Ones to Watch 2022 // Cameron Harrison

Junior sous chef, The Lucky Accomplice
Age: 22
Why Watch Him: He’s cool, calm and quickly climbing the ranks.

If 12-year-old Cameron Harrison could see himself now, he’d be pretty stoked. In just 10 years, he’s gone from a kid who wanted to be a chef in middle school, cooking Blue Apron meals at home, to the junior sous in one of the city’s hottest kitchens. 
 
Harrison got his first food job at Kounter Kulture, working his way up from dishwasher and prep cook to the farmers market, catering and eventually the line, all while getting his culinary degree. Chef Michael Miller and sous chef Sean Martin infinitely advanced his skills, and within three years, he was rearing to try fine dining.
 
In 2019, Harrison had the chance to check out Shift, the Fox Park hotspot known for serving ambitiously good food, on the restaurant’s first anniversary. “After eating at Shift, I knew I wanted to work under chef [and owner] Logan [Ely],” Harrison explained. “The fact that it wasn’t your traditional fine dining restaurant with cloth tables [and] soft white noise music in the background compelled me even more.” He began staging at Shift, but when the pandemic hit and the restaurant temporarily closed, Ely brought him down the street to his new restaurant, The Lucky Accomplice. 
 
Within a year, Harrison had worked every station, including the pass, quickly making his way to junior sous. In that role, he’s organizing tickets, firing dishes and running quality control for every plate that leaves the kitchen. “That’s a big ask of a 22-year-old cook,” Ely noted. “But he rises to the occasion. Whatever I’ll ask of him, he’ll rise to the occasion.” That same year, The Lucky Accomplice racked in accolades as one of the best new restaurants of the year. “The nights or hour that I’m not on the pass, those compliments are all for him,” Ely said.
 
Harrison said his experience has grown three-fold at The Lucky Accomplice, thanks to Ely’s hands-off teaching style. But to Ely, it’s Harrison’s temperament as much as his skill that sets him apart. “Everybody has tempers,” Ely said. “In kitchens, it’s kind of OK to let your temper get the best of you sometimes – and he never [does]. He’s constantly focusing on getting shit done, getting the job done properly and learning and growing. He’s just focused on his job and career. He’s awesome dude, and he’ll continue to be.”