Maine Chef Earns Spot Among America’s Best New Cooks

A chef in our Pine Tree State was recently named to the list of the country’s best new cooks for 2025.

Maine’s food is already world-renowned, but now we’re lucky to have a rising star chef right here in our state, adding even more to our reputation.

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So, with that in mind, which publication honored this Maine chef as one of the best new cooks for 2025, and what criteria was this based on?

Food & Wine’s 2025 ‘Best New Chefs’ list was built from months of editors traveling across the country, tasting and scouting restaurants in search of the nation’s most promising talent. The report explains that this year’s class reflects a new generation of chefs whose dishes are deeply autobiographical, drawing inspiration from their upbringings, hometowns, and personal stories to create food that feels expressive, nostalgic, and ‘unapologetically personal.’

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Alright, with that cleared up—who is this Maine chef, where do they work, what’s their story, and why were they chosen as one of America’s best new cooks?

According to Food & Wine’s 2025 ‘Best New Chefs’ list, Jason Rubin of Mr. Tuna in Portland has been recognized as one of America’s best new chefs. Food & Wine had the following to say about Rubin’s inclusion:

This sustainability-minded New England chef known as Mr. Tuna got his start with a refurbished hot dog cart he purchased off of Craigslist.

Rubin’s food journey started with three hand rolls and three sushi burritos from a hot dog cart, eventually growing into a trailer and then a sushi bar in 2024.

Food & Wine continues that his menu now focuses on Japanese-inspired sushi with global influences, highlighting every part of locally sourced fish.

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And there you have it—Jason Rubin, a.k.a. Mr. Tuna, is officially one of America’s best new chefs.

What are your thoughts on Rubin being named to this list by Food & Wine? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to join the conversation by messaging us on the app.

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