Best of Boston

The one-person machine that is Tiffani Faison was firing on every cylinder this year: She was a James Beard finalist for Orfano, took home the largest cash prize in Food Network history by winning Guy Fieri’s famous-chef-filled Tournament of Champions, and opened three totally different casual restaurants inside downtown’s highly anticipated High Street Place. In other words: A decade since she launched her New England barbecue landmark Sweet Cheeks Q, the Chopped judge keeps showing the grit and growth that made her a household name in Boston and beyond.