Yahoo News: Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2021: Angel Barreto

When Angel Barreto was first setting up the accounts with suppliers for Anju, the restaurant he helms in Washington, D.C., a salesperson didn't believe that he was serious when he ordered 150 pounds of salted shrimp. Even though the store had the ingredient in stock, the salesperson said he didn't think that Barreto actually "needed it." It's not the first time (nor will it be the last) that someone was surprised that Barreto, who is half Puerto Rican and half Black, with a grin that stretches ear to ear, runs one of D.C.'s most popular Korean restaurants. "There's very few [chefs] who look like me that cook Asian food, especially Korean food," he says, with more empathy than frustration in his voice.