David Burke, the groundbreaking chef and restaurateur who helped pave the way for elevated American restaurant cuisine, is on a roll—despite an ongoing pandemic and several decades in the business.

In the last year alone, he opened three new restaurants, expanded internationally into Saudi Arabia, partnered with Kentucky ranchers to start a Wagyu beef operation and received the 2021 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for New Jersey. “Resting is not for me,” says Burke, who contends that he still has some kick left.