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Steven Alex Vanderpool, Executive Chef, Cuvee Beach Cellar, Destin FL

Steven Alex Vanderpool, Executive Chef, Cuvee Beach Cellar, Destin FL

STEVEN ALEX VANDERPOOL
Executive Chef, Cuvee Beach Cellar, Destin Fla.

Age: 32. Why he's rising: This Cincinnati, Ohio native caused a stir in Houston when his American-Asian fusion cuisine at Sake Lounge brought that operation recognition as one of the country's best new restaurants of 1998. Now he's pioneering a wine-based concept on the Northwest part of Florida's Gulf Coast. His goal: "I want to help put the whole Destin area on the national food scene." Background: This New England Culinary Institute graduate worked at the Brennan family's Palace Cafe in New Orleans, then headed for Houston's top-rated La Reserve. His role as chef de cuisine at Sake Lounge followed a stint at Manna Bread Company. Cooking style: "Cuvee" is wine parlance for blend, and Vanderpool combines Asian and European flavors to produce complex and unusual flavors. Then he pairs each dish with a complementing wine. Signature dishes: Spicy lemon and fennel calamari; Pepper-crusted black and blue tuna. What the critics say: "Seldom are cross-cultural alliances so congenial."—Texas Monthly. "One of the best new restaurants in Florida for 1999."—Florida Trend. "Extraordinary. A truly exceptional meal."—Northwest Florida Daily News.

TAGS: Rising Stars