Rising Star Chef Competition
The Rising Star Chef Competition highlights the Capital Region’s most talented emerging chefs and celebrates the next generation of culinary leaders shaping our local food scene. Rising Stars are selected by the festival’s board of directors following an online nomination process and are invited to cook during the Albany Chefs’ Food & Wine Festival’s Grand Tastings and Seminars on January 23–24, 2026.
Meet the 2026 Rising Star Chefs
The 2026 Rising Star Chefs will be featured during the festival’s Grand Tasting and Seminar events on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. During each session, chefs will prepare a signature dish for festival attendees to enjoy.
2026 Rising Star Chefs:
Parker Zellars, Chef, [farmacy] Restobar
Richard Lyman, Chef de Cuisine, The Roosevelt Room
Adam O. Shumway, Head Chef, The Hollow Bar + Kitchen
Dylan Burkhart, Executive Sous Chef, Noah’s Italian
