Holy smokes, I've unleashed some deliciously spicy conversation with this post from a few days ago. Read what Hank, JM, The Urban Eater and Jim Webster have been saying about Emeril, Jacques Pepin and others. (Personally, not a huge fan of Emeril's food, but I met Pepin a few times when I was the secretary for the Sommelier Assoc. of California. He seemed like a real gentleman, and I do value his cookbooks.)

For no good reason, other than I'm procrastinating on a story, here are my favorite American chefs, in order (strictly in terms of meals of theirs I have eaten, not cookbooks or personalities or those with whom I'd like to frolic in the kitchen):

1. Daniel Boulud
2. Thomas Keller
3. Alice Waters
4. Charlie Trotter
5. Gary Danko
6. Margaret Fox (for breakfast)
7. Lydia Shire
8. Bradley Ogden
9. Rick Bayless
10. Annie Somerville
11. Jean-Louis Palladin
12. Mark Miller
13. Roland Passot
14. Hubert Keller
15. Michael Mina/George Morrone (at Aqua)
16. Michael Chiarello (at Tra Vigne)
17. Barbara Tropp (pioneering SF chef, died in 1991)
18. Mark Franz (but back when he was at Stars after Jeremiah left)
19. Jean-Georges Vongerichten (nice meal recently at Chambers Kitchen in Minneapolis)
20. Ken Hom
21. Julian Serrano
22. Masa Takayama (his L.A. restaurant was, um, interesting)
23. Joyce Goldstein
24. Cindy Pawlcyn
25. Jonathan Waxman