We love many things about Los Angeles Magazine, but one of the things they do best is, well, their Best Of lists. They cover everything delicious from best new restaurants to best new bars. And now, they charm us with a new category: their first-ever Chefs of The Year issue, on newsstands this week.

Luckily, HuffPost LA got a sneak peak at the 20-chef list and we just couldn't keep it all to ourselves.

But what's important to note about this list is that it's not about the best new chefs in LA. It's also not about the best chefs of all time. No. These are the chefs of the year -- the chefs that stood out the most in the last 12 months -- and that includes rising stars and veterans alike. For example, Roy Choi (of Kogi fame) is their cover boy and Wolfgang Puck isn't even on the list.

Let the debates begin.

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  • The Wood-Fire Wizard: Andrew Kirschner

    Restaurant: <a href="http://tarandroses.com/" target="_hplink">Tar and Roses</a>

  • The People's Cook: Govind Armstrong

    Restaurant: <a href="http://postandbeamla.com/" target="_hplink">Post & Beam</a>

  • The Comfort Master: Ernesto Uchimura

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.plancheckbar.com/" target="_hplink">Plan Check</a>

  • The Modern Mensch: Micah Wexler

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.mezzela.com/" target="_hplink">Mezze</a>

  • The Italian Saviors: Zach Pollack & Steve Samson (L-R)

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.sottorestaurant.com/" target="_hplink">Sotto</a>

  • The Asian Ambassador: Kris Yenbamroong

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.nightmarketla.com/" target="_hplink">Night + Market</a>

  • The Solo Artist: Josef Centeno

    Restaurant: <a href="http://bacomercat.com/" target="_hplink">Baco Mercat</a>

  • The Graceful Grower: Ricardo Zarate

    Restaurants: <a href="http://www.piccaperu.com/" target="_hplink">Picca</a>, <a href="http://mo-chica.com/" target="_hplink">Mo-Chica</a>

  • The Big Boys: Jon Shook & Vinny Dotolo

    Restaurants: <a href="http://sonofagunrestaurant.com/" target="_hplink">Son of a Gun</a>, <a href="http://animalrestaurant.com/" target="_hplink">Animal</a>

  • The Fusion Artist: Bryant Ng

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.thespicetable.com/" target="_hplink">The Spice Table</a>

  • The Bridge Builder: Josiah Citrin

    Restaurant: <a href="http://melisse.com/" target="_hplink">Melisse</a>

  • The Newborn Activist: Roy Choi (L)

    Restaurants: <a href="http://sunnyspotvenice.com/" target="_hplink">Sunny Spot</a>, <a href="http://aframela.com/new/" target="_hplink">A-Frame</a>, <a href="http://eatchego.com/" target="_hplink">Chego</a>, <a href="http://kogibbq.com/" target="_hplink">Kogi</a>

  • The Vegetable Sculptor: Gary Menes

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.lecomptoirla.com/" target="_hplink">Le Comptoir</a>

  • The Neoclassicist: David Feau

    Restaurant:<a href="http://www.roycela.com/" target="_hplink"> The Royce at The Langham</a>

  • The Not-So-Mad Scientist: Michael Voltaggio

    Restaurants: <a href="http://mvink.com/" target="_hplink">Ink</a>., <a href="http://mvink.com/" target="_hplink">Ink.Sack</a>

  • The Everyday Gourmet: Suzanne Goin

    Restaurants: <a href="http://www.thelarderattavern.com/" target="_hplink">The Larder at Maple Drive</a>, <a href="http://tavernla.com/larder.html" target="_hplink">The Larder at Tavern</a>, <a href="http://tavernla.com/index.html" target="_hplink">Tavern</a>, <a href="http://www.aocwinebar.com/" target="_hplink">A.O.C.</a>, <a href="http://www.lucques.com/" target="_hplink">Lucques</a>

  • The Sweets Sensation: Zoe Nathan

    Restaurants: <a href="http://www.miloandolive.com/" target="_hplink">Milo & Olive</a>, <a href="http://www.sweetrosecreamery.com/" target="_hplink">Sweet Rose Creamery</a>, <a href="http://www.huckleberrycafe.com/" target="_hplink">Huckleberry</a>, <a href="http://www.rusticcanyonwinebar.com/about.html" target="_hplink">Rustic Canyon</a>

  • The Friends of the Farm: Daniel Mattern & Roxana Jullapat

    Restaurant: <a href="http://www.cookscountyrestaurant.com/Home.html" target="_hplink">Cooks County</a>

  • The East LA Emperor: Ricardo Diaz

    Restaurants: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BizarraCapital" target="_hplink">Bizarra Capital</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dorados-Ceviche-Bar/109836642434143" target="_hplink">Dorados Ceviche Bar</a>, <a href="http://www.guisados.co/" target="_hplink">Guisados</a>, <a href="http://www.cookstortas.com/" target="_hplink">Cook's Tortas</a>

  • The Professional Pop-Up: Craig Thorton

    Restaurant: <a href="http://wolvesmouth.com/" target="_hplink">Wolvesmouth</a>