Forrest Florsheim is the chef de cuisine of Penny, the acclaimed raw bar and seafood counter located in New York City’s East Village. As a senior pursuing a creative writing degree at Syracuse University, Forrest nurtured a budding love of cooking by operating a makeshift pop-up out of his home kitchen while his roommates orchestrated musical shows of their own in the basement. After graduating, he decided to move out west to Los Angeles to pursue a career in hospitality, eventually landing at Son of Gun where he spent formative time working the line before rising to the role of sous chef. He returned to his pop-up roots during the pandemic as one the co-founders of Little Fish, which started as a roving seafood-focused concept that appeared at restaurants and venues including Smorgasburg. In 2023, Forrest moved to New York, working at The Four Horsemen as a cook. The following year, he joined the Penny team as its opening chef. Under his leadership alongside chef-owner Joshua Pinsky and partner Chase Sinzer, Penny was named a James Beard Best New Restaurant finalist in addition to making their debut on the inaugural 50 Best North America list.