Best Chef — Darian Bryan

Fourteen years ago, Chef Darian Bryan left Jamaica and chose Buffalo to pursue his culinary career. “I wanted to see snow,” he quips. Today, the snow belt can’t get enough of his cooking.

Neither can the Buffalo Bills (he’s the players’ go-to personal chef). And foodies from across the country fly in to dine at his restaurants or experience his Plating Society event venue. His fans love to bring guests to his hot spots so they can brag on this now-local legend who has brought true Jamaican cuisine to town.

Bryan is humbled, noting that his first job in the states was at Denny’s. “I’d never seen a pancake in my life!” he says with a laugh.

But he knew his home-cooked roots and had a formula for success. Now, guests who’ve never seen curried goat, Jamaican porridge (killer oats dosed with heavy cream and spice) and Escovitch snapper salad are experiencing tastes they never imagined.

The appreciation goes both ways.

Bryan is the Season 5 winner of FOX’s “Next Level Chef” and one of Buffalo’s most celebrated culinary talents, building a trio of concepts that include Bratts Hill and the newly opened Reserve Steakhouse.

But before the national headlines, there was a cookshop in rural Jamaica where Bryan learned from his mom that food was about more than feeding people. “Food is what always brought us together,” he says.

This philosophy anchors every menu. “Jamaican cuisine is bold,” he says. “It’s loud. It’s proud. It’s vibrant.”

Bryan layers warming spices, fresh herbs, slow-cooked meats and bright island flavors into dishes that surprise first-time diners and keep regulars coming back.

Here’s what to expect from three distinct chef Darian experiences. At Bratts Hill, try the curry goat ravioli with white curry truffle sauce or the slow-braised oxtail. At Reserve Steakhouse, order the Steak Au Poivre that wowed Gordon Ramsay on “Next Level Chef.” Can The Plating Society is where you can book the chef’s table experience or roll up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class. chefdarianbryan.com

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