Boston Ommegang Hop Chef Competition

Winning Chef: Josh Smith, The Franklin Cafe
with "Carrot Dish with Black Rice and Mango, Paired with Hennepin"

Biography:
Josh's first restaurant experience came at the age of 11, working in his best friends parents' restaurant on the weekends washing dishes, bussing tables, and cleaning mounds of iceberg lettuce. During high school he buttered toast every Saturday and Sunday at Bill's Bread and Breakfast and almost made it to the omelet station before heading to Vermont to study English Literature. During his time studying in Vermont, Josh continued cooking and working on a small farm during the summers.

See Full Bio

Winning Chef: Michael Lombardi, The Salty Pig
with "Yogurt Panna Cotta, Puffed Barley, Coco and Cherry, Paired with Three Philosophers."

Biography:
Michael Lombardi started working in the restaurant industry while a student at Boston University. Graduating from The School of Management in 2008, he promptly enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America. In 2009 he moved to Orvieto, Italy where he studied classic Italian cooking under the tutelage of Chef Lorenzo Polegri. Later that year, he returned to the United States and took a job as a line cook at Del Posto in New York City.

See Full Bio

People's Choice Winner:Josh Harrison, Publick House
with "Duck Duo: Pan-seared Breast, Midnight Moon Risotto and Confit Gyoza, Paired with Abbey Ale."

Chef: Andy Husbands, Tremont 647

Biography:
At 14, Massachusetts transplant Andy Husbands took an after-school job working at a neighborhood bakery and never looked back. In 1992, after graduation, and many, many cooking jobs in restaurants in and around Boston, Husbands was hired as sous chef at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge; in 1993, he was appointed executive chef.

See Full Bio

Chef: Brian Young, Citizen Public House

Biography:
Born in New Hampshire and raised in music city, Nashville, Tennessee, Brian Young knew that he wanted to be creative. He would lock himself up in his room for hours at a time, teaching himself the chords of Johnny Cash songs and writing song. Soon, a music career was in the making. While on tour with his band, Brian realized that music was not his only outlet for creativity. When not touring, he was in Nashville's kitchens, learning how to cook soul food. It became clear to him that he had two loves, music and cooking, and it wasn't long before Brian decided to retire the microphone and focus on food.

See Full Bio

Chef: Josh Smith, The Franklin Cafe

Biography:
Josh's first restaurant experience came at the age of 11, working in his best friends parents' restaurant on the weekends washing dishes, bussing tables, and cleaning mounds of iceberg lettuce. During high school he buttered toast every Saturday and Sunday at Bill's Bread and Breakfast and almost made it to the omelet station before heading to Vermont to study English Literature. During his time studying in Vermont, Josh continued cooking and working on a small farm during the summers.

See Full Bio

Chef: Michael Lombardi, The Salty Pig

Biography:
Michael Lombardi started working in the restaurant industry while a student at Boston University. Graduating from The School of Management in 2008, he promptly enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America. In 2009 he moved to Orvieto, Italy where he studied classic Italian cooking under the tutelage of Chef Lorenzo Polegri. Later that year, he returned to the United States and took a job as a line cook at Del Posto in New York City.

See Full Bio

Chef: Josh Harrison, Publick House