The Verdict Is In: These Are the Best U.S. Cities for Chefs
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So you love to cook and you love dining on delectable meals? Does this mean you need to head to Paris or New York to hone your skills or tickle your tastebuds? Not according to a recent review of cities by Rent.com.
The review not only found U.S. cities closest to agriculturally rich areas to ensure the freshest ingredients, but it also looked at each city based on the cost of groceries and the number of specialty stores for chefs to find high-quality ingredients that don’t cost an arm or a leg.
What’s more: These are 15 places we bet you didn’t think of when considering the best cities for chefs. The number of restaurants in these foodie hotspots will give you ample opportunities to be inspired by chefs — or perhaps even become one.
We even gave you a head start by listing the No. 1 restaurant in each city, according to TripAdvisor.
15. Portland, Maine
New England’s coastal towns have long been admired by foodies who cannot get enough fresh seafood, but Portland, Maine, has become a rising star in recent years. Located just two shorts hours from Boston and its classically trained chefs, Portland has a laid-back vibe that’s attracting chefs who want to ditch the city traffic and tourism found on the Cape and Rhode Island’s waterfronts.
It feels like Old New England with restaurants that could beat the pants off of Boston any day of the week.
Portland by the Numbers
Population: 66,215
Cost of Grocery Items: $101.90
Specialty Grocers Rank: 50
Food Markets Rank: 100
Number of Restaurants: Nearly 400
No. 1 Restaurant, According to TripAdvisor: Back Bay Grill
* Stats were sourced from the Rent.com study.
14. Olympia, Washington
Seattle had its day when hipsters and foodies made way to the Pacific Northwest in droves. But when too many people are onto a good thing, it pushes the innovators further afield to break away from the same-ole same-old, as is the case with Olympia.
Located an hour from Seattle and 30 minutes from Tacoma, Olympia has all of the benefits of a waterfront city — i.e., seafood galore — in a more relaxed setting. And chefs are sneaking away to come up with some mouthwatering recipes.
Olympia by the Numbers
Population: 52,882
Cost of Grocery Items: $117.50
Specialty Grocers Rank: 2
Food Markets Rank: 8
Number of Restaurants: 263
No. 1 Restaurant, According to TripAdvisor: Gardner’s Restaurant