Flavors Unknown

NYC Chef Panel on Bold Flavors and Reinvention

StarChefs Panel NYC 2025

Recorded live at Phoenix Palace during NYC StarChefs Rising Stars. Sponsored by Symrise.
In this special episode of Flavors Unknown, we head to New York City for a dynamic roundtable with four of the most exciting names in the city's food and beverage scene:
Chef Zhan Chen – Executive Chef at Phoenix Palace, redefining Cantonese dining in Chinatown.
Chef Neel Kajale – Chef de Cuisine at Dhamaka, championing bold Indian regional cuisine at Essex Market.
Chef Luis Herrera – The talent behind Ensenada, bringing coastal Mexican flavors to Brooklyn and Miami.
Richie Millwater – Mixologist and Bar Manager at Clemente Bar, upstairs at Eleven Madison Park, where nostalgic classics meet boundary-pushing cocktails.
Together, they unpack the evolution of New York’s dining and drinking scene post-pandemic—from the craving for authenticity and simplicity to the new generation’s reimagining of luxury, balance, and creativity behind the pass and the bar.

What you'll learn from this panel discussion

3:17 – The moment that shook the hospitality industry
4:49 – Why many are stepping away from fine dining
5:49 – The tension between upscale indulgence and underground gems
7:50 – The power and precision of honoring regional cuisines
8:26 – Turning up the spice in Indian food
9:15 – Why you won’t find butter chicken on the Dhamaka menu
10:38 – The rise of hyper-local, hyper-specific food storytelling
13:40 – Storytelling as a vital ingredient on the plate
14:02 – How chefs adapt concepts for new cities and diners
19:30 – Why Miles Davis still echoes at Eleven Madison Park
20:03 – Reinventing classics: where cocktail culture meets innovation
20:21 – How kitchens are inspiring the bar—from scraps to sips
22:16 – Cooking from memory: Neel’s creative muse
23:01 – Nose-to-tail, root-to-stem: India’s culinary ethos
26:39 – How NYC flavors mirror its cultural kaleidoscope
27:38 – The many faces (and uses) of soy
28:58 – Creativity through constraint: turning limitations into art
30:34 – The grind and beauty of cooking everything from scratch
32:22 – Culinary cross-pollination: when food inspires drinks
33:25 – Ferments, funk, and flavor layering behind the bar
36:00 – The world’s most popular spirit no one’s talking about
37:11 – What’s missing from most bars today
37:36 – The unlikely inspiration found in Chinese supermarkets
39:32 – Signature flavors from Ensenada, Dhamaka, Phoenix Palace & Clemente
44:20 – How these chefs seek balance in a demanding industry
46:23 – Understanding Gen Z’s view on hospitality work
50:32 – New vs. old school restaurant criticism
55:18 – Pork, plant-based pivots, and evolving food trends

I'd like to share a potential educational resource, “Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door”, my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry.