Anita Lo

“Food is culture. Cuisine is identity,” says renowned chef, restaurateur, and author Anita Lo. The holder of a Michelin star for nine consecutive years (no easy feat), the New York-based Lo, who originally grew up in Michigan, became a chef at a time when abuse was rampant and women at the helm of a kitchen were (and to a large degree still are) rare. Lo worked in revered restaurants early on in her career, but it was in 2000 when she opened Annisa (“women” in Arabic), that Lo truly arrived. The West Village restaurant was an instant hit; it earned a two-star New York Times review, and Food & Wine magazine named her one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America. Of her achievements, she says, “One of the most rewarding aspects was seeing diversity reflected in the clientele and in my employees. With Annisa, we created community.” Desire to conquer new territories led Lo, who is an “Iron Chef” alum (she defeated Mario Batali), to close Annisa in 2017. Her new adventures include her second book, “Solo: Easy Sophisticated Recipes for a Party of One,” which was published by Knopf last fall and named Cookbook of the Year by Eater. Lo is also in the documentary, “The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution” on Netflix, which focuses on the women who are changing kitchen culture around the world. “There’s a saying that ‘men cook for glory and women cook for love,’” Lo remarks. “And if we do, it’s because of how we were raised, and of that social construct. But as a chef, you really want to be judged on your work. You know, gender really has nothing to do with it.” —JDG