No Italian heritage, no nostalgic journey to the Belpaese. And yet, David Jackman has managed to shake the foundations of North American gastronomy by starting with a concept as simple as it is revolutionary: making pasta the blank canvas on which to paint the wild flavors of the Midwest. His was a bold gamble, one that has now been rewarded with the prestigious title of “One To Watch 2026” in the 50 Best Restaurants of North America.
The Concept
The stage for this revolution is Wildweed, a one-of-a-kind restaurant in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in July 2024 alongside his wife Lydia after years of traveling pop-ups, the establishment challenges the clichés of formal dining. Here, the kitchen is divided into two distinct spaces: a main dining room with a playful, pop-inspired atmosphere where the music plays loud, and an intimate 12-seat chef’s table offering a 16-course sensory journey, served by the very chefs who prepared it to break down the old boundaries between the kitchen and the dining room. The secret to its success? An American take on fresh pasta that rivals European tradition. Rejecting classic industrial semi-finished products and flours that travel for months on transatlantic ships, Jackman uses only premium local grains and hyper-local farm-fresh eggs. The result is a vibrant, rich dough that has become the restaurant’s signature dish: a bowl of two-tone tortelli (striped yellow and red) stuffed with locally sourced chicken, smoked shrimp, and chicken glaze, and immersed in a fragrant Vietnamese-inspired broth, enriched with aromatic herbs and crispy shallots.
But Wildweed, as the name suggests (evoking the weeds that bloom through cracks in the asphalt), is also a celebration of the local area and foraging. The chef gathers wild herbs year-round and works in harmony with the natural rhythms of the season and those of small local farmers, from whom he buys whole animals to ensure that the economic benefits stay within the community. Depending on the season, the menu features wild garlic, rare mushrooms, mezzelune pasta with caramelized zucchini and chanterelle escabeche, or dishes made with Ohio beef finished with caramelized yeast and Parmesan soy sauce. Also excellent is the Pasta with tripe, summer tomato preserve, ginger vinegar, and chili, or the Ohio white asparagus, beef bacon, butter, and aromatic herbs. A circular philosophy that even influences mixology, where bartenders reuse kitchen scraps and ingredients to create bespoke cocktails.
“When I heard about the award, it took my breath away,” Jackman confesses to 50 Best. In a state often labeled as a “stopover” and overlooked by coastal gourmet routes, Wildweed has proven that true culinary innovation can emerge anywhere. This is thanks to an original concept and an old-school team culture, where the kitchen staff and front-of-house team explore the woods together in search of wild sprouts, united by the exact same pioneering vision.
