Guides
Guides
Dispatches from artisan workshops, kitchens, cellars, and benches — on method, place, and the work itself.
- Field Notes
Inside the Great Cheese Caves: How to Visit the Affineurs
How affineurs control cheese cave access, who gets inside, what visitors see, and how to ask Antony, Maison Mons, or Roquefort producers.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 20, 2026 - Field Notes
World's Best Bartenders and the Bars They Built
Ago Perrone spent over a decade refining his trolley service at The Connaught Bar. Monica Berg and Alex Kratena built Tayēr + Elementary after years at Artesian. These world's best bartenders, and the hundreds who staff the World's 50 Best Bars, shape the access and experience at counters that seat only a handful of guests.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 19, 2026 - Field Notes
Jaejun Kim Brings Fine-Dining Tonkatsu to Katsumo Glen Huntly
Jaejun Kim, former head chef at Kazuki's, opened Katsumo Glen Huntly last August as a 25-seat answer to a childhood craving: tonkatsu made with the attention he carried from fine-dining kitchens.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 17, 2026 - Field Notes
David Hirsch Dies at 81; Andrew McConnell Buys Stokehouse
David Hirsch, who spent 45 years decoding Sonoma's coastal terroir, died Tuesday at 81. Andrew McConnell bought Stokehouse, the 36-year-old St Kilda institution where he once worked as a young chef.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 11, 2026 - Field Notes
David Hirsch Sonoma Coast: A 200-Year Ridgetop Plan
According to la_times_food, David Hirsch spent 45 years studying faultline soils near Fort Ross, turning an 860-acre sheep ranch into a Pinot Noir source.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 11, 2026 - Field Notes
Yukinori Yamamoto Opens His Own Bench After Eight Years With Mina
Yukinori Yamamoto opens Dining Yamamoto at 167 11th Street in SoMa, his first restaurant after eight years as executive sushi chef with Michael Mina's group.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 11, 2026 - Field Notes
Bradley Kilgore's Transamerica Pyramid Restaurants Close
Chef Bradley Kilgore closed Cafe Sebastian, MadLab, and Ama on May 4 after ownership change at the Transamerica Pyramid made rent unaffordable and demolition plans left no future for the rooms.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 10, 2026 - Field Notes
Sézanne Michelin Stars Removed After Calvert Exit
Sézanne lost its three-star listing after Daniel Calvert left on March 31, 2026; Stephen Lancaster now takes the pass under inspection.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 9, 2026 - Field Notes
Adam Wolfers Returns to Sydney to Lead Aalia After Paul Farag
Adam Wolfers, raised on Sydney's north shore, returns as executive chef of Aalia after years across Brisbane, New York, and Spain, taking over from the departing Paul Farag.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 9, 2026 - Field Notes
Hobart Winter Restaurants: Eight New Rooms to Know
Eight Hobart winter restaurants and nearby rooms to know, from Bear With Me's evening service in Sandy Bay to Brine, Bird in Hand and Gotham.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 8, 2026 - Field Notes
Damian Murgatroyd Takes Graham's Kitchen Flip to Porto Final
Damian Murgatroyd, bar manager at The Blind Pig in Jersey, won the UK round of the Graham's Blend Series with a dessert-style Port cocktail. He competes in Porto on 12 May.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 8, 2026 - Field Notes
Brian Tapera Builds Kudu's Wine Program on Heat, Acid, and Access
Zimbabwe-born sommelier Brian Tapera brings Cape Town training from FYN and Restaurant Beyond to Kudu Marylebone, building a wine program on Riesling, texture, and serious by-the-glass pours.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 7, 2026 - Field Notes
Michael Cimarusti and Sam Baxter Close Connie & Ted's July 3
Michael Cimarusti and Crisi Echiverri will close their West Hollywood seafood restaurant July 3 after 13 years, citing costs that no longer match the model they built around wild shellfish and New England craft.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 6, 2026 - Field Notes
Laurent-Perrier Champagne Scholarship Names 12 Winners
The Gérard Basset Foundation and Laurent-Perrier selected 12 UK wine professionals for Champagne study, tasting, and sales training.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 5, 2026 - Field Notes
Tiffanie Barriere and 250 Judges Name 2026 Spirited Awards Nominees
Tiffanie Barriere, U.S. Chair of the Spirited Awards, leads a 250-expert judging panel that has named bartenders, teams, and media makers advancing to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, July 19-24, 2026.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 5, 2026 - Field Notes
Japanese Whisky Splurge Bottles, Chosen by Bartenders
Will Murphy pours two Nikka whiskies side by side, Jae Yoon points to Yamazaki 18 and Hibiki 21, and eight other bar professionals name the Japanese bottles where the work in the glass can meet the cost.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 5, 2026 - Field Notes
Tsubasa Tamaki Brings His 30-Hour Dough Method to New York
Chef Tsubasa Tamaki opens his East Village pizzeria on May 5, bringing the Tokyo fermentation and wood-fire discipline he has refined since 2017.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 4, 2026 - Field Notes
Nikdad Khayami Leads Pastry at Muse West Hollywood
Nikdad Khayami will oversee pastry and operations at Muse West Hollywood, building a bakery-to-dinner rhythm into the Melrose Avenue space opening in 2027.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 4, 2026 - Field Notes
Stephen Lancaster Takes Sézanne After Calvert's Exit Resets Stars
Stephen Lancaster now runs Sézanne after Daniel Calvert's March 31, 2026 departure, and Michelin removed the restaurant's three-star listing while inspectors evaluate Lancaster's kitchen ahead of the autumn 2026 guide.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 3, 2026 - Field Notes
Richard Geoffroy and the Chefs de Cave Who Guard Champagne
Richard Geoffroy spent twenty-eight years as Dom Pérignon's chef de cave, and the house has not replaced his public presence since. That fact reveals how Champagne's riddlers, cellar masters, and winemakers keep their distance, and which growers will still open their doors.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 3, 2026 - Field Notes
Teage Ezard Shaped Melbourne's Pan-Asian Turn Before He Died at 59
Teage Ezard trained under Hermann Schneider, opened Ezard at Adelphi in 1999, won two hats on opening, and built a Melbourne vocabulary for pan-Asian cooking before his death in 2026.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 3, 2026 - Field Notes
Ben Yabrow Opens a Dual-Concept Bar in New York
Ben Yabrow is building a bar in New York City after leaving Sip & Guzzle, Double Chicken Please, and SG Club. Two rooms, one waste stream.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 2, 2026 - Field Notes
Modena's Balsamic Families: Booking the Acetaia Visit
Producers like the Malpighi and Marchi families open their attics and batteries to visitors who contact them directly, not through tour operators. Here's how to reach them.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 2, 2026 - Field Notes
Ian Alexander and Mario Firmani Bring Dead Rabbit to Limo
Ian Alexander and Mario Firmani, both former bar directors at The Dead Rabbit, take beverage partner stations at Limo Bar NYC when it opens June 11, 2026.
Hugo MarchettiAugust 2, 2026
