Angel Barreto

The Path

Training at L'Academie de Cuisine established the baseline; RAMMY - Rising Culinary Star (2020) then marked the rise that followed. Work as cook at Vermilion and later as Executive Sous Chef at The Source added the next layers: line discipline, pace, and the kind of kitchen control that reads in the plate rather than the résumé. At Anju, Angel Barreto moved into the combined responsibilities of Executive Chef and partner, a role that ties menu direction to ownership in the same kitchen.

The Work Today

At Anju, Barreto’s current work sits in the overlap between Executive Chef and partner, with the restaurant in Washington, DC serving as the stage for the dishes most associated with this period. Fried chicken and wang mandu show the range of that output: familiar formats, handled with enough exactness to carry both approachability and structure. Watermelon-Kimchi Aguachile, added in 2025, extended the kitchen’s language through a direct pairing of fruit, kimchi, and aguachile. It sits within a body of work identified with Korean cuisine and with the disciplined adaptation that category demands.

Career - Executive Chef and Partner — Anju, Washington, D.C. - Cook — Vermilion - Executive Sous Chef — The Source Education: L'Academie de Cuisine; RAMMY - Rising Culinary Star

Signature

Angel's signature dishes include soybean-dredged, gochujang-glazed fried chicken, Impossible Meat farce wang mandu, Saengseon Gui, Watermelon-Kimchi Aguachige, and gochujang fried chicken paired with Alabama white barbecue sauce.

Acclaim

Food & Wine Best New Chef (2021) is the clearest external mark on Barreto’s record, placing the work at Anju in a wider peer set without changing the terms of the kitchen itself.

FAQ What is Angel Barreto's current role? As of 2026, Angel Barreto is Executive Chef and Partner. Where did Angel Barreto train or study? What recognition has Angel Barreto received? Food & Wine Best New Chef (2021).