Stumbling across starfish while foraging for sea lettuce and wild mussels, Justin Cogley translates the nourishing splendor of the Californian coast onto a plate. Named as this year’s Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine, Cogley is Head Chef at Aubergine, a diminutive, 12-table restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, situated to the north of Big Sur. The natural beauty of the surrounding coves and tidal pools informs his cooking as much as the area’s sparkling seafood does, and has been documented by Cogley for NOWNESS’ week-long Chef Diaries Instagram series. The freshness and simplicity of Aubergine’s current tasting menu sits in stark contrast with his previous lives as Chef de Cuisine at the famed Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and, more incongruously, as a touring professional ice skater. These days, the gastronome is sought-after for his Asian-influenced preparation of the iridescent delicacy, abalone. “We work closely with the Monterey abalone farm and watch the long journey from when they’re a couple of months to five years old. The hatchery had seven million seed but only two per cent made it to the farm, which just blows my mind,” says Cogley. “Being a city chef, you can get access to any product at any time, but you don't usually have the advantage of watching them grow before handpicking your selection.”