8 Knoxville chefs list the dishes - from other local chefs - they they can't live without

Knoxville chefs slice, dice and sauté. They make Knoxville a must-visit foodie destination. They create meals that inspire us.

But who inspires our favorite chefs? Knox News asked eight local chefs to share the other Knoxville chefs that inspire them and the very best dish they make.

Some of their inspirations have been around the Knoxville food scene for years, while some have only just begun their culinary career. Some own brick-and-mortar restaurants, and some hustle through the food truck scene. They're all making Knoxville's culinary scene more delicious. And they're all local.

Responses have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. 

Josh Coates, Seoul Brothers and Hong's Kitchen

Josh Coates has been a chef for about 12 years and co-owns and operates Seoul Brothers inside Marble City Market with his sister and business partner Vic Scott. They launched Hong's Kitchen at Pretentious Beer Company in September.

His favorite Knoxville chef is Kendale Ball at Simpl.

"I had the opportunity to work with chef Kendale through a pop-up event when Girls Gotta Eat Good Asian Bakery and my original concept Seoul Brothers collaborated a dinner at Simpl," Coates wrote to Knox News.

Coates said it's "refreshing to know that there are still chefs that have the drive to do what he does at Simpl." You can find brunch and dinner options at the 1120 Sevier Ave. restaurant.

Coates' favorite dish Ball makes is the Adult Grilled Cheese. "You can never go wrong with pork belly and pimento cheese."

Hux Jones, Balter Beerworks

Hux Jones rose to the title of executive chef at Balter Beerworks six years ago.

His favorite chef in Knoxville is Derek Martin at Landing House.

Jones and Martin worked together while living in Florida and Nashville. Landing House opened in 2017 at 1147 Sevier Ave.

"I am so impressed with all the progression he has had with his culinary career," Jones wrote about Martin. "He has really embraced the Asian cuisine with full force."

Jones' favorite dish by Martin is the slow braised pork cheek and lemongrass dumplings.

"We both came from St. Augustine, Florida, starting our culinary adventures and found our love for food and making people happy," Jones said. "I am so glad we can be a part of this growing city of Knoxville, Tennessee."

More:Balter Beerworks chef wows the 'Chopped' judges with his mad brunch skills

Bettina Hamblin, Farmacy

Bettina Hamblin has cooked and catered in Knoxville since 2008 and opened brunch destination Farmacy in 2017. The restaurant moved to Bearden in 2020.

Her favorite chef in Knoxville is Jeffrey Dealejandro, owner of Olibea.

"All his food is full of love and passion," Hamblin wrote. "The mix of flavors always surprises me. I have to eat every bite!"

She met Dealejandro while she was a bartender at Nama and he was a regular.

Her favorite dish he makes is the carnita tostada with every type of salsa. The dish includes confit pork shoulder, frijoles, queso fresco and eggs.

"I grew up in Tucson, Arizona, so I love everything about this dish. So many flavors and textures. Hits all the notes - crunchy, spicy, citrus, heat and the salty richness of the meat," Hamblin wrote. "You get a choice of salsa, but I always ask for them all. Can't get enough and I don't want to miss a chance to taste one of his creations."

She encouraged foodies to check out his pop-ups and special event dinners.

"His personality comes though in his food," Hamblin wrote. "He takes time making every part of his dishes perfect. He thinks outside the box and is constantly doing the most unique and interesting things. He has no ego, and is always willing to help or go out of his way for you."

Laurence Faber, Potchke

Formerly a pastry chef at Blackberry Farm, Laurence Faber has been cooking for nine years. He and his partner Emily Williams opened downtown deli Potchke in March 2022.

Faber's favorite chef in Knoxville is Tarik Becha of Tarik's North African, which is a rotating pop-up you can check out at Alliance Brewery, Albright Grove and Crafty Bastard.

Faber's favorite dish by Becha is the couscous with all of the accompaniments.

"It’s hard to find food that makes you truly feel nourished physically and mentally," Faber wrote. "Tarik has stories to tell about each ingredient he uses, and not to mention he’s serving it on a pop-up table in the front of a brewery!"

Faber considers him "the most hospitable chef in all of Knoxville."

"His last pop up we attended, my partner and I were strolling downtown with our dog with no dinner plans," Faber wrote. "We smelled his food and he came out to greet us. Next thing you know it is three hours later and we had almost four courses of food and chatted non-stop. We watched him greet every single guest and feed as many as he could until he sold out. There truly is no other host like Tarik!"

Joseph Lenn, J.C. Holdway

Joseph Lenn has been cooking since he graduated from culinary school in 2001. He is the chef and owner of J.C. Holdway, the downtown restaurant he opened in 2016.

Lenn's favorite chef in Knoxville is Khan Sikarng and her mother Phet at Sticky Rice Cafe.

The West Knoxville Laotian restaurant opened the same year as J.C. Holdway.

His favorite dish she makes is nam khao, which is crispy rice and sour pork sausage.

"It has great texture from the crispy rice and peanuts," Lenn wrote. "The acid from the lime juice and the sour sausage make for a perfectly balanced dish. I could eat it every day, and it is one of my favorite dishes in all of Knoxville."

Sticky Rice has become one of his favorite places in the Knoxville area.

"On my days off I often enjoy a break from cooking, and find myself going there frequently for the hospitality and the authenticity of the dishes," Lenn wrote. "I appreciate that it is family-owned, and I love the heritage of the recipes being passed down."

Jesse Newmister, Kaizen

Jesse Newmister has been a chef for 17 years and owns Kaizen, Tako Taco and the recently opened Red Panda Grocery in the Old City.

His favorite Knoxville chef is Meg Parrish from Wild Love Bakehouse, the coffee and bakery at 1625 N. Central St. Meg and Shaun Parrish also own Old City Java, which is where Wild Love started.

"How she managed to develop her laminated dough over the course of many years in an electric residential oven in the back of Old City Java, and then scale it up to a large commercial operation, is nothing short of impressive," Newmister wrote to Knox News. "She and her team consistently turn out some of the best pastries I have ever had."

He said his favorite baked good by Parrish is kouign-amann. "It's basically a croissant with crispy caramelized sugar on the outside," and it's sometimes made in different flavors, like the caramel-chocolate-filled one he said "was one of my favorite bites of food."

Fai Kultida Blais, Fai Thai

Fai Kultida Blais has been a chef for four years, and during that time she operated Fai Thai as a food truck and then a restaurant on Gay Street. She's attending culinary school while finding a new location for her restaurant.

Her favorite chef in Knoxville is Miki Nolin of Ramen Bones, a food truck with a calendar at ramenbones.net.

"I met her at the food truck park, but her mom Kumi Alderman (the executive director of the Knox Asian Festival) has been my mentor for a long time," Blais wrote. "She is my American mom."

Blais' favorite meal from Nolin is the tonkotsu ramen, which has a creamy pork bone broth topped with pork, egg, mushrooms and green onions.

"Every time I have her ramen I'm in heaven," Blais said. "She was trained by a ramen master in Japan. I like that she is doing the business within her ability. This business to me is like my family. I adore them so much."

Jeffrey Dealejandro, Olibea

A chef for 15 years, Jeffrey Dealejandro founded breakfast destination Olibea in 2014 in the Old City.

Dealejandro's favorite Knoxville chef is Jesse Newmister of Kaizen and Tako Taco.

"Knoxville is lucky to have someone like him in the community," Dealejandro said of Newmister. "I have never heard a bad thing about him from anyone I know. He is the definition of a true chef."

His favorite dish by Newmister is the dan dan noodles along with any buns.

The chilled lo mein noodles come with ground pork, black soy, black vinegar, toasted chili oil, pickled cabbage and Szechuan peppercorns.

Dealejandro said he once was catering an event and realized he was 250 glasses short. He called Newmister around 5 a.m., who answered and agreed to help without hesitation.

"He came through, met me there and I got the glasses," Dealejandro said. "It's those little details like that where he didn't have to - he could've easily not answered the phone - and he did. He's done that for many people, not just me."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville chefs share must-try dishes from Knoxville restaurants