Tim Love (Fort Worth, TX; www.cheftimlove.com)

Texas chef Tim Love is known as much for his fun-loving personality as his signature urban western cuisine. As chef/owner of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Love Shack, Queenie’s Steakhouse, and White Elephant Saloon, a founding partner of the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival (where he hosts the world’s largest hands-on grilling demo), and official chef of Austin City Limits, his inspired take on classic American cuisine has earned him critical and popular acclaim. His creative uses of bold flavors and wild game, combined with his unprecedented techniques for cooking with wood and fire yield stand-out dishes like Antelope Carpaccio “Nachos” with Avocado Salsa and Habeñero-Fig Demi-Glace; Beet Home-Fries with Goat Cheese and Chiles; Elk Sausage Sliders with Seared Foie Gras and Blueberry Jam; and Smoked Cauliflower and 3 Kale Salad. Love recently announced he is introducing his cuisine to a new part of Texas, by opening a second location of his flagship restaurant, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, in the heart of downtown Austin in late spring/early summer. In addition to his culinary skills, Love possesses a savvy business acumen and serves as a co-host of CNBC’s newest show, Restaurant Startup, where he and co-host Joe Bastianich vie against each other to invest their own money in restaurant concepts they believe will make them millions. Tim lives in Fort Worth, TX with his wife and three children.