2023 Chefs

Washington, DC

Max Mackinnon is brand new to the DC scene. After growing up in California and Vermont and attending Middlebury College, he owned and operated Pistou restaurant in Burlington, VT for two and a half years. The restaurant was a 2012 James Beard Semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, had developed an ambitious natural wine program, hosted some of the world’s most exciting winemakers, and appeared in Food and Wine Magazine among other publications. Most recently, he was in Copenhagen at Relae restaurant, working both in the kitchen and with the wine program. After leaving in January, having cooked an inordinate amount of vegetables and opened countless bottles of crazy wines, he landed in DC. Currently, you can find him in the kitchen at Rose’s Luxury serving up pork and lychee salads to those who brave the wait.