Recorded live at Phoenix Palace during NYC StarChefs Rising Stars. Sponsored by Symrise.

In this special episode of Flavors Unknown, we head to New York City for a dynamic roundtable with four of the most exciting names in the city’s food and beverage scene:

• Chef Zhan Chen – Executive Chef at Phoenix Palace, redefining Cantonese dining in Chinatown.

• Chef Neel Kajale – Chef de Cuisine at Dhamaka, championing bold Indian regional cuisine at Essex Market.

• Chef Luis Herrera – The talent behind Ensenada, bringing coastal Mexican flavors to Brooklyn and Miami.

• Richie Millwater – Mixologist and Bar Manager at Clemente Bar, upstairs at Eleven Madison Park, where nostalgic classics meet boundary-pushing cocktails.

Together, they unpack the evolution of New York’s dining and drinking scene post-pandemic—from the craving for authenticity and simplicity to the new generation’s reimagining of luxury, balance, and creativity behind the pass and the bar.

What you’ll learn from this panel discussion

• 3:17 – The moment that shook the hospitality industry
• 4:49 – Why many are stepping away from fine dining
• 5:49 – The tension between upscale indulgence and underground gems
• 7:50 – The power and precision of honoring regional cuisines
• 8:26 – Turning up the spice in Indian food
• 9:15 – Why you won’t find butter chicken on the Dhamaka menu
• 10:38 – The rise of hyper-local, hyper-specific food storytelling
• 13:40 – Storytelling as a vital ingredient on the plate
• 14:02 – How chefs adapt concepts for new cities and diners
• 19:30 – Why Miles Davis still echoes at Eleven Madison Park
• 20:03 – Reinventing classics: where cocktail culture meets innovation
• 20:21 – How kitchens are inspiring the bar—from scraps to sips
• 22:16 – Cooking from memory: Neel’s creative muse
• 23:01 – Nose-to-tail, root-to-stem: India’s culinary ethos
• 26:39 – How NYC flavors mirror its cultural kaleidoscope
• 27:38 – The many faces (and uses) of soy
• 28:58 – Creativity through c