Jason Lawless, who most recently was the executive chef at Woodstock Inn & Resort in Woodstock, Vt., has moved to New York as the new chef at Tocqueville. There he is preparing lavender-skewered Arctic char with gingered spaghetti squash, Tokyo turnips, Thumbelina carrots and Champagne tarragon emulsion, as well as stout-braised pork cheeks with sauerkraut and beer foam.
Richard Blais has hired a sous chef and executive pastry chef for his restaurant The Spence, which is slated to open in Atlanta in late April or early May. Andrea Litvin, formerly pastry chef at BLT Atlanta, was appointed pastry chef, and Bradley Chance, former chef de cuisine of Flip Burger Boutique, will be the restaurant’s sous chef.
Michael Cairns, former executive chef of the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, was named executive chef of Montelucia Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Brian McPherson, who previously was executive sous chef at Poste Moderne Brasserie in Washington, D.C., was tapped to be executive chef of Jackson 20 and The Grille at Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria, Va.
San Diego native Jared Simons is the new executive chef at Lexington Social House in Hollywood, Calif. Most recently, he was the chef at a Los Angeles tapas restaurant, Cobras & Matadors, and a sandwich shop called Potato Chips.
Luke Omarzu has been promoted from executive sous chef to chef de cuisine at Huntington Social in Huntington, N.Y. He was part of the team that opened that restaurant in July 2011. Before that Omarzu worked with Christopher Lee, Huntington Social’s executive chef, who at the time was executive chef of Aureole in New York.
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