2012 Top 5 Rising Chefs in the U.S. " THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHANGED NAMES Whist

Chris Crary has gone from smoking ribs as a boy with his Tennessee grandmother to starring on the latest season of "Top Chef," all in a short 30 years. After attending culinary school Crary cooked his way from Key West to San Diego where he landed a gig as executive chef at Jack's La Jolla – Viaggio Dining Room, where he met his current mentor Tony DiSalvo. In 2009, Crary moved to Los Angeles and was named chef de cuisine at Whist restaurant at Viceroy Santa Monica (where DiSalvo is executive chef) dishing up elegant Mediterranean fare. From a stylish five-course wild game dinner to a very California salad of fig and butternut squash with goat cheese and dandelion, creativity is Crary's forte --- and what got him on "Top Chef," where all the world is truly a stage.

 Read GAYOT.com's restaurant review of Whist