Executive Chef

The Wine Market has elevated sous chef Andrew Weinzirl to the position of executive chef, the restaurant's owner, Chris Spann, announced Oct. 14. Weinzirl takes over from Chris Becker, who left to join the Bagby Group. "I wanted to find a chef that understood my culinary philosophy but who also had his own approach to food," said Spann, who added that Weinzirl had been running the kitchen for a month before his promotion. After graduating from Baltimore International College, Weinzirl put in time at Linwoods , Dogwood and the Chameleon , with a sojourn in between at the James Beard Award-winning Highlands Grill in Birmingham, Ala. On Weinzirl's first menu: a house-made short rib hot dog with apple kimchi; a pine nut and pinot noir risotto with wild mushrooms and Parmesan sage broth; and a pan-roasted Creekstone Farms bistro steak with potato-kohlrabi gratin.

The Wine Market has elevated sous chef Andrew Weinzirl to the position of executive chef, the restaurant's owner, Chris Spann, announced on Oct. 14. Weinzirl takes over from Chris Becker, who left to join the Bagby Group. “I wanted to find a chef that understood my culinary philosophy but who also had his own approach to food,” said Spann in his press-release statement, who added that Weinzirl has been running the kitchen for a month prior to his promotion. After graduating from the Baltimore International College, Weinzirl put in time at Linwoods , The Dogwood and The Chameleon , with a sojourn in between at the James Beard-award dinning Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Ala. Among the offerings on Weinzirl's first Wine Market menu: lobster and pasnip soup, a house-made short-rib hot dog with apple kimchi, a pine nut and pinot noir risotto with wild mushrooms and Parmesan sage broth and a pan-roasted Creekstone Farms bistro steak with potato-kohlrabi gratin.

Working with food isn't a job for sissies. One must be innovative, artistic, competitive, patient, flexible and competent. The hours are long and the competition stiff. Sacrifice? Required. Taking risks? Also required. How does one succeed against such odds? Four female standouts in the industry share their stories on how they got in and why they stay. Sugunya Lunz , executive chef at The Kings Contrivance Restaurant After a long day at work, Sugunya Lunz finds comfort in a simple bowl of cooked noodles.

All over town, there are talented chefs languishing in semi-obscurity. These are the chefs heading up the kitchens in public institutions — universities, convention facilities and even hospitals — and in private institutions like country clubs. They might not operate in the limelight, but the hours are more regular and the benefits packages are often better. The executive chefs of hotels fall into their own blurry category. Their audience is mostly transient, but a few manage to find a following and make a name.

'Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to NYC' Wiley, $19.95: PBS and radio personality and former executive chef Mike Colameco knows his way around a restaurant - and New York City. In this impressive guide, Colameco offers his informed opinion about the best of the city's eateries. He has dined at every restaurant in the book numerous times, spoken with the chef and owner, and spent time with them in the kitchen. He marvels at the concept of being able to eat "virtually anything from anywhere" less than an hour from Midtown.

One of the most interesting Baltimore restaurant stories lately (that doesn't involve a closing) has been the goings-on at the Inn at the Colonnade and its restaurant, Alizee (4 W. University Parkway, 443-449-6200). Alizee got off to a bit of a rocky start, and in April the chef and then the owners decamped. The official word is that they have moved on to other projects. The restaurant was taken over by Richard Naing, owner of the hotel. With the arrival of Christian deLutis as executive chef last month, the place may finally have gotten its act together.

Chefs from Maryland are finally getting the recognition they deserve - at least as far as reality TV is concerned. The 17 contestants on the next season of Bravo's popular Top Chef include three from the Old Line State. Jesse Sandlin, 30, has been executive chef of Abacrombie Fine Food & Dining in Baltimore; and Bryan Voltaggio, 33, is chef/partner of the relatively new but already acclaimed Volt in Frederick. Bryan's brother, Michael Voltaggio, 30, is also one of the contestants. He considers Frederick his hometown but last worked as chef de cuisine at Jose Andres's Bazaar in Los Angeles.

CHRISTIAN 'HITSCH' ALBIN, 61 Four Seasons executive chef Christian "Hitsch" Albin, who fed the world's luminaries for decades as executive chef of The Four Seasons - a restaurant that invented the "power lunch" - has died. He was 61. Albin died at New York University Medical Center on Saturday, five days after being diagnosed with cancer, the restaurant's owners said in a statement. The Swiss-born chef's hearty laughter filled the ritzy Manhattan restaurant's kitchen for 36 years, serving guests who included Jacqueline Onassis, Elton John, President Bill Clinton, Princess Diana and Martha Stewart.

A few months back, Jill Snyder, executive chef at the Red Maple tapas lounge in Mount Vernon, wasn't a big fan of Bravo's Top Chef. "I hadn't really watched many episodes," she admits, a little sheepishly. That's probably about to change: Snyder, 28, will be on the show when it kicks off its fifth season Nov. 12. A native of Latrobe, Pa., who moved to Charm City eight years ago, Snyder is one of 17 chefs competing for the grand prize of $100,000 toward opening their own restaurant. The reality show tests not only culinary skills, but also contestants' resourcefulness, quick-thinking and business savvy.

Baltimore chef Jill Snyder to compete on 'Top Chef' Baltimore's Jill Snyder, executive chef at the Red Maple tapas lounge in Mount Vernon, will be one of the 17 chefs fighting for top honors on the new season of Bravo's Top Chef series. Snyder, 28, has studied under local legend Spike Gjerde. Among her favorite ingredients are semi-sweet chocolate, sushi rice, micro-herbs and champagne, according to a statement from Bravo. Top Chef, which begins its fifth season Nov. 12, pits chefs from around the country against one another in contests that test their culinary skills, their inventiveness and their determination.