1. Isaiah Martinez, Yardy Rum Bar, 837 Lincoln St., 458-240-7564,YardyRumBar.com.

2. Ibrahim “Ib” Hamide, Cafe Soriah, 384 W. 13th Ave., 541-342-4410, Soriah.com.

3. Taro Kobayashi, Akira, 359 Mill St., 458-205-8288, AkiraEugene.com.

Chef Isaiah Martinez first began cooking as a young adult in a vocational school in New York City, opening his mind to the creative yet militaristic career. He described the kitchen experience as “very much like a pirate ship.”

Now, after six years of Yardy and a transition from food-cart catering to an all-intensive restaurant and bar, the restaurant won EW’s Best International Cuisine that Didn’t Fit in One of the Other Categories and Best Chicken Joint. Martinez also won the Best Chef category.

Yardy Rum Bar constantly changes its menu, adapting to the produce of each season in Lane County. Chef Martinez sources from fellow local businesses “within 100 miles,” including Winter Green Farm, Organically Grown Company and Moreganics in Junction City.

“There’s just so much good stuff, there’s so much good produce here. There’s really good wine, cider and we have access to like really good rums through the purveyors and OLCC,” Martinez says. “Then, there’s obviously the people. Generally speaking, people in Eugene cook at home. They go to the market and they cook at home. I feel like a large amount of the people that are in Eugene are decent cooks. And I think that that means that that makes it so that they have a higher standard when it comes to food.” — Bayla Orton