1. Talented chef
Cooking has always been a big part of Colombia‐born chef Fernando Arévalo’s life.“A lot of people had taught me how to cook as a child... so it comes very naturally to me,” he admits. At the age of 22, he abandoned his ambition of becoming an engineer and enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. His skills and drive led him to the kitchens of such renowned chefs as Daniel Boulud and Bill Telepan. After stints at restaurants Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse and Artemis, he struck out on his own this year to start Preludio.