New Chefs Rising, Episode 3: Jake Eberle Of Le Fond

Richard Martin•

You hear it all the time: A chef's gotta pay his or her dues, toil for years or even decades in kitchens learning technique and craft. Not necessarily. In New Chefs Rising, Food Republic finds young cooks who are making moves, running their own kitchens in successful restaurants, in many cases before their 30th birthday.

Next up is Jake Eberle, who started working in restaurants at 16 — as a dishwasher. Unlike a lot of his young colleagues, Eberle took the old-school route to the top of the kitchen, interning in a Michelin-starred restaurant in France (La Roche Le Roy in the Loire Valley) before starting his career in earnest. Last year, he opened Le Fond — that's French sauce-speak for the foundation or stock — in an old Polish-restaurant space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It's become a neighborhood favorite where traditional dishes come out of a kitchen aimed with one goal: to satisfy. Watch Eberle describe his rise and execute the classic poule au pot in the latest episode of New Chefs Rising:

Le Fond, 105 Norman Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11222, 718-389-6859; lefondbk.comMore New Chefs Rising videos from Food Republic:

  • Elise Kornack of Take Root
  • Jonah Miller of Huertas
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