A New Star in the Restaurant firmament." That's how the Daily News headlined its review of Quilty's, a stylish SoHo restaurant, where Katy Sparks's quirky, freewheeling cooking has attracted crowds since opening day. Sparks is known for her "inventive, infinitely variable approach to seafood" (Mark Bittman, The New York Times); her "sensuous way with flavors" (Steve Cuozzo, New York Post); her "great sense of taste and proportion" (Daniel Young, Daily News).

Sparks grew up in Vermont. Her father, a German literature professor, raised cows and chickens on the property, and in the spring, foraged for chanterelles in the woods with his little girl in tow. After dabbling in linguistics at Middlebury College, Sparks dropped out of school and headed to Johnson & Wales. In 1986 she graduated at the top of her class, and then got a job at Campagne in Seattle. She returned East and spent a year in the celebrated kitchen of the Quilted Giraffe under Barry Wine. We first noticed Sparks when she was second in command at Bobby Flay's interpretive Southwestern restaurant Mesa Grill, and later at his Spanish-inspired Bolo. Next, she worked briefly with Elka Gilmore at Kokachin. Gotham diners were thrilled when Sparks got the opportunity to head her own kitchen, and critics loved her delicious creations at Solstice. Unfortunately, the numbers didn't add up, and the restaurant closed.

Happily, she has now settled in at Quilty's, where her eclectic, exciting contemporary American food-with Mediterranean and Asian accents-has brought more fans and critical acclaim. In 1998 Food & Wine included her on its "Best New Chefs in America" list. Both the Wine Spectator and Restaurant Hospitality named her a Rising Star Chef. With Sparks in the kitchen-we've resisted this pun up to the very last sentence-you can bet that sparks will be flying in the dining room, too.