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The latest chefs on the move

Jeff Tenner, James McDevitt, Franck Deletrain, Richard Garcia, Mitchell Brumels, Stephane Tonnelier, Tyson Wong Ophaso, Mark Allen, Matthew Naula, Ryan Schmidtberger, Gonzalo Mendoza, José Mejia

Jeff Tenner
Jeff Tenner

has left the executive chef position at Bertucci’s, the 95-unit casual-dining Italian chain based in Northborough, Mass., to be vice president of culinary and executive chef of 18-unit casual-dining chain Not Your Average Joe’s, based in Middleboro, Mass. Tenner replaces Chris Bodington, who held that job since 1999.

Previously, Tenner also worked at Legal Sea Foods, the 35-unit Boston-based concept. His replacement at Bertucci’s has not yet been named.

James McDevitt
James McDevitt

, former executive chef of ESquared Hospitality, which owns the BLT restaurants, has been named executive chef of the Bohlsen Restaurant Group, which operates seven restaurants in Long Island, New York. He is charged with implementing group-wide kitchen practices to enhance consistency and efficiency.

McDevitt was named one of the country’s ten best new chefs by Food & Wine magazine in 1999, when he was chef of Hapa in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Franck Deletrain, most recently executive chef of Café Centro in New York City, has moved to sister restaurant Brasserie 8 ½, also in New York City.

Franck Deletrain
Franck Deletrain

Deletrain is offering menu items such as cassoulet with octopus, merguez, cannellini beans and marjoram; lobster bouillabaisse with saffron broth, fennel and clams; and pike en pôchouse — a freshwater fish preparation with white wine — with leeks, sweet peas and chanterelle mushrooms. He is a native of St. Antonio in the Italian Dolomites.

Richard Garcia is leaving his position as executive chef of the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel to head the culinary team at the Entertainment District at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Richard Garcia
Richard Garcia

Garcia will start the new job in October and will oversee several restaurants, including the Jack Daniels Saloon and Findley’s Irish Pub.

Mitchell Brumels is the new executive chef of Ocean Prime in Atlanta, where he is preparing dishes such as sea scallops with Parmesan risotto, English peas and citrus vinaigrette, and yellow fin tuna with potatoes, fava beans and truffle juice.

A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Brumels most recently was chef of Vitale’s of Ada in Ada, Mich.

Mitch Brumels (Photo credit: Heidi Geldhauser)

, former executive sous chef of Boulevard restaurant in San Francisco, has been named executive chef of Five restaurant at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza in Berkeley, Calif. He is making dishes such as gnocchi with wild boar ragù; mushroom ravioli with dinosaur kale salad and crispy oyster mushrooms; and smoked salmon salad with grapefruit, butter lettuce, cucumber, apples, cherry tomatoes and yogurt paprika sauce.

Originally from Paris, Tonnelier started working in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1990s.

Tyson Wong Ophaso
Tyson Wong Ophaso

has been named executive chef of Chi Lin, a new restaurant in Los Angeles serving modern cuisine of Hong Kong.

Born in Laos to Chinese parents, Ophaso grew up in Bangkok. He most recently was owner and manager of King & I Thai restaurant in Atlanta. He also competed on Iron Chef America in 2008.

Mark Allen has been named executive chef and culinary director of Towne Stove and Spirits in Boston, where he is offering dishes such as whole-roasted baby monkfish with bacon, carrots, garlic and fingerling potatoes in lemon sauce, and pan-fried scallops with cucumber-potato purée, oyster mushrooms and crispy leeks.

The Burbank, Calif., native and Culinary Institute of America graduate most recently was executive chef of Pine Brook Country Club in Weston, Mass.

Mark Allen
Mark Allen

is the new executive chef at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Naula was most recently executive banquet chef of the Sheraton Wakiki in his hometown of Honolulu. He said his favorite ingredient to cook with is lavender.

Ryan Schmidtberger has been named chef of Grace, a new Irish Pub in New York City. Most recently consulting chef and director of operations at Nika in Burlington, Vt., he also worked at Lure Fish Bar, Lever House and The River Café, all in New York City.

After 20 years as chef of Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, Gonzalo Mendoza has moved to Colima, Mexico, where he is chef of Hacienda de San Antonio.

José Mejia is the new executive chef of the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, overseeing District American Kitchen and Wine Bar, the Park Lounge lobby bar and Breeze bar, as well as banquet and in-room dining at the 1,000-room convention hotel. He also oversees administration of all kitchen operations, staff recruitment and training. Most recently, the Phoenix native was executive chef of the Villa del Palmar Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary

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