photo: Melissa Hom

Name: Jordan Frosolone

Age: 31

Restaurant: Hearth

Background: Forsolone, a native Chicagoan, put in time at Coco Pazzo, Blackbird, and Nomi, before hitting Italy for a year of heavy duty in Florence and Umbria. He then started in as a line cook for the famously demanding Marco Canora, at Hearth. When Canora went uptown to open Insieme, Forsolone was promoted to chef de cuisine and given the keys to Hearth.

Self-described Style: “I’m definitely in love with the greenmarket. Focused and balanced Italian and southern French.”

Finn is not a sixth-grader, all appearances to the contrary.Photo: Melissa Hom

Each week, we'll be highlighting one of the great but obscure young chefs running one of the city's major restaurants. These are the unheralded chefs de cuisine, the right arms to the name chefs, and when they are big stars themselves, you can say that you read about them here first.

Name: Gordon Finn

Age: 25

Restaurant: Alto

Background: Finn, a CIA graduate, earned his Italian-food chops cooking in good restaurants in Puglia, Tuscany, and Lombardy, before signing on with Scott Conant as line cook and then pasta chef at Alto, and eventually, under Michael White, chef de cuisine.