Age: 43
Occupation: Executive chef at Girl & the Goat and chef-owner at Cabra Cevicheria

With a portfolio that includes four trendy restaurants and a successful product line, this James Beard Award winner and Top Chef victor rules an empire built on a singular premise: knowing what people want. Before the coronavirus shutdowns — and if any Chicago restaurateur can emerge strong from that crisis, it’s Izard — her flagship Girl & the Goat was still packing in locals and tourists hungry for her brash, unapologetic food (the most famous dish is pig jowl, after all) and a glimpse of the face of Chicago’s dining scene.