Eric Adjepong
The 31-year-old Ghanaian American operates Pinch & Plate, a mobile dining service in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in Bronx, he was named as one of the People’s magazine top 10 “Sexiest Chefs Alive” this year coming on the back of news that he is competing on Top Chef, a cooking television reality show that will start its 16th season on December 6 this year.
With a masters degree in international public health and nutrition from the University of Westminster in London, Adjepong who developed passion for cooking from a much younger age says his food is heavily influenced by West African cuisine and the African diaspora – the Caribbean, South America, the new-age South, and the old South as well.
He has, before this sudden fame, worked in New York Michelin-starred kitchens and with a Harlem organization that teaches children and their families about healthy eating.
Being named as one of the sexiest chefs is a “flattering gesture”, Adjepong says, adding that he wouldn’t mind doing some sort of modelling even though he is better with the knife.