It’s uncanny how many chefs and restaurateurs have worked with the same handful of people. It’s also a clue into how much relationships matter. A good mentor can be as important to a young chef’s career as any amount of prep-kitchen wizardry. Take Rich Torrisi, who worked with Andrew Carmellini in 2002 and now has an empire of his own, or Christina Tosi, who worked for Wylie Dufresne after graduating from cooking school in 2004 and is now chef-�owner of Momofuku Milk Bar. Click for a partial sketch of a very interconnected world.
Illustrations by Kate Copeland