Sam Rogers; 32; Michelin-star Chef

The Clover Hill kitchen is a little rowdy, but I like it that way. From 12 p.m. to 1 a.m., every day, the four of us—my sous chef, chef de cuisine, line cook, and I—cook over a Japanese-style grill in an open kitchen that probably shouldn’t be a kitchen, wedged into the back of a Brooklyn brownstone. We’re precise and skilled, but it’s not intense or quiet. It’s never a scramble. It’s an elegant show.

The dining room—cozy, homey, and intimate—appreciates our showmanship. They hear us laugh and banter as we prepare ingredients like amaranth and chayotes and hominy for our Latin-inspired tasting menu.

It’s easy to combine ingredients that already meld well together. You can find that anywhere in New York. But Michelin stars are rewarded for being thought

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